Travelling Turkeys
Earlier this week I received an email from the Azores with regard to some Bourbon Red turkey eggs we had sent. Well, we get enquiries from all over the world so I wasn’t initially thrown by the location, but I just couldn’t remember having sent anything to the Azores. A little backtracking soon threw some light upon events.
I had sent the eggs to a hotel in the Lake District, and I remember doing it because there were specific instructions with regard to arriving on a certain day and before a certain time. I thought the timeframe was just to meet an opening for an incubation opportunity, and it is something we are requested to do quite regularly. That element was easily achieved.
What I hadn’t realised was the protracted onward journey for these Bourbon Red eggs. Their initial postal journey continued on for quite a while and included three plane journeys before they arrived at their final destination in the Azores.
It is astounding that out of the 12 Bourbon Red eggs sent there was a 75% hatched rate with 9 popping out. For fertile eggs to survive a single postal journey is one thing, but to have then been subjected to the vibration from three flights over a number of days makes this a really astonishing outcome…..
Traditional heritage varieties of Bourbon Red turkeys in the Azores, a truly amazing achievement on so many levels……..
Keeping in Touch
The travel associated with our work is something of a mixed blessing. We would of course much rather be spending time in the fields with our turkeys, but without our work, we would find it difficult to sustain the breeding programs we run. Our turkey enterprise ‘wipes its face’ financially, but we are by no stretch of the imagination a commercial operation. We are just passionate about turkeys and doing the best for them.
By travelling the length and breadth of the United Kingdom we have the opportunity to visit and meet other passionate poultry keepers. We thoroughly enjoy the exchange of ideas and seeing how other poultry keepers manage their flocks. Also, it is an opportunity to discuss breeding programs with other breeders of traditional varieties of turkey, and good communication and networking is essential if we are to be successful.
After all, chatting with a wide variety of poultry people gets you thinking, keeps you on your toes, and most importantly keeps you moving forward with new ideas, and that has to be good for your poultry….