Anyone else have midget whites?

[TriDelMinPins]

Commercial hatcheries scare me. They seem like puppy mills for chickens. I don't see how an operation that is pushing out 100+ different breeds of poultry could possibly know and understand the SOP for every breed. The hatcheries seem to be there to produce quantity in the multi-thousands with no real regard for breed quality. I would buy from a hatchery as a last resort, but I would rather reward a home based breeder that is working with a few breeds that they actually know individually & really care about. Especially when it comes to a specifically rare & special breed like the tiny yet large breasted midget white turkey.

 

[Arielle]

Thanks Arielle,
Where would I begin to do homework in locating a good source MWs? I looked for a Midget White Turkey "club of America", but couldn't find anything in my search. I am looking for eggs or poults from a flock of small adults ... roughly 10-15lb adults ... give or take.

Calling one, calling all, anyone & everyone who is willing to help me locate a good breeder ... if you have Midget Whites, would you mind sharing with me where your turkeys came from? What was your experience? Were your birds shipped to you? Do you yourself have MW? I am in central Virginia. I will drive to PA, MD, NJ, DE, NC ... possibly to OH, TN & WV to pick up eggs/poults if the breeder doesn't ship & has the reputation worth the drive. Private Message is fine!!! I would like to get on a 2015 waiting list to get my foot in the door.

Try sandspoultry on BYC. THey are on occassionally, not as often as they used to be. THey bred a number of variietyies though I dont know if MW was one of thiers. BUT they might know of reliable sources.

SOmetimes you can source fromt he hatcheries-- and bewilling to start over if need be or work on the birds to improve them. Which is difficult when just starting with turkeys.

Research back thru BYC to find as many threads as you can and send folks a PM and see what shakes out.

 

[Arielle]

Commercial hatcheries scare me. They seem like puppy mills for chickens. I don't see how an operation that is pushing out 100+ different breeds of poultry could possibly know and understand the SOP for every breed. The hatcheries seem to be there to produce quantity in the multi-thousands with no real regard for breed quality. I would buy from a hatchery as a last resort, but I would rather reward a home based breeder that is working with a few breeds that they actually know individually & really care about. Especially when it comes to a specifically rare & special breed like the tiny yet large breasted midget white turkey.

While this can be true and Is also in my line of thinking . . sometimes they are the last stop to find rare and lost varieites.

In reality a person might need to establish some contact with a number of poultry organizations before finding decent stock. REmember until just a few short years ago, the private poultry holdings were diminishing and now it is building again. FInding stock is pain staking and could take years.

 

[TriDelMinPins]

Thanks again Arielle! I have sent a PM to sandspoultry.

 

[uphilljill]

Quote:
MWs are not an APA recognized breed, so I don't think there is a club.

My Midget White hens average 8-10lb, but the toms are closer to 15-20lb when fully grown. IMHO, it's a challenge to keep their size small. Selecting the smallest birds from your flock every year for breeding is essential. They seem to naturally "want" to evolve into a larger size bird.

Just FYI: I wouldn't call them chicken-sized by any stretch. Young hens might be similar in weight to my LF Barred Rock cock, but they're taller and longer... different shape entirely. Nonetheless, I house my MWs and large fowl chickens together and they get along fine. Maybe a little complaining when the turkeys push the chickens out of the best roosting spots at night, but that's it...lol

I process my toms at 6-8 months for a 12lb carcass. Perfect for my small household. They're super tasty and have good breast size. Our hens brooded and cared for their own poults this year. They made great mamas.

MWs are super friendly and sweet birds. You'll love them.

 

[Arielle]

I was just reading about a farm that has several turkeys and the MW wins their taste test, with bourbon reds in second. Cnat remember where I read that . . . .

Jill have you process this years birds??

 

[uphilljill]

Yep. Having one tomorrow for Thanksgiving. Feeding 6 adults. Are you having Bourbon Red?

 

[Arielle]

6 adults?? maybe leftovers, maybe not. lol NO, not BR this year. SIL serving turducken.

Can you really see the difference between a beltsville and a MW?? Too bad they are not APA; heard they get lumped with beltsvilee for show purposes. Seem s a shame. One is not the other.

 

[uphilljill]

They do get lumped together at shows, so there must not be much of a difference. I'm not sure I've ever seen a "real" beltsville. It is a shame.

Happy thanksgiving, everyone!

 

[Arielle]

Happy THanksgiving to you too.