Our heritage turkeys are the majestic Bourbon Reds and Narragansett.

 

The Bournbon Red Turkey are named for Bourbon County, Kentucky and their beautiful reddish-brown plumage.  They are active foragers and do well out on our pasture. In 2021 we added a small flock of Narragansets to the farm. The Narragansett turkey is a breed of  descends from a cross between the eastern wild turkey and the domestic turkey. According to the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, the Narragansett turkey is a "historic variety, unique to North America" and is named for Narragansett Bay

 

All of our turkeys are hatched here on the farm, raised on organically managed pastures and supplemented with certified gmo/pesticide/herbicide-free food. We process them here on the farm under the WV Producer/Grower 1000 Poultry Limit Exemption.

 

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We are currently taking orders for Thanksgiving 2024.

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Cost: $9.49/lb .... $40 deposit to reserve your bird.
Process date: November 23, 2024
On-farm pickup date: Sunday, November 24 from 4-6pm

Google Order Form: https://forms.gle/b5yvGgPv9Z1wCfwDA

NOTE - IF YOU WANT TWO TURKEYS, PLEASE FILL THE FORM OUT TWICE.

 

We have raised Bourbon Reds here at Red House Farm since 2018. In 2021, we added a small flock of Narragansets. Both are a slower growing heritage breed, but Narragansets grow to be a little larger than Bourbon Reds. We also cross the two to create a turkey my husband has dubbed Drunken Rhode Islanders.
What is a Heritage Turkey? Heritage Turkeys are closer in likeness to the wild turkey and are the ancestors of the common Broad-breasted industrial breed of turkey. Heritage Turkeys, like the wild turkey, can live for many years, breed naturally, are winter hardy, great foragers, and taste delicious. They have more dark meat and are less breast heavy than commercial turkeys.

It takes longer for Heritage Turkeys to reach maturity; usually about 6 months to reach their market weight, at which point our hens will weigh 6 - 11 lbs and our toms will weigh 10 - 19 lbs.

The turkeys currently out on pasture were born here on the farm. They have all been bred, hatched and raised here! We also buy locally processed feed and to top it off, we process the birds ourselves here which means from start to finish, they are a zero mile meal.

We raise our heritage turkeys in a natural environment where they are encouraged to behave as they would in the wild. They are supplemented with a certified natural, no animal by-product GMO/herbicide/pesticide-free grain, but their main diet consists of foraged items, bugs, grass, seeds, and nuts. We process the birds the Saturday before Thanksgiving so that you are ensured a fresh, never been frozen turkey for your holiday table.

Why we LOVE our Heritage Turkeys
o Heritage Turkeys mate naturally, are able to fly, and enjoy extended life spans.
o Pasture-Raised and GMO-Free: Raising our birds on pasture, browse and organic grain creates a nourishing, local meat that is FREE of pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics, and genetically modified grains.
o Taste: Their robust flavor is sure to get rave reviews; meat from these birds is healthier, darker, more flavorful, and has a wonderful texture.

So why support a local, heritage turkey farm? We understand that it is expensive and that you can get turkeys for free from the grocery store on points! But we are not trying to compete with them. We are offering a better bird that is a sustainable holiday option. Heritage birds taste better. They’re better for the environment, better for you, and they enable the turkey breeds to live on, just as they’ve done since the 1800s. If enough people don’t buy them, they’ll cease to exist.

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To reserve a turkey, we require a deposit of $40 per turkey. The deposit will be applied to your final balance. As a small farm, we have a limited number of birds in our flock. We will do our best to match your size request with our supply but you are not guaranteed the size you requested.

If, for any reason, we are unable to fill your order at all, we will refund your deposit. However, we will not refund your order for not being able to match the exact size turkey you wanted. We do not provide a refund if you cancel your order. If you do not show up to pick up your turkey, it will be donated to the local food bank.

 

Sometimes, when picking up their turkey, first time buyers have a little sticker shock. Please do the math and know approximately how much the bird will cost. And please understand that we are not "making bank" breeding, raising and processing these turkeys. We do it for the love of the breeds (and dang it... they taste delicious!!!)

 

Please note that I have made a smaller pick-up window this year. Please arrive in the window unless previously arranged with me and please be patient when you arrive as it will be busy. I will have help and we will do our best to get you in and out. I did NOT do any vegetables this year but I hope to have eggs and Canine Candy plus pork available for purchase (sage sausage for your stuffing!!!!)

Please feel free to call or text Kate at 240-285-8745 with any questions.

 

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