Free-Range Turkeys

We started with turkeys in 2021, as an added layer of pest control for our young fruit trees. As omnivores, turkeys eat up every bug they can find while munching on nearly every kind of plant. This reduces the need to mow around the trees and helps to build our soil health.

As soon as the birds have adult feathers, they are let out of their coops at sunrise to range widely around the farm. The avoids the nasty problems of full-confinement poultry farming, with feather-picking and disease buildup. At sunset, the birds are provided mixed poultry feed to tempt them back into their coops and ensure they are protected from the many predators that prey on poultry during the hours of darkness. 

The turkeys we raise are Orlopp Bronze, a heritage variety with many years of proven performance on pasture.  They don't grow as quickly as the white-feathered varieties that dominate the intensive agriculture favoured by our main food supply chains, so it takes a lot more time and feed to raise them to maturity. The result is a more ecologically balanced farm and poultry with superior flavour.