Anyone else have midget whites?

[pawtraitart]

I must say, the midget whites I have are my favorite breed of turkey by far. They are so friendly and are the perfect size for processing for my small family. Who else is a fan? How many toms vs hens do you keep?

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

I happen to be "sitting on" a few Midgets. lol They are our favorite turkey for the table. We have about 50 right now, we are growing out new breeders for next year. I keep 1 tom for every 5 hens.

Steve

 

[Tunastopper]

I have mixed feeling about MW. I like to free range my turkeys and the MW should not be bred with your standard size turkeys. I also like color and white turkeys are not my thing. I don't notice any difference in how friendly they are or even a taste difference. All of mine are friendly and taste good. I have never had any standard size heritage turkey that was to big for my family. It is never more than two meals for us. There is so many things I like leftover turkey for. Turkey Divan, Turkey Gumbo, Turkey Enchiladas, Taquitos, Tacos or Tamales. I also BBQ and smoke much of my turkeys. A good small breed tom can cover 20 hens.

 

[noblehillfarm]

Im new to turkeys so excuse the stupid questions but why cant a Midget White breed a standard hen??
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[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

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I'd like to see that answer myself.

Steve

 

[Tunastopper]

Im new to turkeys so excuse the stupid questions but why cant a Midget White breed a standard hen??

They can breed them, they would not be pure MW. That would be a out cross that most people would not want. MW are a cross of a Broad Breasted White and a Royal Palm turkey.​

 

[noblehillfarm]

Oh ok I was scared for a minute there my midget hens and tom live free ranging with 2 standard hens though Im not worried about crossing mine are just pets
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They can breed them, they would not be pure MW. That would be a out cross that most people would not want. MW are a cross of a Broad Breasted White and a Royal Palm turkey.

 

[pawtraitart]

I've raised larger breeds, but if we get busy around here....I should say WHEN we get busy around here, we tend to let our extra turkeys get too big and then they are more difficult for us to butcher. I only have MW at the moment. Are there any other turkey breeds around the same size that are colored? That's the only thing I don't like about them. I do prefer the look of the colored turkeys.

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

Size wise they basicly small, medium, large. From the 6 varieties that we raise

The Midgets and Beltsville Small white are the smallest

Royal Palms and Bourbon Reds mid sized

White Holland and Standard Bronze the largest.

The mid sized aren't really that much bigger - about 10 pounds for a tom and 5 or 6 for a hen.

Steve

 

[A.T. Hagan]

I'm another Midget White fan. Currently I have six hens that I use for breeding and three toms that I cycle through one at a time. Have a dozen that are heading to the swap soon.