WOOSTER, Ohio — These days, Nathan Hilbert is talking turkey; specifically, Summer Hill Free Range Turkeys.

Hilbert, a native of Hanover, Pa., a small town about 45 minutes from Baltimore, Md., did not grow up on a farm. His proximity to Baltimore put land prices out of reach for small farmers and, particularly, beginning small farmers, according to Hilbert.

Time as a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco and a move to Wayne County, however, and a job at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) in the Agroecosystem Management program brought him into the farming community.  Moreover, when he moved into a cabin on a sheep farm owned and operated by Jim and John Anderson and their families, he got to experience farm life firsthand.

John Anderson has been a research associate at the OARDC for more than 20 years, according to Hilbert, and specializes in poultry research.

“He asked me how I would feel about raising turkeys,” Hilbert said. “I had never raised animals before, so I started doing research and before I knew it, I had 100 turkey poults running around.”

Hilbert selected the Broad Breasted Bronze and Broad Breasted White breeds because of their feed conversion rates. “These are industrial breeds, not heritage breeds,” he said. “Their feed conversion ratio is better and they are more efficient than heritage breeds. Heritage breeds need a longer growing period to reach market weight.”

The goal is for the birds to have a dressed weight of 16-19 pounds when harvested. Hilbert said the males, or toms, are more aggressive and they have a higher feed conversion rate than the hens, but once the birds have been harvested, the only difference is there are longer legs on the tom carcasses.

“I am not a turkey expert, there is a steep learning curve to be really good at it,” he said. “In order to have the birds get to their target weight in about 18 weeks, you definitely need to have a balanced feed ration. But I am finding that the birds are pretty resilient.”

While Hilbert chose a conventional breed of turkey, he has chosen an unconventional way of growing the birds. When the poults arrived from the hatchery, they were put in a brooder with a heat lamp and a turkey starter feed. After three weeks, the poults were moved again and for the first 10 weeks of their lives, the birds were housed in hoop houses.

After the birds reached 10 weeks age, the doors were removed from the houses and poultry netting was used to keep the birds close to the houses. Hilbert said using a free-range system seems to be a more natural way to raise the birds.

“The birds are outside and they can move around,” he said. “I am using hoop houses, so I don’t have a lot of money tied up in buildings.”

Hilbert defined “free range” as meaning the birds have access to available outdoor space under the sun and the ability to move. The challenge, according to Hilbert, is moving the netting and shelters at the right time to keep the animals gaining weight.

In addition to providing fresh pasture, it also keeps the birds from damaging the pasture and helps distribute the manure more evenly.

Hilbert said the hoop houses were constructed with aluminum frames and covered with greenhouse plastic. Benefits of the hoop houses are that they are easy to move, but still provide shelter and a place for food and water for the birds.

“They had plenty of pasture, which cut down on their feed consumption,” he said. “They are finishing out on a grain mix of corn, oats and game bird grower. Most people are surprised that pasture-raised poultry do not gain a lot of weight from the pasture; you have to supplement the birds with feed in order for them to reach market weight.”

Hilbert moves the hoop houses in a weekly rotation, following Andersons’ flock of sheep throughout the pastures.

“The turkeys and sheep do well together,” he said. “Some people might use turkeys following sheep as a means of parasite control in their pastures, particularly if they are an organic operation.”

He added the pasture is fenced with electric poultry netting, powered by a solar fencer. Not only does the netting keep the birds in, but it also keeps predators such as raccoons, coyotes and foxes out.

“I try to keep the pens up on the hill close to the sheep and the guard dogs, and away from accessible areas such as the woods,” he said. “I am pretty confident that I would have a lot more issues without the dogs.”

Hilbert has not had any problems with diseases in the flock. “If there were other types of poultry on the farm, it would be a problem, but I am also careful about my management practices,” he said.

One major challenge, according to Hilbert, has been the continued rise in feed prices.

“There are cheaper feeding options, such as pasturing the birds for a longer time period, but they will slow down the growth rate,” he said. “If you have a balanced ration with minerals, you will still give them the protein and energy required for growth.”

Another challenge is marketing the birds. “If not for Local Roots (Food Co-op in Wooster), I would have a tough time selling these birds,” he said.

Hilbert said traditional marketing methods do not tell the story of how the animals are produced.

“I need to get the word out to the consumers that these birds are produced locally,” he said. “Consumers do care about the methods used to raise them.”

Another challenge is the lack of infrastructure in the area for harvesting poultry. “There is only one poultry processor in the area,” he said. “Pleasant Valley Poultry is the only USDA-inspected processor in the area. There is also no place to quick-freeze and store the birds.”

Hilbert said before he decides to bring in another batch of turkey poults, he might invest in some infrastructure.

“I have had the same issues other producers have experienced in how to make their products marketable to the consumer,” he said. “There needs to be other steps to make sure things are up to code. It would be a lot easier if other options were available for small producers.”

Hilbert said he likes to keep life interesting, and raising turkeys has definitely been an interesting experience.

“I never thought about entering the business world and seeing a project like this through from beginning to end,” he explained.