That's right, it's turkey time. All orders are taken at Brick Farm Market and ordering is LIVE. But here at Double Brook Farm, we think about turkeys from the darkest days of February straight through the Holiday Week. It's not all glamour shots in mid-November.
We start to hatch out the poults in February. And there are several hatching ‘waves' to make sure we have a wide enough variety of sizes at Thanksgiving. They are pretty cute when they begin life in the brooder.
Then they enter that fast-growth awkward toddler stage in the second brooder (their environment has to be warm enough before they can tolerate the cool NJ spring…).
In a few weeks, it's out to the main barn around early May. They hang out in the fresh air and do all the turkey things until they are big enough to be outside. This has to do more with predators than anything else. Foxes, raccoons and coyotes hesitate a little more when the birds are a certain size. Even though there are dogs in the fields to protect them, a smaller bird would be easy pickings if a predator saw an opportunity.
Finally, the birds are out!! They graze, fly, roost, and roam all summer and fall. Their foragaed diet is supplemented by a GMO-free grain mix grown for us by local farmers.
They like to explore – even when they should be on the other side of the fence.
Wild turkeys often come to visit. Who can resist free food?
The turkeys get large and quite beautiful.
Farmer Jon counts the turkey as his favorite farm animal, preferring to start his day with the birds, listening to their chatter and endless variations of calls.
Even if they are hard to keep off the equipment!
We hope you are settled into fall. Don't forget to order your turkey and other goodies!
