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Heading into fall for sure - Roast Turkey
Northwoods:
--- Quote from: zxcvbob on September 13, 2021, 05:26:16 PM ---Patty bought one a few years ago. It was better than a Butterball (etc), but not much better and it cost twice as much for a smaller bird. I was not impressed. It was good, tho'.
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First time I raised them I had the family vote on broad-breasted or heritage as I raised both. It was hands down, unanimous, in favor of heritage turkey.
The ones I sell I get $7/lb and the buyers think it’s a good deal. And charby - I don’t make much at that price. Their feed conversion is really poor. But, imho, worth it.
charby:
--- Quote from: sumpnz on September 13, 2021, 08:26:32 PM ---First time I raised them I had the family vote on broad-breasted or heritage as I raised both. It was hands down, unanimous, in favor of heritage turkey.
The ones I sell I get $7/lb and the buyers think it’s a good deal. And charby - I don’t make much at that price. Their feed conversion is really poor. But, imho, worth it.
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Heritage Turkeys are like cattle, about 6# of ration to 1# of gain. 22# tom should have 140# of ration in it, or $50 of feed in 2.75-50# bags bought at big box farm stores. Probably at lot cheaper bought in bulk from a mill. Also starting your own breeding program will lower your chick costs. I think that is the problem with the "hobby" growers is that they don't get big enough to get the prices down for the consumer, need to start thinking 500+ birds and working with a inspected processor.
I figure I have about $50 in a wild tom. $28,50 for a tag, $20 in gas and $1 for a shot shell.
White turkeys are 2.5# ration to 1# gain. Why they are .99 #.
Northwoods:
I’ve got quite a few baby turkeys that hatched in my back yard running around. We shall see if that’s any more economical than buying hatchery poults. Hopefully I can sell enough to make my effective poult cost go to zero.
If I bought my feed in bulk I could get it down to $50 per bird. More like $60-65 in the smaller quantities I’m stuck with. Plus $15/poult shipped from a hatchery, and some miscellaneous stuff like wood chips for the brooder, electricity for heat lamps, processing equipment rental, and averaging losses due to predators and turkeys just being death magnets, and before we even discuss land costs and things like fencing $100/bird is about right. At $7/lb I’m breaking even on a 14lb bird.
K Frame:
I've had heritage turkey. Good, but not good enough to justify the price.
My family used to get our holiday turkeys from the factory store at the Empire Kosher Food plant near where we lived. Untreated, so they needed to soak in a brine to make them really good and moist.
The last couple of years I've been spending the holidays with Castle Key and his family. At Thanksgiving he's been getting locally raised all natural birds that we brine. One goes on the smoker, one goes in the fryer. They are GOOD.
charby:
--- Quote from: sumpnz on September 14, 2021, 12:58:08 AM ---I’ve got quite a few baby turkeys that hatched in my back yard running around. We shall see if that’s any more economical than buying hatchery poults. Hopefully I can sell enough to make my effective poult cost go to zero.
If I bought my feed in bulk I could get it down to $50 per bird. More like $60-65 in the smaller quantities I’m stuck with. Plus $15/poult shipped from a hatchery, and some miscellaneous stuff like wood chips for the brooder, electricity for heat lamps, processing equipment rental, and averaging losses due to predators and turkeys just being death magnets, and before we even discuss land costs and things like fencing $100/bird is about right. At $7/lb I’m breaking even on a 14lb bird.
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Fencing/shelter you need to depreciate the cost over the life of the equipment.
The local locker is about $8 a turkey for processing. Killed, plucked, gutted and bagged up.
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