A Sustainable Meat Bird with Good Demeanor
Pros: Big, Beautiful, Breeds well
Cons: Heavy Toms require stout perches for roosting, they lack the breasty Thanksgiving look on the table
I ordered 20 of these birds my first year farming because "Mother Earth Magazine" posted an article, "How Eight Heritage Turkeys Kicked a Butterball’s Butt". The article caimed in a blind taste test Midget Whites and Red Burbon turkeys were the best tasting bird available. I prefered a larger bird so I got the Reds. This breed isn't flighty and I have never had a problem with aggression. They bred well the next spring. I had many fertilized eggs. The birds get to weight in 6-8 months. A well fed Tom can pack a solid inch of fat over the breast meat. Over fed hens will stop laying. The eggs also are edible and very tasty! If... you can crack them open. The shells are very hard. I...
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