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These tom poults were just hached this morning and shipped here from Minnesota. these boxes contain 100 poults divided into "nests" of 25. these birds will weigh more than 30lbs.by the time dressing starts.
The round brooding stoves hanging from the ceiling radiate heat down onto the poults to keep them warm. There are 5 feeders and 2 water jugs per stove. A single 8 foot automatic watering trough runs between the two stoves. The wire ring keeps the poults from wandering too far to find their way back to food, water, and warmth.
Today we let the poults out of the rings and they have complete run of the whole house. They will stay inside until 5 weeks of age when they will move out to range. You can see that the week old poult is starting to feather. Here a young tom struts, his tiny tail feathers just noticeable.
The turkeys have been moved to open range. The ground they are on is a freshly harvested wheat field. They are surrounded by a corn field which you can see in the back. Notice the turkeys roosting in the portable shelters. These provide crucial shade for hot afternoons. The temporary fences keep them from wandering too far from water and food. The turkeys will grow here in the fresh air and sunlight until harvest.
Just three months later and we're almost ready for harvest. These toms have thrived on the open range.
Ready to be your honored guest for Thanksgiving. Robert Kauffman gets a hand from his daughter Kayla with the prize turkey.
