Royal Palm turkey's

[handyman42]

I raised 4 Royal Palm turkeys last summer, more or less by accident, because the feed store that sold them to me said they were Broad Breasted Whites. I butchered all four at about 28 or 30 weeks and the two toms dressed out at about 12 pounds with the hens not being more than about 6 pounds. I can't tell you about eggs and broodiness because I didn't keep them that long. I kept them in a separate pen from my hens, but would let them all out to free range together. Generally the turkeys hung with the turkeys and left the hens alone, but they would occasionally raid the chicken run and eat the chicken's food. How easy? My turkeys were really good flyers and I had difficulty keeping them in the 6 foot high enclosure. There was an indoor portion that I wanted them to use during the night and I'd have to chase them off the top of the fence and inside every night only to find them out running around outside the enclosure in the morning. Since we have coyotes and bobcats and bears and mountain lions in our area, I finally ended up clipping their wing feathers and care became easier. They didn't stray far when I let them out to free range, usually wandering over to look in the kitchen windows and see what I was doing and easy to get back in their pen with a little scratch.

At the point where I butchered them, I estimate that they had each eaten an average of $30 - $35 worth of feed, making it a pretty expensive feast (however, I only paid $8/poult for them since they were advertized as BBW). That said, they were by far the most delicious turkeys I've ever eaten. I'm trying Bourbon Reds this year, hoping for that same awesome flavor but a bit more meat.

Thank you for the reply. I value the information greatly. Great looking turkeys!!

 

[rjfarm]

This my first year of raising turkeys, but I got a tri-o of royal palms and I got 2 tri-o of Bourbon Reds and one extra tom . and I got about 70 egg's in the incubator and one Bourbon Red hen is sitting on 21 eggs herself I'm hoping for a good hatch .24 eggs should start hatching on Friday

 

[barredmuscovy]

my first royals this year finally starting the season here in NE

 

[barredmuscovy]

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

Cute babies! They are fun and curious little creatures aren't they?

 

[barredmuscovy]

my turkeys hudle with the scobies

 

[DeGarmom]

Additional info about Royal Palms....

Because they are a heritage breed, they are slower growing. The breeder that I bought mine from last year said that he doesn't butcher until the birds are 2 years old. He's been raising heritage turkeys for 30 years. They are one of the smallest standard size turkeys, but a mature (2+ years old ) will weigh about 25-30 pounds, and a hen will be more like 16-20. My birds were hatched the first week of June last year and one hen started laying in February, but I have lighting in my coop because our winter days are so short that nobody lays anything in a snowstorm. Normally, according to the breeder, he starts seeing eggs the first part of May (Northern Minnesota).

My turkeys winter in with my chickens, and I have not (knock on wood) ever had to deal with "Blackhead disease" but I was told that there is now medicine available to treat the dreaded malady. I read somewhere that the biggest contributing factor is wet nasty chicken bedding, so I have plenty of sturdy roost space and try to keep the bedding clean, for the sake of all of us.

Our horses like having the turkeys in the barn, it gives them something to watch. Have to be mindful of baby animals with ANY turkey though... they are curious, and will peck at a shiny brown, green, or blue eye, faster than you would ever know. Two roos lost an eye each here. As far as "easy to deal with", whoever has the feed scoop is generally (wo)man of the hour, to be sure. And their smaller stature makes them a whole lot easier to wrestle with if you aren't seeing eye to eye on any given issue. I have tried to convince a 70+ pound turkey to see things my way before. NOT an ideal situation.

I don't know how frequent the broodiness is, but they are good mothers from what I have read (one of the reasons I have Royal Palms) and the hen that started laying in February was broody for most of March.

We have enough predators around that none of my birds are allowed to free range much; my pens are large, but covered w/ netting. I don't have to trim wings that way.... and it keeps most of the wild birds from becoming freeloaders on my feed bill.

They will forage if allowed, and that will cut the cost if raising them. I don't know how much they eat, because they eat with the chickens. (We mix our own feed, and they supplement it with things they find outside)

If I think of anything else helpful, I'll add another post.....

The RP's don't seem to be as friendly as the Bronze or BBWhite, Curious, yes, but seem to be more reserved in character, and a more "wild" in their mannerisms than the BBB or BBWhites, but seem to be a little more energetic.

 

[Heritageturkey]

Additional info about Royal Palms....

Because they are a heritage breed, they are slower growing. The breeder that I bought mine from last year said that he doesn't butcher until the birds are 2 years old. He's been raising heritage turkeys for 30 years. They are one of the smallest standard size turkeys, but a mature (2+ years old ) will weigh about 25-30 pounds, and a hen will be more like 16-20.

Royal palms are actually not considered heritage as they were not recognized early enough, they were not admitted to the APA standard until 1977.
The weights you list are way too large for what the APA calls for in this variety which is 22 lbs. for old toms and 12 lbs. for old hens.
I am not sure why they want such small birds as they obviously can be bred to be larger.

This is just what the APA says they should be.

 

[DeGarmom]

Additional info about Royal Palms....

Because they are a heritage breed, they are slower growing. The breeder that I bought mine from last year said that he doesn't butcher until the birds are 2 years old. He's been raising heritage turkeys for 30 years. They are one of the smallest standard size turkeys, but a mature (2+ years old ) will weigh about 25-30 pounds, and a hen will be more like 16-20.

Royal palms are actually not considered heritage as they were not recognized early enough, they were not admitted to the APA standard until 1977.
The weights you list are way too large for what the APA calls for in this variety which is 22 lbs. for old toms and 12 lbs. for old hens.
I am not sure why they want such small birds as they obviously can be bred to be larger.

This is just what the APA says they should be.


Quoted From Heritage Turkey foundation
What is a Heritage Turkey?
Prized for their rich flavor and beautiful plumage, Heritage Turkeys are the ancestors of the common Broad-breasted White industrial breed of turkey that comprises 99.99% of the supermarket turkeys sold today. But the Heritage Breeds still exist and are making a comeback. Most breeds of heritage turkey were developed in the United States and Europe over hundreds of years, and were identified in the American Poultry Association's turkey Standard of Perfection of 1874. These breeds include the Standard Bronze, Bourbon Red, Narragansett, Jersey Buff, Slate, Black Spanish, and White Holland. Later added to the standard were the Royal Palm, White Midget and Beltsville Small White.

============

I never checked the APA Standards, not did I profess to be quoting them. I was just going by what I have seen and raised.

 

[megan805]

Anyone out near paso ca with some palms?