Turkeys rule the roost

Turkeys, geese, ducks, chickens, guineas flock together

 

LYNN TWP. — It’s all about the pecking order. Just ask Little Ricky and Popeye.

Kind of like the story of David and Goliath, only using turkeys — Little Ricky and Popeye, know their place in the flock.

Their species comes up every Thanksgiving, and other holidays, and is often the center of conversation at many dinner tables.

However, for a Lynn Township farm, the turkeys are just part of a larger feathered flock that totals nearly 200 birds.

Faber Farm is home to a wide variety of birds — chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, guineas — along with goats, rabbits, pigs, a cow and anything else that might show up at the farm.

While Popeye is the large breeding male of the group, Little Ricky, is tiny in stature and weighs just a few pounds. He has a select group of his female feathered friends, all eight, of them, that are off limits to everyone else.

Even the larger birds know to stay away from their little feathered friend and his girls.

And then there’s the owners. With a name like Thom, you have to raise turkeys, right?

Thom and Apryl Faber purchased a farm, complete with a rural farmhouse and several out buildings, nestled on 10 acres, between Capac and Yale.

The couple moved to the area three years ago from Warren, where believe it or not, they raised chickens, right in the city.

“We started looking for a more rural place and when we saw the farm where we are now, we fell in love with it and knew right away, it was for us,” said Apryl.

The farm and property allowed the Fabers to begin raising their critters right away.

“Our bird area is one acre in size, all fenced in,” explained Apryl. “The birds have free range of the acre. It’s all fenced in and our turkeys, every once in a while might ‘fly the coop’ and escape into the other nine acres. But, they always come back when they realize they are outside of the pen and will pace back and forth along the fencing until we get them back where they belong.”

The Fabers raise heritage turkeys, unlike many others who raise turkeys as a meat business. They do raise a few broad breasted turkeys, ones raised for meat at Thanksgiving time and other events.

“The heritage birds are raised differently,” Apryl explained, “They are grown naturally, not force fed anything. They eat a variety of things that we plant in their acre of land. Different plants and vegetables along with rye and alfalfa. It takes them longer to finish out, about six months, but when they are butchered and used for dinner, they taste amazing.”

The Fabers have raised around 35 turkeys this year, selling the majority of them for Thanksgiving. They already have orders for 27 for next year.

“It’s just word of mouth,” Apryl said. “People hear about what we are doing, and how we raise our birds and they end up buying birds from us.”

Of course all while taking care of all the critters on the farm, Apryl also works during the day as an accountant. Her husband, Thom, works as a truck driver.

“We both have day jobs, putting in 50 to 60 hours a week, then we come home and do the farm work,” Apryl said. “We take care of the birds, along with milking the goats and our cow. It takes a lot of work, but we love it and have the best time,” she said.

The Fabers have two grandchildren. The oldest, nine-year old Azalia, loves being able to help Grandpa and Grandma on the farm and has taken a fondness to a chicken she named Wednesday.

“We want the girls to know where and how they get their food,” said Apryl. “It’s not just going to the store.”

Besides caring for their feathered friends, the Fabers are building quite a business, selling cheese, milk, fresh meat, duck eggs, chicken eggs and more.

“Plus, we use all those things to feed ourselves,” Apryl added. “There’s nothing better. It’s all natural and we know what they have been fed. Not like some other products that you might buy in a store.”

Oh, and watch out for Little Ricky, he’s quite protective of his girls. Even the big boys know enough to stay away and not tangle with the little man’s hens.