The Turkeys are Here!

Our long awaited order of turkeys arrived today! We decided to go with a heritage breed this year in hopes that we will be able to breed them next year. Last year all of our turkeys were killed by a neighbor's dog, so I am really thankful that we can try again.

These are Narragansett Turkeys, a dozen of them. The hatchery also put 7 chicks in the box...to help keep the turkeys warm. Turkey poults are very delicate, so they will be in the fish tank brooder in the house for a couple of days so we can watch them very closely.

Once out of the box, we dip their beaks in the water. Their water is a mixture of water, apple cider vinegar, molasses (for an energy burst plus trace minerals), and an herbal mixture that prevents coccidia. This should get them off to a great start.We moved the chicks to another brooder so that the turkeys do not have to compete for food. That empty brooder sure got full!The Narragansett breed is hundreds of years old, are good foragers, and good mothers. The toms are about 28 pounds and the hens are about 15 pounds when grown. We're praying that we have some that look like this by the end of summer.....And some that look like this come Fall.....Then next year about this time we hope to have some that will hatch out their babies so we can do it all over again!