Coop de Villa

It's that time of year again. We raise a limited number of Turkeys each year and the poults have just arrived! As with all of our meat, they are hormone and antibiotic free, but these have a slightly different take on pasture raising. For regular meat birds, you make a dragging pen that uses the ground as the floor and move it each day. It allows the birds to graze on the grass and bugs and the weight of the pen keeps predators out. Roofing panels keep the birds in the shade while they politely fertilize the field with nitrogen rich manure.

Many of you may have seen the chicken tractors for laying chickens. It needs to be larger as the birds need to lay eggs in a designated spot as well as roosts. It should be elevated so it can be a safe place while they forage on fresh grass. These are usually made of nice rough sawn pine and look pretty in a field. Very Martha Stewart like.

I started to price out the material and trailer and began to realize that Martha wasn't in our budget. While explaining my predicament to a friend, he asked a simple question "Why not just use an old camper"? After thinking for a moment, I realized I had no viable reason not to. So for 200 bucks, I was the proud owner of a mobile turkey coop with water and electric hookups and a gas powered fridge that I sold a week later. Other than a tire that disintegrated on the way (long overdue thanks to the guys at Manchester Paving for the assistance and use of their garage in that jam), piece of cake.

The bathroom serves as a handy feed storage area. The electric all works so I plug in the cord an hour before feeding and the lights all come on. The turkeys know that this means it's time to eat, so one by one they jump in the door and await my arrival as darkness falls. I can also run a hose to the hookup for water so I can fill waterers right at the sink. Also, the already tiled floor makes for easy weekly cleanings. Did I mention the great roll up/down windows that allow for climate control as the fall weather shifts from cold to hot and back again? Perhaps the best part was the look on Karen's face when I attempted to graze the turkeys in the front pasture. After some discussion, it was decided that the Turkey Coop de Villa, as it became known, would be a back field fixture-out of view from the road.

We have since pulled most everything out of the interior and have added roosts for the birds to jump up to. An electrified net fence forms the boundary of the yard and the turkeys grow up on fresh grass, grain and sunshine. The funniest part is when they are finally feathered out enough to go to the Coop de Villa and see the mirror for the first time. Unlike chickens, turkeys don't peck and fight constantly. They seem more pensive and curious and nothing interest them more than a fellow turkey who appears to do everything that they do. It is generally 15 minutes each spent in front of the bathroom door craning their necks and flapping their wings.

I suppose when time allows, I will add some cedar shakes and window planters to the outside to tone down the redneck a bit, but it generally gets a few chuckles on the tour when I explain what the beat up old camper is for.

As for the Turkeys, they are Broad Breasted Whites and range in size between 13-22 lbs dressed out. We have a professional handle the processing so they are vacuum sealed in plastic and completely cleaned with giblet pack included. We will have them available for pick up on Tuesday and Wednesday the week of Thanksgiving so that you are getting the freshest product possible-they won't be frozen unless you would like one for Christmas. They are going quick, but you can reserve yours with a $25 deposit. Typically we sell them for $5.50/lb but if we get you deposit prior to September 5th, we will take $.50/lb off. Don't miss out!