Heritage Turkey Breeders?

[debir1966]

Hello! We had planned on getting heritage turkeys from Porters Rare Heritage Turkeys next spring but I was going to wait until after Christmas to order.

I got on his website today to show my husband some of the breeds I was considering and he is already booked until the middle of June!

I really want to be able to get the turkeys as early as possible, April, so I was wondering if any of you all knew other turkey breeders with an excellent reputation like Porters as well as the awesome variety? If not, I guess I better get my turkey order placed!

Thank you!

 

[SillyChicken]

What kind are you looking for?

 

[debir1966]

What kind are you looking for?

Oh boy LOL, well, Porters has a minimum 15 turkey order. We LOVE mixed flocks, so I was going to order 3 White Holland and 3 Narragansett, and 2 each of Slate, Bourbon Red, Royal Palm, Sweetgrass, and 1 Breeders Choice.

We plan on keeping a couple toms and some hens to raise our own farm birds and process the rest. Because they are slow growing and I do not think any of them could be ready to process before Thanksgiving next year, I guess we will go ahead and get a few Broad Breasted Whites (3-5) for next year, but I should be set after that to raise our own.

The Broad Breasted Whites we got this year we became very attached to. We really enjoyed our turkeys and they became more pets than most of the laying chickens! So we are going to hand-raise and do alot of interaction with our new turkeys and pick out our favorites to keep as producers and pets.

If I have to end up getting the BBW for 2013 freezer camp, then getting the heritage turkeys earlier in the year will not be as important.

 

[Pele]

You could try Blue Skies hatchery. I've ordered Pencilled Palms (hard to find!) from her, and I got 100% hatch rate from the eggs she sent. The birds are gorgeous too.

Most hatcheries will have a minimum order for poults, because it keeps them warm during shipping, and they're less likely to die.

 

[mamawolf544]

I raise Blue Slates, Royal Palms, Chocolates and Midget Whites.

I have poults ordered from Porter's also from Dec 2011, I live in Texas so once August hit I had to postpone my shipment until this Spring.

I then will have Self Blues, Bourbons, Red Pencilled, Sweetgrass and Rio Grandes that I am getting from another breeder.

I LOVE turkeys.

 

[debir1966]

Thanks everyone! I put Blue Skies in my in my favorites - they also have all the breeds I want to get!

We realy liked out turkeys also - they were Broad Breasted Whites - I just hope that the heritage breeds have the same personality and friendly behavior as they did

 

[trailchick]

I got my rio grandes thru my feed store but they came from

http:\privetthatchery.com

 

[pv74]

Check out this guy...

http://squawbuttepoultry.weebly.com/sweetgrass.html


He has a small 5 acre farm and specializes in the heritage breeds.
He's around New Plymouth if I recall...worth the drive just to meet him...he knows a lot about raising turkeys.
You should see adds for him in the Boise Craigslist.

I bought a few heritage Sweetgrass from him last spring and butchered one for Christmas....

 

[pv74]

Check out Squaw Butte Poultry in New Plymouth...Google it.
You will also see adds in the Boise Craigslist this spring for his turkeys.

This guy is on a 5 acre farm between Emett and New Plymouth and specializes in heritage breeds.
He really knows his stuff about turkeys.
I bought a few sweetgrass turkeys from him last spring...butchered one from Christmas...it was excellent.
Going back again for more this spring...really worth the drive....