Decreasing size!

[turkeyschicken]

Hi,
I have 2 heritage or standard bronze toms that are about 7-8 months old and I know that domestic breeds usually get bigger than wild breeds but these turkeys are in an 1.5 acre pen with 15 chickens and still weigh about 30 pounds!!

Is there any way I can "put them on a diet"? I have them rationed to about 1.5-2 pounds a day.

Thanks, K

 

[Arielle]

WOuld you explain further why these need to go on a diet? Usually quick growth is preferred . . . Are they fat? Or just big?

 

[turkeyschicken]

They just seem really fat! I have raised wild turkeys and they got around 22-25 pounds but these just seem like they are to fat. And They are always out of breath when they just walk from one side of the pen to the other!

 

[Arielle]

Can you feel along the breast bone and estimate the fat thickness?

It is possible to over feed and have them put on too much feed. Perhaps you can look at the feeding chart for the BBW on the . . . let me thin . . . it is one of the big commercial hatcheries . . . Mcmurry, meyers or Ideal . . . one of those three has a feeding chart given body weight and approx feed intake a day. 2 punds a day for two birds seems like way too much feed. All my birds, including 1.5 yr old BR toms are quick on their feet and can fly ( if they want to, which isn't often)

I'm no expert, but, 2 pounds for two birds seems like too much feed. Perhaps not . . .

 

[Oregon Blues]

It sounds suspiciously to me like you have broad breasted bronze and not heritage bronze.

 

[Lagerdogger]

A 30 lb standard bronze tom at 8 months old sounds about right. If they were broad-breasted and 8 months old, they would probably weigh 50 lb. Remember, this is live weight, not butchered weight. My first standard bronze tom weighed over 30 lbs at 7 months and butchered out at 22. Doesn't sound like a problem to me.