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["Robert Walton" <waltonrp AT gmail.com>]

My friend that does the pastured poultry grew out about 100 Turkeys
this year. They were the white broad breasted. Like a broiler is to
chickens. They can't breed naturally. They were in a Salatin type cage
until they got too big and then in pooultry netting. They got moved
through the pasture, eating grass and bugs also fed a grain mix. He
got the birds in August and butchered the weekend before Thanksgiving.

The birds were mostly over 15 pounds, lots over 20 pounds. Next year
he is going to order some later because they were bigger than some
customers wanted.

I helped with the butchering and got a bird for that. I was amazed at
how fast a "real" fresh bird cooked. I think that the fast cooking
made the breast meat moister. Nice tasting bird less all the stuff
that comes with a commercial bird.

These birds work really well for the market, they are what consumers
have come to expect. He could have sold more birds and they went for
$3.50 a pound.

I have trouble with the fact that these birds have been bred so that
they cannot reproduce naturally. Of course, I don't think that a
heritage bird would grow out that big, that fast.

Is anyone raising heritage birds? I'd like to have a few of them as a
breeding flock. I wonder what sort of addition Turkey would be as
year-round livestock.

Rob - Va