[timberdog]

anyone help we were thinking of raising turkeys to sell in our farm shop for xmas..
we intend on rasing ourselves and taking to abitior tp process legally

question is if we sell by taking birds to abitior and collecting all ready preppped can we then legally sell them in shop?

[Marches Farmer]

I suggest checking with your local council.  Interpretations of the food regs. seem to vary on a practical level. 

[farmers wife]

of course no different to any meat. The processing plant is registered.  Prob there is that the birds are not hung so they would lack depth and you couldnt get the price which premium turkeys warrant.


I go for kellybronze every year.  The last one I had was from an organic farm, it had the best fat every and flavour.


Do your costings very carefully.  We raised turkeys from day olds and really only made a couple of pounds as the birds eat and eat.  The manpower used and the straw bedding.  Whether the birds are OR 8lb or 18lb the processing overheads are the same.


Paul Kelly does a newsletter in the new year and it contains all the facts on what consumers want and the markets.  I would read up on this.

[timberdog]

sound advice thanks...what do you charge per pound ?

[timberdog]

thier must be a good profit in it as when buying my own bird i usually pay £60 upwards?

[Hevxxx99]

I made a bit selling birds at £4.50/lb. I worked out that each cost me around £20 to rear, not including my time and effort and I cannot remember now if I factored in losses in that figure. That was a few years ago now and a small operation.  Costs could be reduced a bit by bulk buying feed, which I couldn't do.

[shygirl]

my birds cost me about £25 to finish and were £8 kilo so no profit if I sold them and paid killing costs.
what weight was your £60 turkey?

[farmers wife]

£8.50kg should be the lowest for a bronze.  The higher end then needs to be hung.  Allow for a loss, any meds, straw, tons of feed, electric fence, water system etc