Updated on February 24, 2013.
2013 Turkeys
Hatch Weeks: April 30, May 7, 21; June 4, 18, 25; July 9, 23; August 6, 20.
Please note that we do not have any turkey hatches during the month of March!
Order limits: The number in parenthesis after a breed is the maximum number of that breed that is available from any one hatch. You may order fewer than that number if you would like. If you would like more than that number of that particular breed, you must order enough birds for two (or more) separate shipments from two (or more) separate hatch dates.
NOTE: No turkey poults can be shipped by us to the State of Minnesota. We are very sorry, but your state Agriculture department requires over 6 blood tests that cannot be done realistically or economically around here.
If we are shipping your turkeys to a state which does not border Iowa, you MUST request and pay for Express Mail Service. Turkeys are just too fragile to take a chance on them taking three days for delivery.
PLEASE REMEMBER ALL DAY-OLD POULTRY IS SOLD AS STRAIGHT RUN ONLY. WE DO NOT SEX ANY OF THE DAY-OLDS. Since we do not sell sexed chicks, we have no control over what you receive as far as a male-female ratio. Ideally, it is supposed to be a 50-50 split, but anyone who has been in poultry knows it can vary from that.
PLEASE NOTE MINIMUM NUMBER OF BIRDS REQUIREMENT BEFORE ORDERING!
You MUST order 15 turkey poults (the equivalent of 25 chicks) per order. You may mix turkeys, chicks and guineas in the same order. One turkey poult equals two chicks or guineas. This is required because the poults will not stay warm enough to arrive alive at your Post Office if there are too few poults in the box. The only option that we have to keep the poults warm enough to ship is by the body heat of the poults. Please do not ask us to ship less than this minimum requirement.
Turkey Assortments
Super Assorted - 15 Poults for $100.00: These can be 1 or 2 of each of any breeds from the list. This is a good way to find out which best fits your needs. Then order the specific breed you like next season. Remember, you will receive a list of the contents with the shipment. There will be ABSOLUTELY NO CHOICES in the assortment. (SOLD OUT THROUGH 7/23/13)
Color Mix Assortment - Poults $6.00 each (15): We are studying feather color inheritance in turkeys and have some occasional leftovers from our crosses. No guarantee on date. They will be colorful and thrifty. This would be an excellent choice for someone who wants to start raising heritage turkeys and would like to practice first on something not quite so rare and costly. These all will be mixed breed turkeys. (SOLD OUT THROUGH 7/23/13)
Assorted Standard - 15 Poults for $120.00: This assortment is made up of only breeds found in the APA Standard of Perfection: Bourbon Red, Bronze, Black Spanish, Blue Slate, Royal Palm, White Holland, and Narrangansett. (SOLD OUT THROUGH 6/25/13)
Assorted Non-Standard - 15 Poults for $135.00: This assortment is made up of breeds which are not found in the APA Standard of Perfection: Auburn, Jersey Buff, Blue Palm, Sweet Grass, Chocolate, and Lilac.
Turkey Breeds
Auburn: A chocolate color diluted with reddish tint. From a distance they look like a chocolate that is off-color. Close up the feathers are chocolate with faint red dots. The wings are barred white and chocolate. Poults $12.50 each (10)
Black Spanish: Large, pure black turkey. Dates back to one of the earliest selections from the Wild turkey. Poults $11.00 each (10)
Blue Palm I have been trying to create a blue-colored palm for several years. Mostly blue where the black is in the Royal Palm. Remember, as with all blue breeds, some will come out black. Some off-color sports (almost calico) occasionally show up. (SOLD OUT FOR THE ENTIRE 2013 SEASON)
Blue Slate A slate, blue-grey, medium sized breed. Like all blue fowl, three types of offspring are produced -the blue slate which is blue with black flecks; a dull, self-blue color; and a black. Poults $11.00 each (10)
Bronze, Wishard Strain This is a true-breeding strain, not the common type found in feed mills. They are the large birds people used to picture when they thought of turkeys. Poults $11.00 each (10) (SOLD OUT THROUGH 6/5/13)
Bourbon Red Developed in the late 1880's. A beautiful, dark red with white wing and tail feathers. They are not as broad-breasted as some, but they make a nice eating bird. Poults $11.00 each (10)
Chocolate Chocolate brown in color. Day-old poults are white faced with chocolate bodies. A very old variety. Now back in decent numbers after nearly becoming extinct ten years ago. Thanks goes to Paula Johnson for the work she put into this breed to help bring it back from the brink of extinction. Poults $12.50 each (10)
Jersey Buff An old breed that is a beautiful buff color. These are very rare today. Because the blood line was very limited on these just a few years ago, we keep 2 separate lines. One line is darker than the other and occasionally has a few black tips in some feathers. The other line is a pale buff. We hope that by keeping 2 lines going we can keep the vigor and genetic diversity up. Poults $12.50 each (10) (SOLD OUT THROUGH 6/5/13)
Lilac A beautifully colored, exceptional bird. A Lilac with Lilac mating produces only 25% offspring that are Lilac. Lilacs are a 3-way cross with a genotype for color of bbRrSlsl. Recessive for black, and heterozygous for red and slate. Twenty-five percent of the offspring are Lilac, 25% are Fawn, 25% are Red Slate, and 25% are a washed out Bronze color. Lilacs are a bluish grey with tiny red flecks and a red band in the tail. We try to select the day-old poults that show the most potential for turning out Lilac as adults. You can expect to get some that will not, but we do our best to send the best. Poults $12.50 each (6)
Midget White A very small, white turkey developed by the USDA in the 1930's. A very unique, genetically small sized turkey. Poults $11.00 each (10) (SOLD OUT FOR THE ENTIRE 2013 SEASON.)
Narrangansett Medium to large sized turkey with contrasting black and grey color. Wing feathers are barred. A very old breed. Overall looks to be a rather silver color. Poults $11.00 each (10) (SOLD OUT THROUGH 6/5/13)
Oregon Gray A sort of reverse Royal Palm color pattern. Poults $12.50 (6)
Royal Palm A striking color pattern of black and white. Very attractive and showy. They are a small breed. Poults $11.00 each (10)
Sweet Grass Large, broad-breasted type. Almost Calico in color on a Royal Palm base. The color and body conformation is somewhat variable because we are still selecting for an ideal size and naturally breeding type. Poults $12.50 each (5) (SOLD OUT FOR THE ENTIRE 2013 SEASON)
White Holland This is the true-breeding type, not what is sold as White turkeys in the feed mills. These are a realistic size and capable of breeding without artificial insemination as the modern turkeys of today's farms require. Poults $11.00 each (15) (SOLD OUT THROUGH 5/7/13)