PEACHES

PF Flaming Fury. I was first introduced to Paul Friday's Flaming Fury line about 10 years ago and I love them. Paul Friday is a famous Michigan peach grower who spent his life trying to improve the quality of peaches. Today, he has over 30 patents on peaches ideal for our climate. The Flaming Fury works for the grower with better yields and disease resistance, and it's great for the consumer with improved flavor, size, and texture. These are excellent peaches.

Available in 2# bags, by the peck or half bushel

WATERMELONS

Red Seedless Watermelon - mediums and XLs

Crimson Sweet Seeded

Jubilee Seeded - oblong, sweet red flesh, Large

Jadestar Seeded - dark skin, red flesh, excellent flavor

You can't go wrong with any of them.

Time is limited today, as this morning when I walked out to the turkey barn this morning to do chores I found this mess -- murky waters flooding the building.

Turkeys are a pain. The plan was to transition them outside this Thursday anyhow...but now the day is being rearranged because the outside space for the turkeys still has some work that needs done to it before it can be a new home for the birds.

The birds live in the brooder for about 4 weeks. This is a very warm structure where they start at 99.5 degrees and then drop down to about 80. At week 5, they move back to my "flex barn," a structure setup for temporary space for turkeys, broilers, and occasionally hogs.

In the flex barn, they spend the next 4 weeks growing until they are hardy enough to go outside. This week is that week fortunately.

The turkey drinker scenario.

In the brooder, they start on what's called "drinker nipples." They peck up at them and the water falls in their mouth. It works when they are young, but as they get older, they can't get enough water. The nipples hang from a pipe suspended from the ceiling. Every 10 feet there is a coupler to mate two water pipes together to stretch the water the full length of the building.

As they get older and move to pasture, I transition them to "drinker bells." These red bells are great. The bells give the turkeys quite a bit more access to water. But, it takes time for the turkeys to learn them. At first, they like to jump on the lip of the bell. This holds the bell down, deactivating the valve. No water comes.

By now, they have learned to drink from the bells and are ready to go outside. They have access to both bells and nipples.

The Problem is Turkeys Perch.

Unlike the broiler (meat chicken), the turkey jumps on everything. It's a challenge to keep their feed and water clean because they want to sit above it.

While they have hundreds of feet of perches, why sit on the comfy intended perch when you can sit on your water line?

The turkeys like to jump at night on top of the metal conduit supporting the black water line in this photo. Pile hundreds of turkeys up there and it gets heavy.

Last night, the weight was too much to bear. The conduit bent and separated the drinker line at a coupler. It ran all night, adding thousands of gallons of water to the flex barn.

What Next?

We finish chores and drop everything. Roman, hustle to get sawdust. Wayne, go get the grinder and grind fresh feed. I'll start chasing muddy birds out the back door.

We'll setup their pasture arrangement today and get them outside to fresh air, feed, and water.

The mess? We'll raise up all the water and feed lines, mix in trailer loads of sawdust, and let it sit a day. Tomorrow, we'll scoop it out and spread it on the fields.

The smell? You guessed it. It's not just water in there. It's lots of manure mixed with water.

Today, the turkeys and I aren't the best of friends. So, please eat them.

20% off all turkey products.

Turkey Patties

Ground Turkey

Brined Turkey Breast Roast

Whole, Frozen Turkeys

Turkey Sausage - Caramelized Onion Apple Bacon Turkey Brats

Like the weather, subject to change.