New To Turkeys

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CoopersTurkeys

CoopersTurkeys

Hatching
5 Years
Aug 15, 2014
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Hi everyone, I am looking to raising about dozen turkeys this coming summer. My goal would be to raise and sell most of them for their meat but, I might keep three over the winter to breed. I am considering raising them in a movable turkey tractor. Please reply with what breed you think sounds best for what I am doing (preferably a friendly breed) and/or any tips or advice for a beginner, thanks.
 
Hello, and
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l'd say a good choice for you would be to get Either Broad Breasted Whites or Broad Breasted Bronze. They are both very popular meat breeds most typically raised by farmers for meat. You can go to www.welphatchery.com and you can find either breed i listed above and they are shipped from Iowa. Or, if you don't want to have them delivered, you can try chick days at a local Campbells supply of Tractor Supply Co, and you can special order them if they arent there on show. They are very friendly, too. they can get up to 45 pounds, so they are great for meat... Just don't get too attached!

I wish you well with your selected choice, and if you have any questions, just ask!

Good Luck with them!

Turkenstein25
 
Hi there CoopersTurkeys!
welcome-byc.gif


I have some Info on the Broad Breasted White and the Broad Breasted Bronze.

Or have you made your decision yet?
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Anyway, here you go!

Enjoy!
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Turkenstein25
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The Broad Breasted White is commercially the most widely used breed of domesticated turkey. These birds have shorter breast bones and larger breasts, sometimes rendering them unable to breed without human assistance (typically via artificial insemination). [1] They produce more breast meat and their pin feathers are less visible when the carcass is dressed due to their white color. These properties have made the breed popular in commercial turkey production but enthusiasts of slow food argue that the development of this breed and the methods in commercial turkey production have come at a cost of less flavor.
These birds are grown in large, fully automated grow-out barns, which may house as many as 10,000 birds. The growing process for these birds has been so well refined, the birds often grow to larger than 50 lbs. Average birds are typically 38-40 lbs. Because of their size, they are prone to health problems associated with being overweight (due to excess muscle), such as heart disease, respiratory failure and joint damage; even if such turkeys are spared from slaughter (such as those involved in the annual turkey pardons), they usually have short lives as a result.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broad_Breasted_White


The Bronze is a breed of domestic turkey. The name refers to its plumage, which bears an iridescent bronze-like sheen. The Bronze had been the most popular turkey throughout most of American history,[1] but waned in popularity beginning in the mid-20th century. Later in its history, the breed was divided into two distinct types: theBroad Breasted Bronze and the Standard Bronze. A great deal of confusion exists about the difference between Standard and Broad Breasted Bronzes, or that there is any difference at all. Collectively, the Standard and Broad Breasted varieties are simply called the Bronze turkey.


Bronze turkeys are the product of crossing domestic turkeys brought from Europe by colonists (which had been exported to Europe years before) with the Wild Turkey. These matings produced a bird that was larger and more robust than the European turkeys, and tamer than wild turkeys. Though the Bronze turkey type was created in the 18th century, the actual name was not used until the 1830s, when a strain developed in the U.S. state of Rhode Island was named the Point Judith Bronze. The name later spread to be used in reference to the breed as a whole, and was in the process simplified to just "Bronze".[2] In the British Isles, the Bronze was associated with Cambridge, and was called the Cambridge Bronze, but again this name has been simplified to just "Bronze".
The Bronze was first admitted into the American Poultry Association's Standard of Perfection in 1874. Later, beginning in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, some Bronze turkeys were selected for larger size.[3]These much bigger birds became known as the Broad Breasted Bronze, to differentiate them from the original type of bird which was bred to the breeds' Standard of Perfection, and so was called the Standard (orUnimproved) Bronze.
Apart from the difference in size, the plumage of the Standard Bronze is usually lighter and more lustrous than that of the Broad Breasted. Both have a brown color which is highlighted by shades of copper and blue-green, and the plumage overall is very similar to that of the Wild Turkey.
The Broad Breasted Bronze went on to dominate the commercial turkey industry for twenty years after its development, until the Broad Breasted White became the breed of choice. Due to their size, they have lost the ability to mate naturally, and Broad Breasted Bronzes in existence today are maintained entirely by artificial insemination. Having retained the ability to reproduce naturally (among other traits), the Standard Bronze is considered to be a variety of heritage turkey.[4]
Today, both the Standard and Broad Breasted Bronze turkeys are listed on the ALBC's conservation priority list. The Standard is listed as "Critical", but the exact numbers of Broad Breasted are currently unclear. Standard Bronzes have additionally been included in Slow Food USA's Ark of Taste, a catalog of heritage foods in danger of extinction.[5]


en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broad_Breasted_Bronze







 
No not yet I am going to get them next summer but want to make sure I have everything planned out. Thanks for all the info its really helpful!
 

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