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MetroParks Farm thankful for new turkeys
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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.Gary Orosz, of Canfield, brought his two granddaughters Julianna and Madison (right) Hornikel, of Girard, to Mill Creek MetroParks Farm’s Thoughts of Thanksgiving Oct. 24. The girls made a turkey craft to take home.
By ABBY SLANKER
Even though the holiday was more than a month away, employees at the Mill Creek MetroParks Farm had Thanksgiving on their minds Oct. 24.
The farm offered its last program until spring, Thoughts of Thanksgiving, which included wagon tours of the farm and focused on turkeys.
Cindy Kingston, Mill Creek MetroParks farm educator, led the wagon tour around the farm. According to Kingston, the farm had two baby turkeys, called poults, hatch Oct. 14 and attendees were able to get a close-up look of the babies.
Kingston mentioned the turkeys at the farm are Bronze turkeys. Meat turkeys, also known as whites, are the preferred turkeys for Thanksgiving. These turkeys can keep putting weight on and could go up to as much as 40 pounds. Meat turkeys can get up to 20-25 pounds in three and a half to four months.
Royal Palm turkeys and Bourbon Red turkeys are considered show turkeys and can be kept. They usually go up to about 20 pounds and typically don’t develop health problems.
Kingston also pointed out that many of the foods enjoyed during the holiday season come from farms and are part of the fall harvest.
“The only crop left to harvest at is corn. Everything else has been harvested and the winter wheat has been planted,” Kingston said.
Children were able to make a foam turkey craft to take home. The barns on the farm were also open for attendees to visit and pet the animals.