Turkeys

I wanted some Narragansett turkeys to raise.  I looked for months on Craigs List for turkeys or eggs to hatch but couldn't find any.  I turned to the internet and finally ordered 2 dozen eggs form a hatchery as they were sold out of poults for the year.  

I incubate chicken eggs all the time with a pretty good hatch success but I was so disappointed with the turkey eggs.  Out of the two dozen I ordered only 6 hatched and one is white with some black markings so it is obviously not a Narragansett.   I did email the company and they informed me they were sorry I was disappointed and they had no idea what the white turkey is.  Will not be ordering from them again.

I wanted more than 6 turkeys so I looked on ebay and low and behold they had turkey eggs.  I bid on and won a dozen.  The post office called me to come and pick up my package....it was "leaking".  When I opened the package 4 eggs were broken.  I guess some postal workers along the way used the packaged marked "Fragile Hatching Eggs" for football practice.   Needless to say none of the remaining eggs hatched.

So far with the cost of the eggs, the shipping, food, 6 foot poultry netting, post, staples and a small house our Thanksgiving turkey will equal out to about $100.00 a pound.  We will think we are as special as the elite in Washington who dine on $100.00 a pound steaks!

We did get another 50 foot of netting up this morning before it got too hot to work.  Hopefully a few more days will see the turkeys in their new home.  I had no idea they grow as fast as they do.  Keep your fingers crossed that I have at least one hen and tom  so we can produce more next year.