A century of Turkey talk 2000-2100.

[Amer]

Two toes ended up a hen, and beautiful! Is she, perhaps, related to narragansett?View attachment 2374184
The lack of outside toes isn't genetic, so she gets to stay!

How’d she lose them?

Do you need them to be chocolates? The Chocolates (from hatchery sites I've read) are a larger bird, but that doesn't always mean a better meat bird. Honestly, smaller turkeys are a lot easier for smaller families to use. They thaw quicker, cook faster & provide more manageable portions. I was all about big, but I've changed my mind on this. Smaller birds also pack closer in the freezer and often provide a more favorable meat to bone ratio.

If these are pets, well, mixing your Chocolates with other color varieties may provide you with much more interesting plumage colors/patterns.

Yes. I have Royal Palm toms (much bigger, actually, and planned for the stew pot) but I want a chocolate one so I can get pure bred chocolates. The chocolates are smaller because Porter’s chocolates haven’t been bred to a high standard yet, but they will never be huge birds like bronzes and Holland Whites. The chocolate standard is the same as blacks, Narragansetts, and Bourbon Reds.

 

[Molpet]

Tailless turkeys just don't look right.

She almost looks like she has a quinea body

 

[Molpet]

How’d she lose them?

Yes. I have Royal Palm toms (much bigger, actually, and planned for the stew pot) but I want a chocolate one so I can get pure bred chocolates. The chocolates are smaller because Porter’s chocolates haven’t been bred to a high standard yet, but they will never be huge birds like bronzes and Holland Whites. The chocolate standard is the same as blacks, Narragansetts, and Bourbon Reds.

I believe Porter doesn't breed for large size. He goes for closer to original wild size

 

[Amer]

I believe Porter doesn't breed for large size. He goes for closer to original wild size

Porter goes for heritage or standard size as opposed to broad-breasted but the Chocolates have a smaller gene pools so they are smaller than they should be. (At leasy, this is what I was told.) Clearly the Royal Palms are pretty big, they seem almost twice the size of my Ancona cock (Standard weight) and they’re only three months old.

 

[R2elk]

Porter goes for heritage or standard size as opposed to broad-breasted but the Chocolates have a smaller gene pools so they are smaller than they should be. (At least, this is what I was told.) Clearly the Royal Palms are pretty big, they seem almost twice the size of my Ancona cock (Standard weight) and they’re only three months old.

Standard sized Royal Palms are little compared to Chocolates.

Porter's specializes in Rare Heritage Turkeys. His Chocolates are approximately the same size as Bourbon Reds, Slates, Bronzes, etc. Royal Palms are only 2/3 the size of most of the other heritage turkeys.

Adult Royal Palm toms are listed at a live weight of 22 lbs. while adult Chocolates are listed at a live weight of 33 lbs.

 

[aliciaplus3]

Do you know anyone with Chocolates? I guess it wouldn’t work out anyways because you’re in Colorado, but I have a young hen and access to another hen but no toms.
So does anyone know chocolate breeders in Wisconsin or going to Central Indiana Poultry show? Probably not...

our original ones came from privet hatchery

 

[aliciaplus3]

Do you need them to be chocolates? The Chocolates (from hatchery sites I've read) are a larger bird, but that doesn't always mean a better meat bird. Honestly, smaller turkeys are a lot easier for smaller families to use. They thaw quicker, cook faster & provide more manageable portions. I was all about big, but I've changed my mind on this. Smaller birds also pack closer in the freezer and often provide a more favorable meat to bone ratio.

If these are pets, well, mixing your Chocolates with other color varieties may provide you with much more interesting plumage colors/patterns.

the guy we got turkeys from originally mixed standard bronze with chocolate.... and got blacks! so our blacks throw interesting colors, thats where the barred chocolate hens and our red bronze and the barred blacks we have came from... I think there are some other options??

 

[Amer]

Standard sized Royal Palms are little compared to Chocolates.

Porter's specializes in Rare Heritage Turkeys. His Chocolates are approximately the same size as Bourbon Reds, Slates, Bronzes, etc. Royal Palms are only 2/3 the size of most of the other heritage turkeys.

Adult Royal Palm toms are listed at a live weight of 22 lbs. while adult Chocolates are listed at a live weight of 33 lbs.

Exactly. That’s why I think the chocolates are undersized...
My bigger Royal Palm actually turned out to be a Calico though, along with some of his siblings, so I have no idea what happened there, maybe they aren’t pure.

 

[R2elk]

Exactly. That’s why I think the chocolates are undersized...
My bigger Royal Palm actually turned out to be a Calico though, along with some of his siblings, so I have no idea what happened there, maybe they aren’t pure.

Chocolates are not under sized compared to other heritage turkeys. They are at the top of the group with Bronze, Bourbon Red, Narragansett, Slate, etc.

If your Royal Palms are substantially bigger than normal Royal Palms, they either are not pure or are not actually Royal Palms. I know that a number of people are or at least were selling Tri-Colors on eBay as Royal Palms. Royal Palms are one of the smallest heritage turkeys and they are only black and white. Any color other than black and white is a disqualification.

In your case it sounds like what you are calling Royal Palms are over sized.

 

[Amer]

Chocolates are not under sized compared to other heritage turkeys. They are at the top of the group with Bronze, Bourbon Red, Narragansett, Slate, etc.

If your Royal Palms are substantially bigger than normal Royal Palms, they either are not pure or are not actually Royal Palms. I know that a number of people are or at least were selling Tri-Colors on eBay as Royal Palms. Royal Palms are one of the smallest heritage turkeys and they are only black and white. Any color other than black and white is a disqualification.

In your case it sounds like what you are calling Royal Palms are over sized.

I think it might be a bit of both. Whatever the Royal Palms are are too big for Royal Palms and the chocolates are too small for chocolates.