Cross bred turkey coloring and pricing

[turkeyguy123]

Can anyone give me some helpful info? My hens have started laying and my first batch is going into the incubator next week. I have a pair of first gen. Blue slate x bourbon red crosses and am interested what the possibilties for the offspring are? Also a bourbon red x blue slate cross Tom and a bronze hen? I haven't experimented with these crosses before and am interested in what to expect. Also what would be a fair price for the poults?

 

[Celie]

You might want to check out https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/541600/turkey-genetics-feedback for questions on genetics.

 

[turkeyguy123]

Your link is helpful but I was looking for genetics info more specific to my flock.

 

[Narragansett]

I don't know what you'll get, I usually don't do indiscriminate crossbreeding, but as for value, mongrels in most species are generally not worth that much. It costs just the same to keep and produce purebred animals as it does mutts. People who don't care, who want birds just for the sake of having birds may buy mongrels just as readily as someone who is looking for a specific breed, but the opposite is not true, so you are also limiting your potential market.

 

[turkeyguy123]

I did some research and talked to someone about the genetics. Turns out that bronze, blue slate, bourbon red, and blacks can be produced as well as a few fairly popular crossbreeds. What do you think is a fair price at least for the bronze, slate, br, and blacks

 

[Lagerdogger]

You won't get all those colors out of the first generation.

Blue slate is BBDdRR (black based, single dominant blue gene, no red) and Bourbon Red is bbddrr (bronze based, no blue, two recessive red genes). When crossed the first time, the offspring will either be BbddRr or BbDdRr.

The black base is dominant, so the first generation won't look like bronze based birds. So none of them will be bronze or bourbon red looking. They will all have only one recessive red gene, which also rules out bourbon red type birds. But single red genes do express themselves (golden narragansett is an example).

So the BbddRr birds will look like blacks with a single red gene. There is a name for this color, but I can never remember it. They are fine looking birds, though.

The BbDdRr will look like blue slates with a single red. While I am not sure exactly what this will look like, I would imagine something similar to http://www.porterturkeys.com/blueredbronze.htm. These are bronze-based birds so there will likely be some difference, just not sure exactly what.

If you cross these offspring with each other, you can then get all kinds of stuff, including blacks and slates with no red, one red, or two red genes, standard bronze, red bronze, bourbon red, red slate, blue red bronze, and maybe a few more.

You generally have to bite the bullet a little to sell the crosses. If you raise them up and sell them as food, it won't matter. Even at $4/poult it can be hard to get rid of mixed birds in a small market.

 

[turkeyguy123]

I already have the first generation that you are speaking of and actually just set 13 of their eggs today.

 

[DeannaA]

I already have the first generation that you are speaking of and actually just set 13 of their eggs today.

Do you have any pictures of the first gen and their babies? I have bourbon red amle and I want to get him female. I think the blue slate are beautiful.