Broad Breasted Bronze longevity

[CowgirlJules]

My husband picked me up a couple of BBB turkey poults from the feed store when I was feeling blue. It was very nice. I've raised them with my chickens, planning to eat them. Actually, I was planning to slaughter tomorrow. They're about six months old.

But they're so personable. I suspect I have a hen and a tom, but the hen can't stand up entirely. She gets around fine, and does a crazy little flying waddle to get to me if I have a treat, but I'm worried that she'll break down and be miserable. Her mobility hasn't changed in the last month, once I started letting all of my poultry out into my garden to free range. The tom is fine.

But if I'm going to slaughter them, I'd best decide now, before they get too big for my smoker or roaster. And before I name them! Is this a breed that can reproduce, or are they too big and ungainly to get the job done without AI? Is my vague plan of eating their offspring instead foolish? They're almost too big to fit through the pop door to the coop too, so if we're going to keep them, we'll need to build them some sort of winter shelter.

 

[OmaBird]

I have a BBB tom was 5 last spring. I think he should make it another year. The first year is the hardest. If they live that long then they will make it. You hen will not get better. The joints in the legs wear down.

This is my dirty big boy.

 

[farmerlor]

Quote:
Sounds like the hen is already experiencing some pain in her joints. It might be best to get her processed before it's too late and before she really starts suffering. Some people say that if you cut back on their feed so they don't get quite so heavy they can live for many years. Again, if you cut back on the feed so that they aren't so chesty it's quite possible that they may breed naturally but I've heard fertility is still kind of spotty. I raised Broad Breasteds a couple of times but then I switched to the heritage breeds so I could have a self-sustaining flock. As personable as your Broad Breasteds are I can assure you that the heritage breeds are even more so.