Help me choose: Narraganset or Bourbon?

[jasonm11]

What would you get if you bred a narragaset to a bourbon?

 

[u8sushi]

I raise narragansettes. They are a beautiful, gentle bird that free ranges well. Mine seem to get a bit larger than the reds I have raised in the past. They make great mothers as I hatch most eggs, but I do allow some hens to raise their own. They are great with children and we often have many groups out to the mini farm. Hand feeding helps make them part of the family. My wife spoils them with apples, berries and other treats. They line up on the fence rail to get their tummies rubbed. And yes they do taste great.

 

[10ducks]

That Bourbon hen of Steve's is the most beautiful hen I've seen, of any variety. I have some eggs on order for the spring and can't wait!

 

[cgmccary]

The Bourbon Red placed a close second to the Midget White in the Slow Food USA Ark of Taste & ALBC big taste blind test:

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Sustainable-Farming/Turkey-Taste-Test.aspx

My 4 BRs and 1 Narragansett are equally tame & friendly. I can just pick them up.

 

[HallFamilyFarm]

Quote:
Chris,

Does your turkeys taste as good as your Buckeyes?

 

[Olive Hill]

I would agree with the previous poster who said your choice may come down to appearance. They're both really nice breeds for what you're looking for. I have Narragansetts and couldn't be happier with them. Personally, I love the "all american" look about them. The hens are eager broodies and the males are gentle, confident leaders. Poults tend to be vigorous and healthy from hatch forward. Mine free-range and roost in trees and do just fine, even in inclement weather.

 

[runamuck]

Narraganset are my familys choice they are very friendly and follow me all over they are good moms and go broody and hatch a good number of poult each yr

 

[cgmccary]

Jimsfarmstand: Chris,

Does your turkeys taste as good as your Buckeyes?

I just got the turkeys and so haven't had a chance to compare taste to my Buckeyes. However, they are just as friendly as the Buckeyes. I plan to hatch some turkeys out in the Spring for the freezer. My turkeys are presenting there own unique little problems.​

 

[HallFamilyFarm]

We did some trading last summer with jenscott. She brought a RPxBR cross tom over for our Thanksgiving. It was delicious!

 

[cgmccary]

I'm looking forward to trying a Bourbon Red. I'm going to give the Narragansett to rnau (Roy) to go with the 6 Narrag. he already has. That will leave me with the BRs: two jakes and two jennys.

They are proving to be a challenge in some regards. I am free ranging then during the day with all the other poultry. They want to jump on and walk on my car and my jeep. Also, I find that they range VERY far and wide (so much so that I had to go walk them back home from the highway/road this morning before coming to work). Nothing else ranges anywhere near the road. Also, I kept them penned up a couple of weeks & put them back in their coop for a few nites. They won't have it. They insist on roosting on the tractor platform's railing. Anyway, they have a roof but would be a sitting duck for a G.H. Owl (I don't think a coon, fox or opossum would have the nerve to cross the pasture with my dogs & try and get them off it OR could).


See the middle structure with the dug-out part but open-- & see the railing there on the outside in the center-- that's where they are roosting. A couple of nights, two of them got up in the rafters of the shed (safer as they were out-of-sight & would be almost impossible to get)

I hope they do indeed eat acorns because I have lots of big oaks. The tree on the left is a very large white oak. The other two close trees are oaks and the tree to the rear on the right side is a mega-size oak tree which is next to another mega-oak.

Edit (crazy turkeys change again) Ahh, when I got home this evening, the 4 BR are up in the roof rafters of the tractor stall, so high, out-of-sight (and I consider a safe place). A Buff Orp cockerel, who is attached to the turkeys, couldn't fly that high so he is on the railing alone. The Narragansett decided to join the Guineas in the chicken coop (the ones that roost high).