21 day BBW are huge and hot

[Arielle]

THe 8 BBW are 3-4 times the size of the FBCM chicks! THe ability to grow on the same feed and in the same brooder is well, astounding! THe feed container is emptied 2-3 times a day now. THey certainly eat a lot!

THeir size allows them to jump/fly out of the brooder so it is very common to walk into the kitchen and find 6-7 lying on a horse blanket like they belong! Each time I scoot them back to the brooder--I'm thinking it's time to move them outside. Time to build another little coop and run, I guess.

Edited: Meant to mention that they are very hot when I pick them up. Like baked potatos!

 

[bryan99705]

Sounds like time for a new turkey house

 

[MissTurkey4]

A young man came to me the other day looking for advice for his Thanksgiving BBW turkey project. He bought 90 BBW from Ideal when they had their $3 turkey sale two weeks ago. He was trying to figure out how much profit he was going to make. He ask alot about what food to feed. He has no idea how much feed is going to cost him to feed 90 of those big food hogs.

 

[mochicken]

omg just feeding 20 chicks and 3 turkey poults is expensive, I cant imagine buying food for 90 short fat turkeys lol, I hope he has a grain silo lol

 

[Arielle]

A young man came to me the other day looking for advice for his Thanksgiving BBW turkey project. He bought 90 BBW from Ideal when they had their $3 turkey sale two weeks ago. He was trying to figure out how much profit he was going to make. He ask alot about what food to feed. He has no idea how much feed is going to cost him to feed 90 of those big food hogs.

Getting the poults isn't so expensive (BBW), it's the feed! WHen Meyers (I think) had their sale, I calculated the FEED cost, not the poult cost! YIKES! Just the 8 BBW I already had was enough for now! Hmmmm . . . 90 x 3 bags x $15 =

I do wish him well in marketing them all. Like I said, 8 is enough!​

 

[GJ_Kate]

So does it take 3 50lbs bags of feed to get a BBW up to weight? I realize its an estimate, but was just trying to figure cost for us too. So 150lbs of feed to get ??? lbs of turkey approximately? I really don't want monsters, doubt I could use them or sell them.

Thanks!!!

 

[Arielle]

That estimate was taken from Meyers website; they provide a chart showing the amount of good quality feed to reach a desired body weight. By tom and by hen, as they grow a very different rates. The chart shows body weight by increments for the BBW.

50-60 pound tom uses about 150 pounds of grain to reach that weight. A very good conversion rate.

I'm looking to maximize growth because I'm sending them to a butcher that I must pay for, at $10 per head. And though I do hope to sell a few, I may need to cut up the whole into parts to save freezer space; and I noticed we don't use up a whole bird very well.

PS. If it's not on the meyers site, try the Mcmurray site. I visit both for good info!