Q and A: turkey hen laying early, moving to the country, and using canned strawberries

Turkey hen laying early

I have been trying to raise some Jersey Buff turkeys for a few years now. We got a tom and a hen a few years ago and this past summer was our first successful batch. She hatched 5 poults and I incubated eggs and got 2 more. We have the issue of the hen starting to lay too early, like now, and it is still too cold. The eggs don’t hatch when it gets below freezing at night. I tried one year to take them away hoping she would continue to lay and then I could let her set once the weather warmed a bit more. She stopped laying after she laid about 12 eggs. Then she started laying them in the weeds and a critter got them. Finally last summer she actually hatched some eggs. They are about 7 months old now. My questions are how long until the young ones start to lay? How cold is too cold to have viable eggs? She is laying in their “house”, but it is not insulated. I guess if I take the eggs now she will start laying again a little later, hopefully in her house. And how do you go about catching them, any easy tips? I would like to butcher a few and sell a few but I don’t know how to catch them without someone getting hurt.

Gayle
Eugene, Missouri

What we do is take the turkey eggs away when it is too cold and substitute chicken eggs (less valuable). They freeze during cold nights but that doesn’t matter. Keep taking the freshly laid turkey eggs away and replacing with either chicken eggs or wood/ceramic nest eggs. You can then hatch these early eggs in the house. When it is warm enough, let her accumulate a clutch by daily removing one chicken egg and letting her continue (hopefully!) laying. “Usually” once it has stopped freezing, the eggs will be viable in the nest. Most turkeys will begin laying at 9-12 months; some earlier.

We either catch our turkeys off the roost (we clip both sides of their wing feathers so they can’t fly up high) or use a stout fishing net with heavy webbing. Just slip the net down over them and then quietly go over and push down on their wings and hold the bird, net and all firmly. To butcher them, a killing cone works very well to prevent injuries. (David is VERY good at catching turkeys. He just “sneaks” up on them and gently puts his hands down over their wings, holding those flappers tight against the body.) They CAN hurt you. One nearly gave Will a black eye when he tried to “save” it after it got into the cow yard. He got flapped. — Jackie

Moving to the country

I have really enjoyed reading about your journey to buy land and build your own home. You are an inspiration to us all and we are so fortunate to have access to your experiences and wisdom! We are preparing to take the first step in a journey we have been dreaming of and working towards for many years. With the cash from the sale of our home, we are planning to buy a few acres in either MN or MI and place an old mobile home on it while we build a home. We are looking forward to living in the country again and growing more of our own food. Having made this journey yourself, in looking back what would you have done differently or what would be your best advice for us?

Bridget Cole
Thomas, Oklahoma

In truth, I wouldn’t have done a thing differently. It worked great for us although there were a few scary moments like when we arrived at the end of our mile-long driveway in February with three to four feet of snow, wondering how we would be able to GET to our land! Choose the land you are going to buy wisely; does it have good high ground? Is it land that you can grow a good garden on (with work to get the soil perfect)? What about neighbors? (We have always tried to buy land with no neighbors because you cannot choose who they are or their values/morals.) What about the availability of drinking water? Check to find out how deep wells are commonly drilled in the area where you are thinking of buying land. Check out building regulations in the area you are considering to make sure your plans will work with their regulations.

Actually, I’ve just finished a book on homesteading (Homesteading Simplified: Living the Good Life Without Losing Your Mind) It should go to the printers fairly soon. Keep an eye out for the announcement in the magazine and on the blog. It’d be a good one for you to begin your journey. All the very best of luck on your new homestead! — Jackie

Using canned strawberries

We canned a bunch of strawberries in pint jars and we have mixed reviews on whether we like them. Some of us like them on shortcake while others don’t. Since they have been canned with sugar added, do you have any ideas on recipes I can use them in instead of just eating them out of the jar. They are great for making milkshakes but we will have to live to 200 years old to use them only in milkshakes.

Kevin Sakuta

I use a lot of my canned strawberries in my homemade yogurt and baked goods such as coffee cakes, muffins, and for fillings of strudels, layer cakes, etc. Once you start using them in many other ways, they’ll disappear a lot quicker than you’d like! (One hint: When using them in muffins and other recipes, I often dice them or kind of slice them so they’re smaller bites.) — Jackie