The turkeys are taken to the polytunnels

It’s hard to believe but our turkeys are already 10 weeks old and looking very fit and healthy. It has been a busy time of the farm over the last weeks and the weather has meant a lot of things have started early. We would usually be harvesting in August but due to the drought and very hot weather, it was all done in July which is unheard of.

When the turkeys were 5 weeks old our turkeys they were moved outside to their polytunnels amongst the cherry trees and foliage. That means the turkeys get day time entertainment from the footpath that runs directly through the farm. They are naturally curious, they love seeing and hearing people walk by and if you have time, stop and chat, as they will definitely have something to say back.

When we move the turkeys it’s a very slow process as we want to ensure their safety. Turkeys have a natural instinct to crowd into each other when they become scared. A loud noise or even a bigger bird flying close by overhead could scare them. So we make sure all the husbandry team are around to careful warden the birds up to the pens.

Turkey Fact! Did you know we bed up our polytunnels with straw every other day by hand. This gives our husbandry team the chance to check the flock and make sure the birds are in top health.

For the first week, we kept the poults inside the polytunnels, as before they are released, they still need to acclimatise to their new surroundings. And some of the poults may have a little longer in the tunnels if they’re not quite ready to be released. Then once Steve and the team are happy and the birds are strong enough, all the birds will be allowed to roam the fields. They will continue to bed the tunnels up every other night as the birds do like to come in to roost. Turkeys are also not big fans of a hot sunny day so often retreat into the shade when it gets too hot. They also quite like a dust bath when it gets really hot and humid.