Turkey farmer, Fiona Curran, from Kells, Co. Meath said it is “great” to be able to say that everything on her family’s plates this Christmas will have come from their own farm.
Fiona has been rearing bronze organic turkeys since about 2007, having around 100 birds at a time, to increase the “viability” of the farm.
Between Fiona, her husband John, and three daughters Mary, Anna and Lucy, they run a fully organic suckler, sheep, store lamb and turkey farm.
The family also grow barley and supply oats to Flahavan’s.
Turkey rearing
Fiona described the rearing of turkeys as “not too difficult”, but said that “it does require a lot of time in setting up and making sure everything is right”.
Fiona usually takes in turkeys from about August or early-September time.
The turkeys are kept outside every day, and only taken into the shed at night.
This is the first year that the Curran’s have grown all of their own meal.
In previous years, the family would have bought some organic meal, but Fiona said that prices had gotten “too high”.
Looking at 2022 in particular, Fiona described input costs at the time for the farm as “horrendous”.
She said that bedding, meal, costs of chicks and even slaughtering all saw increases in prices by about 10%.
She added that while input costs are still high this year, that growing their own crops will allow them to “hopefully reclaim some of the costs”.
Before feeding the turkeys, the bird’s meal is steeped in water to make it easier for them to eat.
Fiona said that most commercial meal contains grit for the turkey’s craw, but because she supplies all of the food herself, she is sure to add sand and gravel on the ground.
The meal mainly consists of oats, barley, peas and beans, however Fiona said that turkeys are “happy to eat a lot of things” and added that they “come in handy for preventing waste”.
While the family refrain from using any pesticides, their yard is “nettle free”, as the often unwanted plant is a “fan favourite with the turkeys along with cabbage”, according to Fiona.
The family also grow their own apples on the farm, and while they try to consume as many as they can themselves, the turkeys are happy to come to the rescue and take the leftovers.
Before the turkeys are killed, they are tested live by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) for both bird flu and salmonella.
The turkeys are then sent away just in time for the busy season, about two weeks before Christmas day.
The turkeys are slaughtered and processed by Hogans farm, based in Cortown, Kells, Co. Meath and then sold locally.
Taste test
Fiona said that she always “taste tests” her own turkeys.
“We would have turkey in the weeks leading up to Christmas, just to make sure I was content with the product. And I’m happy when I know that everyone else buying the turkeys would have dinner as good as mine,” she said.
Fiona said she does not feel the need to advertise her turkeys, as she doesn’t have the time and that “they sell themselves”.
The family dinner is always served with the Curran’s own grown potatoes, carrots, parsnips and kale.
“We have apple tart after dinner, which everyone loves. The apples come from the yard too, there’s never anything too fancy.
“It’s great to be able to say that everything on our plate will have come from the farm,” Fiona said.