We processed 5 chickens this morning before we just got too cold to continue plus the water just wouldn't stay hot enuff.  We ended up skinning the last 3 birds.  But we are down to 17 birds now!  We are slowly getting there.

I have decided to start feeding our other poultry.  Their days of free ranging here are coming to a close with the cold weather and they seem to think my garden is there for their pleasure.  Plus, we have the duck and hen sitting and I want to make sure they are getting enough to eat and don't have to go to far for it.

As many of you know, we live in turkey country here in MN.  Jenni-O is based about 10 minutes from us, so we see turkey barn after turkey barn.  These poor turkeys are raised completely in confinement.  They look so sad looking out the windows as one drives by. 

My sister-in-law works for a feed mill and was telling me that over 300,000 poults were drowned a week or so ago as there were no orders for them.  Oh sad, I thought... then she added that the poults were then dried and ground up to be fed back to the turkeys  in the barns.  SAY WHAT?!?!  I have heard of this practice but didn't know they actually did it.  At least feed it to another species but not the same.  So my next response to her was, doesn't that have the potentical for some bad things?  Her reply was, oh they are so pumped up on medications it doesn't matter. 

Well, I think it does matter.  Now that I know this, I'm so glad I decided to start raising my own turkeys this year and not support the way those Jenni-O birds are raised.

In our foundation flock, we have 7 red bourbon and 2 broad breasted bronze turkeys.  The red bourbons are heritage birds and are quite beautiful when they fly.  Can you spot them in this picture?

They fly into the trees at night.  I hope they figure out that the barn in warmer in the winter.  I'm told the turkeys are a bit on the stupid side.  In fact, that's what the literature from the hatchery said, "turkey poults are dumb." lol

Well, I'm out of here.  Good Night!
Carol