Raising a Holiday Turkey

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Author M.H. Salmon holds a six-week-old bronze poult.
Author M.H. Salmon holds a six-week-old bronze poult.
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Three-year-old Bud Salmon with a six-week-old bronze poult.
Three-year-old Bud Salmon with a six-week-old bronze poult.
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Young poults like these benefit from scratching around in a free-range pen.
Young poults like these benefit from scratching around in a free-range pen.
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The author with two
The author with two "started" poults.
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Think of a holiday turkey and maybe a grand old tom like this comes to mind.
Think of a holiday turkey and maybe a grand old tom like this comes to mind.
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A tom turkey can reach 25 pounds in five months.
A tom turkey can reach 25 pounds in five months.

With the holiday season approaching, everyone from the modern-day homesteader to the everyday consumer is thinking about that quintessential holiday bird, the turkey. This big goofy-looking avian is still the oven favorite for those two big events, Thanksgiving and Christmas, that come along less than a month apart.

You can, of course, go down the road to your nearest chain supermarket and buy a bird, ready for roasting. But hear me out: once you know the truth about that supermarket turkey, you may not want to feed one to your dog, let alone your family. What’s the alternative? A free-range bird you raise yourself.

Raising Your Own Bird

This article is for the beginner who would like to raise a holiday turkey for a superb holiday feast, and maybe a few more to give away, sell, or barter. I suggest you start with at least two or three birds — not more than a dozen. Turkeys like company; a lone young bird will not be happy, and it’s not unusual to lose one, especially when they’re little. Also, several young birds will stimulate a mild competition at the feeder, prompting each to eat, and thus grow, more. On our place, a semirural five acres in southwest New Mexico, we have raised six to ten birds the last few years, resulting in some great turkey dinners and a good profit from the extra birds. The usual practice on a small acreage is to buy several young birds, called poults, in late May or June, raise them for about five months, then dress them out before Thanksgiving or Christmas.

You can begin with poults that are just hatched or with so-called “started” birds that have feathered out and are three to four weeks old. The just-hatched birds will need special care for the first few weeks and will require a brooder.

  • Published on Oct 1, 1998
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