Beltsville White info

[poultrykeeper08]

i have read feathersite from top to bottom but it doesnt say if they are meat turkeys or not .
Are they ? i just got some eggs and i wanted them as pets .

 

[hatchcrazzzy]

yes they were breed to eat they are smaller turkeys here is a link
http://www.albc-usa.org/cpl/belt.html

 

[poultrykeeper08]

is it like the broad brested bronze whos legs give out and they can be pets ?

 

[DawnSuiter]

they are not broadbrested, they are a heritage breed, which means they can breed & grow & live a long happy life. They are a good choice, they were my alternate choice after I narrowed down the breeds.

The will produce a nice clean table bird, the light feathers make for a clean look. The are a smaller size, so you can dress your turkey at 8-10lbs for the table sometimes a little larger. They take longer to grow out to full size and so will cost more to raise than the broad brested types.

They are a nice choice for pets, table birds & to help keep a heritage breed alive & flourishing. They are small so they will fly a bit more I understand but also seem, from what I've read, to take to coop life pretty well too.

 

[poultrykeeper08]

wow they seem like a good choice for me . I wont eat them though . We buy are meat at the grocery store .

thanks for all the great info

 

[sandspoultry]

Quote:
Actually they are broad breasted, they were developed in the 30's by Stanley Marsden and others at the Beltsville research station in Beltsville, MD. At one time they were THE premier meat turkey in the US. This was back before turkey houses and the big broadbreasted white. Since they were so popular many people were breeding them and not keeping them up to the standard, the result was a smaller not as nice table bird plus the BBW came in the picture and the Belts almost dissappeared. The original flock was moved to Ames, Iowa to a reasearch station there in the 50's. From Ames there were 2 known people that got turkeys from the station and I have spoken with them both. One group went to the west coast and the direct desendents are now in Oregon, the other group stayed in the midwest. They have been seperated long enough that now they are considered 2 different lines. Ours came from the midwest group and they have some blood lines from Canada added to the flock. (The owner of that flock was able to "smuggle" (for lack of a better word lol) a tom across the border.

Steve in NC