Baby turkeys are fussy little creatures.
Unlike piglets who pop out of the womb almost entirely self-sufficient, turkeys are somewhat helpless and require a bit of coddling in the early days.
Of course, it all starts the day those fluffy peepers arrive through the US postal service, which can always be a little hairy – or shall I say feathery?
After we do a quick inspection, we get the baby turkeys settled into the high tunnel up in the main field, and this is when their fragileness becomes even more apparent.
The name of the game is survival, and the key, outside of making sure they have access to food and water, of course, is keeping their living quarters HOT – preferably around 90 degrees day and night.
With a bunch of carefully positioned heat lamps and fans that are equipped with heat-censored switches, we’ve been doing great in this department so far.
They’ll be getting more mobile and curious (read accident-prone) soon. This usually happens at about 14 days of life, and I like to think of this as the toddler phase.
Greg often jokes that they look like they’re actively trying to kill themselves at this stage – somehow, despite all our best efforts, something as benign as an empty 5-gallon bucket can become a death trap for a baby turkey.
We’re on high alert and will need to stay on high alert for a few weeks. But so far, so good! The baby turkeys are happy as can be and growing like gangbusters. And we’re happy, too.
Not just because we spilled the beans about the future of the farm (check out this newsletter if you’re not up to speed), but because while turkeys certainly come with their challenges, they align so well with our goals for the farm and our future!
They’re seasonal, extremely well adapted to the terrain of our farm, and they’re gentle on our soils. They also happen to be the VERY first animal species we ever raised, and we hope they’ll stay on and be our last, too.
Your Farmers,
Jenney & Greg
PS – If you purchased a turkey from us in years past and are planning to reserve one for this year, mark your calendar for August 15th. This is when you’ll be able to place your deposit and reserve your spot.
PPS – If you’ve never purchased a turkey from us before and are excited about experiencing your first certified organic, pasture-raised turkey, rest assured. Sign-up for you starts on August 18th. Be sure to act fast!