Turkey Husbandry

Raising turkeys is a little trickier than chickens, they seem to be better at doing themselves harm.  They need a heat lamp like chicks do, but their feed, water and bedding are all quite different. To really grow into top quality table birds, it is best to feed turkeys on turkey crumbs that have a protein content of 27 - 28%.  This is really hard to find, most feed merchants supply crumbs with only a 25% or 26% protein content.  I have had to buy organic feed at great expense.  In terms of water, obviously clean water is clean water but turkeys need really clean water.  Young birds make such a mess in their water, poop and muck and feed etc.  Quill do these waterers that hang from the roof of the brooder and have little nipple type things, that are metal and shiny and so attract the birds to peck at them, when they are pecked at a few drops of water come out and so the bird drinks really clean water.  I was quite sceptical at first, I didn't think that an animal that didn't suckle would have the instinct to drink in this way, but they all do.  It is so much easier than having to empty, clean and re fill the traditional water containers.

With bedding, turkey poults up to around 9 weeks can't be bedded on straw or shavings because they eat it and it stuffs up their digestive systems, which can be fatal. One evening we were moving bales of straw in the garage and a small piece of straw wafted into the turkey brooder.  Sure enough, a little turkey picked it up and I watched in horror as it ate it whole.  "Its eaten some straw" I shrieked. Anyway, it obviously takes more than one piece of straw to kill a poult as it is still fine.

They are actually bedded on corrugated cardboard, the uneven surface stops the birds legs from splaying and they do not seem keen on eating it.  The only problem is, whilst the cardboard absorbs some of the moisture form the turkeys, their poo does seem to get stuck to their feet.  The heat lamp is keeping the temp so warm in the brooder (around 90 degrees) that the poo drys on their feet and sticks there.  I'm not sure whether to soak it off or not, I'll keep an eye on it in case any one of the turkeys had poo stuck right round one of their claws, because this may cause it to drop off and become infected.

Apparently the first 2 weeks of their lives are crucial.  We are just going into week 2 so lets see how this week goes.  We had a power cut in Furneux Pelham one evening this week and by 9pm I was getting seriously worried about the turkeys; they were all trying to lie on top of each other to keep warm because the heat lamp had gone off.  I was concerned that they would be too cold over night without the lamp and also that they may end up smothering each other in an attempt to keep warm, so we decided to put them into small boxes in groups of 6 and bring them into the house to sleep in front of the gas fire. We had just finished boxing them up when the power came back on, but in doing so we counted 26 poults! I only paid for 25, a little bonus turkey!

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The Turkeys and ponies arrive

I picked the Christmas Turkeys up a week ago today an they are really, really cute. Surprisingly so, considering how odd fully grown turkeys look. As a novice Turkey keeper, I have spent quite a lot of time looking at them, wondering if what they are doing is what baby turkeys are meant to do. Anyway, they seem to be growing and their wing feathers are coming through.

 

This is what they look like now

We also have the two ponies, Thistle and Quito. They seem to have settled in well and get along fine.  Luke and Claudia have improved with their riding in just a few days and they will be excellent practice pupils for me!  Patience, deep breaths, patience and a bit more patience so far seem to be the key skills. Claudia rides just like a Thellwell's child - bottom bouncing inches out of the saddle with every stride, legs and arms flapping madly trying to get the round little pony to go even faster. Luke is rather more cautious and poor Cassia is just pleased to be able to ride either of them.  Russell thinks she needs her pown pony, but I'm not so sure - two ponies seem enough at the moment.  We are a bit rough and ready, no muck heap, water or flooring in the stables mean a lot of mannual work in carrying bedding, water and waste to and from the stables. 

But the view of the ponies in the field is just great.

Quito is 13.2 hh and so I can ride him once a week to keep him schooled.

I'll post a picture of the field shelter next time.

Elsewhere on the "farm" the meat chickens are big and desperately need an enclsure on the field.  I am letting them free range in the garden for now. The Quail house is finished (hurray) and Russell is starting on the Turkey house (woohoo). We are busy though, the light evenings mean we can work outside until after 9.  This is "start up" mode, which basically means long hours, with no real clue what you are doing, for no profit whatsoever.  But hey, life is for living and there is only rubbish on tv at the moment in the evenings anyway.



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Phew, a good day

It's dog eat dog out there in the world of pony buying.  On Sunday I called a lady about her pony she had advertised, she told me that another family had called her several times and were viewing the pony at 6pm that evening.  I was already taking Luke and Claudia over to Watford to see another pony, so I asked if I could call in to see her pony on our way back at 3.30pm. She said yes, but obviously the other family would need to have first refusal of the pony (strange world of pony viewing, where etiquette is v important). Anyway we saw the pony and Luke loved him (as did I), I called the lady on my way home and offered her the full asking price for the pony just before 6pm! She was pleased but said she would still need to let the other family see him.  Later that evening she called me to say the other family had also offered the full  asking price. Rats, I thought.  She said that she would happily sell the pony to either of us, but she thought we might also offer the pony a nice home and a home for longer, as my children were a lot younger than the children in the other family. She explained that she would take the night to think it over and call me the next day with her decision.  I took the opportunity, ala in the boardroom on" the Apprentice", to press upon her how well we would care for the pony and love him and keep him for many, many years.  A bit later on I texted her to up our offer by £200.  After a night of hoping that she would decide to sell the pony to us, the next morning she called to say she would! Yes! Luke was thrilled, I was thrilled. yes yes yes.  Now just to hope he passes the vet check on Friday.  He is such a lovely pony, I really hope he does. 

