in 2009, we again, very succesfully hatched lilac poults over the winter and spring. We raised about 60 of our own turkeys for fresh Thanksgiving consumption. We will be selling young, tender, heritage breed birds who have had access to pasture throughout the warm spring and will throughout the summer, eating natural Vermont grain and scratch feeds - with no antibiotics or added hormones, ever. The turkeys are minimally confined to large fenced pastures which allow them to naturally scratch and forage, and provides them with protection from mammalian predation: coyotes, fisher cats, and larger, scarier beasts.
The Turkey below is a Standard Bronze Heritage (Heriloom) Turkey, which is a type that we have added to our flock for 2009. We will be offering many more Standard Bronze Turkeys for Thanksgiving in 2010.
About Lilac Turkeys
The following is text from the "1998 SPPA Turkey Census Report" by Paula Johnson
Lilacs are silvery blue with red flecking, wings are white and the tail has a wide band of red. This is an old variety that actually produces four color types. when breeding Lilac to Lilac, only 1/4 of the offspring will be Lilac. Another 1/4 will be fawn (tan colored), which will breed true. Another 1/4 will be red slate (slate with reddish tint and red tail), which will breed true. The last 1/4 will be a light bronze color. Just 13 hens and 11 toms were listed, which makes up less than 1% of the Historical turkey population reported.
