The Turkeys

Since I was successful in keeping my chickens alive, I decided this year to also do some heritage breed turkeys. I was just going to try about 6-10 birds, to see how it went. Originally, I had wanted Bourbon Red turkeys, but as it turns out, I was too late to get any of those. So, my breeder on Saltspring Island suggested Blue Slate. They are also a heritage breed, and a rare breed. They have different colour variations within the breed. I got my first 3 little poults in on July 14. They were 2 days old. Any minute now, I should get the email that says the remaining 7 poults are born, and I can go and visit Saltspring to pick them up. I wanted to visit the breeders' farm, just to see how she sets everything up, and see what more I can learn about raising turkeys!
So far, my first three are doing really well. They are growing like stink, and have already started to fly!
Originally, I was going to raise my chicken and turkey poults together in the same coop. Then, I found out that chickens can possibly carry a blackhead disease, which is lethal to turkeys. All of a sudden, I found myself having to figure out how to build yet ANOTHER coop on a tight budget. I will have a bizillion coops built by the time I am finished here... lol!
I couldn't figure out how to build a coop this time. I didn't have a shack to convert. Luckily, one of my wonderful dog boarding customers dropped by, and we got to chatting, and he offered to come and help me turn the old kid's play fort into a coop for me. In exchange, I would give him a nice, big, juicy turkey when they are ready just before Christmas. I LOVE the barter system! Anyway, Jamie came over and did an amazing job with the coop- built me a roost and everything! So now my little turkeys are all snug in their new house with no danger of contracting the blackhead disease. I still have to build a run for them, but I think I have a couple more weeks to get that done.