Monday, March 15, 2010

Turkey Eggs

Whew ! Is it just me or has this spring weather got everyone super busy? The warm temps and sunshine have been like a magnet, pulling me out side.I have started tilling the garden,planted a few cool tolerant things like turnip greens.Mmmm,boy do we love turnip greens! I am a little leery of planting too many seeds,that  old Easter cool spell  saying you know.I did plant one row of beans...I couldn't help! I hope Mother Nature is kind to me this year! I have plenty of things in the hot house started.Tomatoes and peppers of course but also cucumbers and cantaloupe and egg plants and squash.They are safe and growing happily in there and will have to stay put until I feel it is safe for them.Our nights are still cool...

Our Bourbon Red turkey girls have started laying!



Just 2 eggs so far..


This is them compared to a chicken egg!


I am keeping them out of the fridge in hopes one of our hens will go broody soon.I will stick them under a chicken! I am thinking of an incubator....times like this it would come in handy,especially if I end up with a bunch of turkey eggs and no hen to put them under! We have eaten our excess tom turkeys,they were very good! So it is definitely worth raising these birds! I hope I can sell the extra babies if I get them hatching...Bourbon Reds are a Heritage Breed and more people are taking an interest in raising heritage animals.These are beautiful,gentle and tasty...a good bird in my opinion!

20 comments:

brokenteepee said...

Hmmm, I would have thought they'd be much bigger.
I like the spots.

John Going Gently said...

they could be my three, they look EXACTLY THE SAME!!!!!
wierd.....
take a look at my post of yesterday and see!!!
never knew they were in fact called bourbon redss!!!!

Unknown said...

I hope your turkeys lay more eggs. Can you eat turkey eggs?

Melodie said...

Pricilla,
The babies are not much bigger than the large breed baby chickens,they just grow a lot more!

John Gray,
I will check you out!

Carol,
Yes, you can eat them but we have sooo many chicken eggs I would rather hatch the turkeys!

Anonymous said...

Yes, the spring weather has been wonderful. I have been working outside alot and busy on projects.
Turkey eggs, cool! I want some. You should get a incubator. I bought mine directly from the manufactor. The first time I used it the fan went out and after a phone call to them they had me a fan in two days. Here is a link to the company.
https://www.gqfmfg.com/store/front.asp
I purchased the 2362N Circulated Air Hova-Bator and auto egg turners.

Lin said...

That was my question--can you eat them??! Oh well. Can you turkey chick photos when you have them? I don't think I know what a baby turkey looks like. (and don't laugh at us city folk!)

Melodie said...

Barbara,
Thanks! I will check it out!

Lin,
Yes, I will show pictures.Some where way back I have a picture of these.

the wild magnolia said...

You are a busy little farm woman. I too hope Mother Nature is kind to you, the beans and turnip greens. I love the greens and the turnips. Love beans too.

I don't usually think turkeys to be beautiful but yours have shiny feathers and such a rich color. The bourban red turkey girls are gorgeous!

Great post.

Brenda said...

I know what you mean about so much to do outside now that the weather is nice enough to be out there!

Your turkeys are very pretty. I hope you are able to hatch the eggs!

jaz@octoberfarm said...

i have such egg envy!

sunset pines farm said...

the eggs are beautiful. I think you have almost convinced me to raise an "eating" heritage turkey this year. But I wouldn't mind having one for eggs, either!

IanH said...

Where did you find a source for your heritage turkeys? They are much prettier than the common, large white.

Tales from the Trails said...

I'm glad Hubby and I are not the only ones playing out in this wonderful weather. Well, playing in dirt that is.
The Farmers Almanac says our last "freeze" will be March 17th. I sure hope Mother Nature will be kind to us.

The eggs seem to pretty to eat, ha ha. Can't wait for ours to start producing eggs.

Texan said...

I came back to see the answer and pooy my post from yesterday wasn't here!

So my question is/was you said you were going to let your hens sit the Turkey eggs? Turkeys don't sit and hatch their eggs like chickens? Do they crush them trying to sit on them?
I know nothing about raising Turkeys...

Ruth Trowbridge said...

Hi Melodie, glad you finally got that spring weather you wanted. "like a magnet" is how i feel about outside these days when i should be doing house work. Don't put turkey eggs, or chicken for that matter, in the fridge if you want to incubate them. They will store for a few weeks at room temperature and will still hatch on schedule when heated to hatch. Cold eggs will not hatch, sorry, better eat them. Washed eggs won't work either. An incubator is wonderful, but I know you are dedicated enough to know you can hatch them without one. Maintaining a constant temperature for a prolonged period of time is the key. I write about it in detail in my book, it is very rewarding. There are pages on the net for how to make your own incubator. Peace

Melodie said...

Ruralrose,
I have them in a bowl on my counter! I am not going to waste them on eating,I want more turkeys!

Texan,
yes turkeys will set...I just don't know how soon and if I have a chicken go broody first I will set them under her.We hatch lots of eggs but mostly under bannies and they are small so I couldn't do many turkey eggs under her so that is why I am thinking incubator.

TRTWT,
you'll never be able to eat store bought eggs again!

IanH,

McMurry hatchery has them and I think Ideal Poultry here in Texas may too.They sell out quick!

Joanna@BooneDocksWilcox said...

when selling eating eggs by the dozen, we try to put a turkey egg in each carton, can't hardly close the lid. We and our egg customers LOVE eating tukey eggs. I have 3 hens and 1 tom, have ordered some from McMurray which will arrive in June. I wanted to wait until we had some warm weather.

Ruth Trowbridge said...

oh yes i see you keep them "out of the fridge", my bad, darn these old eyes they seem to see what they want these days (and that isn't necessarily always a bad thing) - of course you know what you are doing or else you wouldn't have come as far as you have - peace

Melodie said...

Ruralrose,
Well,I don't know about knowing what I am doing,a lot of the time I am just winging it!

Ruth Trowbridge said...

aren't we all my friend, aren't we all - peace