I'm back again about the noobs raising their fowl to eat.

6 years ago

I wrote a while back about trying to educate total noobs about how to raise their meat birds ( turkeys and chicken).

They moved up from the south in June with 20 some birds a day or two old. They did butcher a few cornish cross but lost a couple due to them not doing it when they were ready and the things broke their legs.

They stopped feeding the feed store feed since it was so expensive and have a big barrel of shelled corn but it seems they are not feeding them enough as the full barrel in July is only a foot down. Most of what they feed them is downfall apples and some corn now and then. I am caring for them this weekend and they were out of feed and had only mud in the water dishes. When I went to water them the turkeys crowded me at the gate and instead of meat covered breasts like I think they should have they have sharp breast bones. That tells me they are basically starving the darn birds.

It has been years since I raised birds but mine were fat and sassy and always had feed and water in front of them.

Are they supposed to be on meatbird feed or is shelled corn and a few garden scraps and lots of apples a good diet to put meat on them? And, I suggested to them that they buy a bag of grit and that 5 lbs or so is all they have had although they are in a tiny bare dirt lot.

Some of those chickens are really tiny ones. Can they really handle eating regular shelled corn rather than a coarse grind or cracked corn?

I am beside myself about what they are doing but have no say in it. Here they are thinking they are going to butcher some nice fat organic turkeys for Thanksgiving but I bet they don't go 8- 10 lbs now, if that.

I am a good friend of their father; not related to them at all; just take care of things when they leave. What would you do? They don't listen to me since they know it all.

Some people shouldn't have anything other than a goldfish; maybe not even that.

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