Oats are added to the turkeys' diet

This is usually another busy time of year on the farm as all of the fields are harvested however this year it has all been done early due to the unusual hot weather we’ve had through the first part of the year. It’s very nerve racking as you have to closely watch the weather forecast to harvest at the right time. You wouldn’t believe how many weather watching apps we have but I think it was 12 on the last check. There’s usually only time to check one and that’s often just looking up just before you go to bed to see what the sky is telling you. Sometimes the simple methods are best!

All the straw that’s harvested on the farm is then kept for the coming season. The biggest benefit of using straw from our own farms is that we can select when the straw is baled. We need the straw to be as light and fluffy as possible for the perfect texture for the turkeys. We also aim to reduce our waste as much as possible and utilising the entire farm to support our production is one of the best ways to do this.

Turkey Fact! Did you know that the commercial birds in the supermarkets begin to be grown from the end of August to around the beginning of September. This means the birds can be as young as 12 weeks and some will be up to 18 weeks but not the majority. Our birds are 12 weeks now and they have only just formed their bone structure to be able to put on any meat. You may remember from a previous blog post that the commercial birds are killed when the birds reach the right weight, whereas we have over 11 different breeds which are all grown to full maturity. This is why we have lots of variation in our birds as unfortunately some will eat more than others. But we think it’s much better to allow the birds to get to their natural weight. And as they say, the proof is in the taste!