guy at the fair told me "all" hatchery turkeys come from Ideal

[notaspringchicken]

I was at the 4-H fair today and asked a guy where he got his Bourbon Reds. I told him that I got mine from Welp Hatchery, and he told me that they really came from Ideal, and that "all" the hatcheries get their heritage turkeys drop shipped from Ideal.

I don't really care where they actually came from as long as they are healthy--and these are--but I wonder about genetic diversity if they are all coming from the same place. I suspect "all" is a bit of an exaggeration--this guy seemed like a bit of a blowhard--but it made me wonder. I chose Welp mostly because they still had poults late in the spring when I finally got ready for them. I remember that McMurray (which is where I get my ducks) was sold out for the season, and so were a couple of other places--seemingly this contradicts the notion that they all come from the same place.

I'm interested in hearing from others about their experiences with hatcheries. I just started reading this forum a few weeks ago, and just joined today, and already I'm thinking about getting "better" stock next year--but I'm not really sure what that means. Are hatchery turkeys all mediocre? I want to raise healthy pastured birds for eating, not for showing. And ideally I'd like to start breeding my own someday, rather than buying new poults each year.

Sorry for the length of this post! I'm kind of long-winded for a newbie.

 

[ChickenToes]

Hmm...I doubt that they all come from Ideal. Maybe someone else will know for certain, but I think that guy was just being a blowhard.

 

[ivan3]

Cackle Hatchery, here in Missouri, get all of their turks from private breeders in the state that are under contract.

So, no, not ALL hatcheries.

 

[WalkingWolf]

I would say make a call to Ideal and ask, they are very friendly and will answer your questions. If I remember right from a conversation I had with them was that they got their hatching eggs from outside breeders for turkeys. All of their chickens are from their stock.

 

[country freedom]

notaspringchicken -

 

[Eggs4Sale]

All I know about my two turkeys is that one day they will taste good. I don't care if they were made by elves or the tooth fairy. Good point about genetic diversity. Who wants turkeys that play the banjo?

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

Most of the hatchery turkeys come from Texas or Arizona. I don't know if the hatcheries own the breeding farms or just contract from them.

Steve in NC

 

[Opa]

Quote:
I would love a banjo playing turkey. Maybe I could make enough money with it to recoup what I've spent on chickens.

 

[KrisRose]

Quote:
I would love a banjo playing turkey. Maybe I could make enough money with it to recoup what I've spent on chickens.

Need two of these turkeys for "Dualing Banjos"!!!

 

[Davaroo]

You really gotta watch those guys at the fair....