Things are looking up.

In fact, today I have gone back to thinking how blessed we are.  If God does exist, then I am very grateful to him for guiding us to this point in our lives, and if he doesn't then I am still very grateful to whatever greater force; be it fate, or karma, or whatever, that has brought us here.  Plus of course the hard work over a good few decades of my lovely husband (and a few years of hard work myself, though really it is all Russell!) to provide us with the financial resources to buy the field.  We have also been  very fortunate recently in inheriting some money from my late step grandfather.  This is also a blessing for us and we will use this money to help create our little legacy, here, on our field in Furneux Pelham.  I know he will be thrilled at what we are doing.

I'm still worrying over a million things, I won't go on about them here but to provide a "high level summary" of my worries; today I am mostly worrying about:

1. Whether we can get the ponies on and off the field along the track, as the wheat crop is growing taller every day, thus making the path for us to walk along seem narrower by the day;
2. Will the fencing be finished in time? - I have arranged for both ponies to come on the 26 May (fret, fret);
3. Will the grass be cut in time? (worry, worry);
4. Will we manage the turkeys?
5. Will I pass my stage 2?
6. Am I giving the kids enough attention whilst soring all this out?

And then I think of the kids riding and its all ok again.  Claudia looks adorable in her riding hat and here is a pic of their little johdpur boots:

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Writing?

I read about a little idea that I think is so nice I'm going to share it on here (even though its not strictly linked to the farm). I love the idea of writing with ink pens, on lovely, thick creamy paper, writing letters to loved ones and sealing them with a wax seal. I plan to write individual letters to my threee kids, just telling them my thoughts and feelings about their childhood and telling them how much I love them and how we are trying to build a lovely life for them with the land and everything. They will be sealed and then kept somewhere safe, so that the kids can open them when they are grown up.


Got a bit gloomy this week, the rain has meant no progress on the field, the pony I found for Luke failed the vet check (actually, the vet didn't manage to get anywhere near the pony, it turns out the pony doesn't like vets and went completeley mental kicking, biting when the vet tried to examine her) and I have fretted and worried and worried and fretted that the insurance for the riding school is going to be over £7k per anum.  However, the week has ended on a much brighter feel, the sun has come out, I am now looking at ponies for Luke that I can also ride and, and the insurance quote came through for just under £2k! Thankfully, otherwsie all hope of profit would have been gone in an instant.  I still plan to apply for lottery funding though.  When, when though, I haven't even manged to contact the architects yet for quotes for the technical drawings for the stables.


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ooo - a bit stressful

Lots going on at the moment and I can't help thinking we have taken on a bit too much (and none of it even started yet!). I'm sure it will all be fine and even though there is a lot to think about it is really exciting.

The Council have come back to us saying that basically if we knock our proposals down to 8 stables then we should be ok, depending on any local objections etc.  So we are going on to the full planning application, for this we need technical drawings, a flood risk assessment and a few other things but it should be no more onerous than the pre app stage. This is really good news, but having to cut down to 8 stables has taken the shine off it a little - it is so so so so so hard to make any profit out of the riding school  as it is, with 2 less ponies it may prove impossible in the short term.  Add to that the horrible realisation i had this week that we may well need to pay business rates on the yard and manege. plus I am nervously getting some quotes for insurance from a couple of on-line companies. I have only budgeted for £3.5k for insurance, and I am really hoping I am not too far off the mark.

The only answer I think of at this stage is to apply for lottery funding. There is no money in running a riding school and I do not want to be another name who sinks a shed load of cash into a smallholding / stables project only to declare themselves bankrupt a few years later.  We hopefully would not be bankrupt if it all went wrong, but I would hate to lose the money!

Then I look at the business plan again and I feel a bit more positive, no one offers lessons round here and there must be a way, if we are good, to make a succeeful business out of this.  And if there is no business, then we will have v posh facilities to use ourselves!

I am having Dolly, a pony I have seen for Luke, vet checked tomorrow and all being well i will pick her up on saturday.  Due to the bad weather we are not ready for ponies on the field yet (long grass, no fencing , no field shelter etc etc) and so i am looking into alternative stabling in Furneux Pelham for her. the pressure id on to be ready here by the 26 May, which is when I am picking up Thistle and moving Dolly home.  The fencing man and the paddock man are on the case! i am also busy digging up nettles / bonfire patches / filling in rabbit holes in preparation. Good news this week is that the council have said we can have a field shelter, whilst we wait for the stables. I have ordered this from Redmire Stables and it will be delivered and erected on 22 May.  yeah!

After school tonight I am taking the kids to get kitted out for riding  - hats, boots, johdpurs and gloves, which will no doubt cheer us all up quite a lot :-)


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