Mtn Spirit WildWings Flocks

Pure, natural, nutritious; that's what we wanted to feed our only child when we moved into the little woods on a hill, with a vernal spring-fed stream, tall hardwoods with deertrack under them; perfect range for turkeys. After starting with chickens, we got easterns, then bronze, and within 3 years, these heritage genetics interbred to surprise us with many varieties of America's farmstead turkey breeds; including red bourbon, splashes, sweetgrass, royal palm, the rare buff's golden glow and a rarer silver and silver palm of our own. our current flock is mainly eastern, eastern, bronze/narragansett, bronze/palm and 3/4 eastern x bronze. These breeds give a large sized natural bodied turkey of excellent meat color, moistness and that natural fat layer that self-bastes the roast; something factory-raised broadbreasted breeds do not do and they are injected with manmade, chemical laden replacements for natural juices. We never put anything into our birds, live or dead. We raise our turkeys from just-hatched poults together with baby chickens and pheasants, sometimes duckies, too! They become very tolerant of other species and tamer when they adopt out to become breeding stock members of other farms and homesteads as pets. Raised in warm, well lit containers next to me for 2 to 3 months, they become very social, getting put down for naps under blankets, just as they would gather under their mothers to rewarm and rest as babies. When a hen has her young roosting in trees with her, they will try to get under her wings even when they are close to her size! It is an important social activity that gives birds a sense of security and selfworth. Whenever you hear baby birds peeping their heads off, they need to be covered, warmed and held close by someone they trust, just as human babies need warmth & contact. We try to give our turkeys as natural a life as we can, whether they live to be 15 as our oldest hen, freckles, is, or if they are prepared as a feast before winter. While growing, the youngest are in snakeproof cages in the daytime, getting sun, in with me at night under a blanket cuddled with the other birds. By 3 months, they are loose with the adult birds or loose in "flight' cages for exercise and caged at night for protection from the predators that may get by our livestock guard dogs. Over the summer, they free range daily, scratching the woodland leaves for crickets and grasshoppers, eating many pest bugs and weedseeds, besides getting a corn & grain blend with vitamins and minerals supplement. They dirtbath in dusty limestone bowls along the hillside in the sunlight, having a ball while grooming their feathers. by early fall, they molt off the rest of their juvenile feathers that grew in over their baby poult feathers & down. Now, their first adult plumage comes in, readying them for the cold of winter with fluffy down underlayer and body feathers that curve tightly as roof shingles do to form a water-shedding exterior. These feathers have the glorious iridescent metallic bronzy, coppery, golden sheens that form rainbows when their bodies turn in the light, much as the peacock feathers are known for. our bronze and eastern wild turkeys have this iridescent rainbow, like opal, all over their body and tail tips! Our turkeys are sure to be a memorable treat, whether as your holyday tablefare's feast or as a flock improving, or flock-starting heritage bird with manners of a pet. being raised with people, you are their flock leader and they don't fly off. The very limited number of birds we raise for sale each year allows us to concentrate on each one being as healthy, happy as can be. This demands that serious buyers will contact us as soon as possible to reserve their choice of thanksgiving or other event tom turkey, or live hens & jakes for your own home flock. We begin reserving birds by august, once hatching has ended and we determine the number of each gender and breed available. We prepare every bird humanely, much as we would want it for ourselves! Most folks want to buy a bird live to prepare for themselves before their event. We do allow for those who rather a professional prepare their bird. Our preparations begin with defeathering in hotbath, then koshering of 15 minutes, and kosher salt scrub. Organ meats will be saved separately, to keep interior of bird sanitary then all is wrapped and chilled until pickup. Appointments only. Afternoons or evening calls (919) 554-2106 Mari