turkeys relocated

The turkey pens have a larger, wider top than the other pens. This winter the snow loads squished them a bit, so there were repairs that had to happen. For 4 years we had used billboard coverings on them, but this year they had to be replaced. A few of the tires were flat, some handles had gone askew, and ropes had frayed to the point of no longer usable.

Day by day over the last week (with loads of other work completed) these repairs were made and turkeys moved out of their brooders. The flocks remain in the same groups from brooder to field pen: poultry do not mix and mingle well, so we start flocks and keep same configuration from start to finish. This year each pen holds a little more than 60 birds. Right now the birds are so little they can barely been seen in the pen. 5 months from now we will be looking for empty pens to transplant the meanest or the meekest birds, for now they look lost with so much space in each pen.

In mid-July the brooders refill with 100 more egg layers, girls that will commence laying eggs in January, always our lowest production time and when we need an influx of fresh production! The balance of brooders are occupied by broilers until September, when production runs end for 2014.