We currently raise chickens on our homestead, but we were interested in expanding to meat turkeys, so I started reading books on raising turkeys.
To our surprise, our neighbors texted us that they needed to get rid of their Bronze Heritage pair, a male and a female turkey. So we picked them up and plopped them in our chicken coop! We had no idea what we were doing but were so excited for the new additions.
It really was that simple. Our chickens were definitely quite spooked at first and the turkeys were staying as far away as they could. But, after two nights everyone had adjusted well.
The female turkey, Henny, was known for laying her eggs anywhere on the ground and never in nesting boxes. We had only collected one egg from her over the course of a week and became suspicious. Well, one night after collecting chicken eggs I accidentally dropped one. The chickens all dove for it and ate it up so fast you could hardly blink.
It was at that moment that I knew they were eating her eggs. We separated Tom and Henny into a different coop area to help protect her eggs.
You never know what could happen when you introduce turkeys to your backyard or homestead, but they sure are a joy to have. Now we have fresh turkey eggs and soon some meat, yum!
Let’s check out all the books on raising turkeys you may want to read first before getting started…
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I love the “Storey’s Guide” books! I have read these for all the farm animals we own, which are currently chickens and meat rabbits, but hopefully sheep soon as well.
What is great about these books is that they are so easy to read but are still packed with all the information you need to know to avoid any fatal mistake. This book specifically goes over the breeds of turkeys, how to care for them properly, and even the breeding and incubation of turkey eggs.
This book is very informative and educational. It covers all the subjects that you would need to know when raising turkeys in your backyard. If you are looking for a one-stop-shop then I suggest this book!
Check it out on Amazon here!
Related Post: How Much Does It Really Cost To Raise Your Own Backyard Chickens?
If you’ve read any of my other blog posts on book recommendations for various farm animals, then you know I love to include this book on the list. It is one of my absolute favorites.
This book has a whole chapter on raising your own Thanksgiving turkey will lots of valuable information! If you are interested in great information for a variety of different animals, then this book is the best place to look.
You can learn about chickens, rabbits, and goats all alongside learning how to raise turkeys.
Check it out on Amazon here!
If you are interested in raising turkeys, there is a good chance you are interested in raising other poultry as well! Most people start with chickens and expand to turkeys, ducks, geese, and more!
One easy way to keep expanding with poultry is to incubate eggs. You can either purchase fertilized eggs, which could be much cheaper than buying chicks hatched already, or you could borrow a rooster to fertilize eggs for you.
Our neighbors recently let us borrow their rooster and incubator. We are raising more chickens and turkeys by incubating the eggs. There is a bit of detail that goes into it so I am so thankful for this book.
If you want to expand your turkey flock cheaply this is one of the books on raising turkeys that you need to have.
Check it out on Amazon here!
Although this book is a bit older now it is still extremely relevant, especially for those that are just new to homesteading!
We have a farm stand on the corner of our lot where we sell our extra eggs. We are so blessed by an amazing and supportive community that we usually sell out by noon. Because of that, we want to keep expanding our flock to meet the demands of our customers.
Related Post: The Top 10 Most Enlightening Books On How To Homestead
I love that this book focuses on production. How can you get the most bang for your buck? How can you use natural systems to raise turkeys and other poultry? And what can you do to be efficient and productive at the same time?
This is a must-read for anyone looking to expand their current flock or just understand the long-term effect of owning turkeys!
Check it out on Amazon here!
This book is filled with a wealth of knowledge all specific to turkey raising. Any questions you may have on raising turkeys, including disease and other ailments, can be found here!
As part of a series, “How To Raise Turkeys,” this book came from the 1913 book “Margaret Mahaney Talks Turkeys.” It’s amazing to me that not much information has changed in the last 100 years.
Of course, technology has advanced in the way we order, raise, and care for turkeys, but overall, turkeys are still turkeys. They still require the same basic care, eat the same basic food, and breed the same way.
This is a great book, or series, to read on the basic information of raising turkeys!
Check it out on Amazon here!
This is a smaller book with some basic information on just getting started! It has some great information if you are looking for a quick guide, but this doesn’t have everything you would need to know.
However, if you like your information short and to the point then this book is for you! This book is only 30 pages. It has the basic information you need to get started with raising turkeys.
Check it out on Amazon here!
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This is, like book number one, another of the “Storey’s Guide” books that are very educational and informative! Expect, instead of just being books on raising turkeys, this book covers all things poultry.
If you have an existing flock of poultry, maybe ducks or chickens, and now you want to introduce turkeys, then this is a great comprehensive book for you. This is a wonderful book to have to compare breeds or poultry, the pros and cons to other poultry, and even information on more specialty species.
Check it out on Amazon here!
Let me know in the comments below which of these books on raising turkeys for meat that you are reading first. I can’t wait to hear!
Kelsey at GoodPointGrandma
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We see wild turkeys all the time in the areas we work! Not sure I could handle raising them! Kudos to you!
Haha thanks Kelly!!
Great resources! I never would have guessed that the chickens would be eating the eggs! Glad you figured that one out.
I know, so crazy!
Raising turkeys sounds like quite the undertaking! You’re doing an amazing job!
Aw, I appreciate that(: