Spring Cleaning
It’s that time of year when I start selling off a few of the birds that hatched out last summer/fall. This year I have a trio of Ancona ducks, 9 Muscovy ducks, and 4-7 turkeys that I’m going to be selling. This will make way for the a few new laying hens this summer.
Although I really like all the birds, it’s much better on my feed bill to get rid of them occasionally. I used to try to sell in the fall, but I find that it’s easier in the spring. Some of the birds are also not easy to sex in the fall (like the turkeys). One of my turkey poults from last year is just showing that he’s going to be a tom, that means I can sell him with two hens as a trio. The muscovies are popular in the spring as well, I actually have a few people who have purchased in the past that are interested in a few more this spring. It’s always nice to send birds along to home where they’ll be happy and loved.
So happy to see yours made it through the winter. I’m not sure if the drought or unseasonable weather can be blamed, but we had heavy predator pressure for the first time this year. We lost our duck flock one by one to a bobcat (who would sit in the driveway waiting without a care for the noisy humans trying to chase him off!) and a third of our chickens became meals for a clever hawk who learned how to squeeze between the top fencing panels covering the chicken yard. With every loss we learned a little more about protecting our charges; we’ve been ok for a month now, and are hoping that trend will continue as things warm up and even more wild animals start moving about.
to Lorna's comment
Love that first photo of the turkeys. They sure have their eye on you, don’t they? Do you ever keep any of the turkeys for the table or just raise them for their eggs?
to Chris's comment
We do eat them on occasion. For the most part I sell adult birds and hatching eggs.
to Susy's comment
We do eat them on occasion. For the most part I sell adult birds and hatching eggs.
to Susy's comment
We do eat them on occasion. For the most part I sell adult birds and hatching eggs.
to Susy's comment
Susy, yes, I would guess that Spring is the time for better sales. Most, including me, have fresh new plans for the coming year. In my mind they are all great plans with weed free gardens; with completed projects; and with abundant harvests. Some times it doesn’t quite work out that way but at least, in my case, progress is made.
May your birds get premium prices this Spring.
Nebraska Dave
Urban Farmer
Nebraska, USA
to Nebraska Dave's comment