A PROCESSING question - SMALL BELTSVILLE WHITE

[Girl43]

Hi everyone. Hope you are all enjoying a great summer.

I have a question with regards to "processing" my small beltsville white turkeys. Mine are approximately five months old, give or take. I realize they take a while to fully mature.

They are eating me out of house and home Constantly crying for food. I have eight and I'm feeding them three times a day...does anyone know how much to feed these guys? Right now I'm giving them approximately three cups grower, twice to three times daily PLUS all the weeds from my garden and lawn clippings.

Previous, I've raised the "frankenstein" types of white turkey and they were remorseless eating machines. I thought these guys would be less so...




Any suggestions for me...Appreciate it and Thank You for reading.

 

[faykokoWV]

had to chuckle, we processed a couple of our midget whites last year... I joked that they were about $50 a pound!

 

[neverbdone]

I have 12 White Hollands about the size of yours right now. They are going through 50 pounds a week at this stage. Another month or so they should start slowing down. I fill the feeder full once a day and they eat as they want to. I free range in the afternoons but they don't eat much when they are out. Yes, they get expensive at this stage.

 

[Girl43]

Ok...so I'm not starving them I hope! They are just as voracious as any other genetically enhanced frankenturkey...

I really appreciate your reply...I don't have these birds to starve them...I thought I was being a bad "Mom".

 

[Girl43]

Thanks for your input...I thought that, since they were smaller, they wouldn't go through this stage or this much feed...but all to the good! I pity the farmers of yesteryear that just free-ranged them and had to listen to the "weep, weep, weep" all afternoon...better go feed them supper...thanks again!!!

 

[faykokoWV]

my only other question would be what are you feeding? You may need a higher protein feed, or need to add a protein supplement

 

[Girl43]

I'm feeding a Turkey Grower...here in Nova Scotia, there aren't a lot of options...we have a huge farming area in a place called "the valley" and another in a place called "Truro". You take what you get I guess. I just go in and ask for Turkey Grower Ration...Do you know what I should ask for....like a general extra for the feed?

 

[faykokoWV]

I'm not a feed expert, so I'd hate to steer you wrong. You should check and see what the protein content is on that grower though. Around here they add soy meal, fish meal or fish chow (pelleted food for carp/koi) to up the protein.

 

[Girl43]

You know what? I sooo appreciate all the smart and helpful people that give us (me) amateurs all this great information. Thank you so much. I will look into some extra protein for these Turk-lets. Right now, it's 8:20 EST...I fed these guys 3 hours ago give or take and they are still crying...brats! Up here in Nova Scotia we pay about $23 for 25 kg of feed (approximately 50 lbs) what do you pay for same? Thank you very much...wish more of you guys were closer hehehe

 

[chicks and hens2]

Here in my Area (Western Washington) for ORGANIC turkey grower which has NO SOY and is 20.5% protein I pay $30.00 for 40 lb.,non organic fed is a lot cheaper. I have 5 BBB's(Broad Breasted Bronze) turkey's (3 Jake's and 2 hens) that get a 3.5 Qt scocp of feed in the morning and about 1/2 to 3/4th of that in the early evening and they are 5 months old this week. They do get some grass clippings and a tiny bit of 3 grain scratch but I mean tiny, like a handful of it in the morning and evening .
We plan on processing them the first week of September. Last weekend I weighed the biggest Jake and he was 29#'s then.