Is Tractor Supply Wrong?

[MamaHutch06]

We purchased 3 Turkey Poults from Tractor Supply. The sign said Broad Breasted Bronze Turkeys. The picture was a Broad breasted Bronze Turkey which as we all know is very colorful. I was just cleaning the coops and thought to myself when are these guys going to get some color. I then googled broad breasted bronze Turkeys and they definitely don't look like this. I am assuming these turkeys might be Broad Breasted White Turkeys. We were hoping for colorful turkeys as our last 2 were beautiful Bourbon Reds. Any thoughts on what they might be. The first pic is them at 2.5 weeks old and all the rest are a few days.

 

[R2elk]

We purchased 3 Turkey Poults from Tractor Supply. The sign said Broad Breasted Bronze Turkeys. The picture was a Broad breasted Bronze Turkey which as we all know is very colorful. I was just cleaning the coops and thought to myself when are these guys going to get some color. I then googled broad breasted bronze Turkeys and they definitely don't look like this. I am assuming these turkeys might be Broad Breasted White Turkeys. We were hoping for colorful turkeys as our last 2 were beautiful Bourbon Reds. Any thoughts on what they might be. The first pic is them at 2.5 weeks old and all the rest are a few days.

BBW - Broad Breasted White.

 

[Molpet]

BBW
But it Doesn't matter which, they are both meat birds and meant to be harvested starting around 16 wks.
Heartbreakers if you try to keep. Very restricted diet exercise can help starting at a couple weeks old. Mine got too big over a snowy winter and I had to have my brother put her down. They steal your heart.

 

[MamaHutch06]

We raise our turkeys as pets. We let them live through their golden years and enjoy their beauty. We will enjoy these 3 also no matter what. Just curious on people's thoughts as they definitely don't look as advertised.

 

[R2elk]

We raise our turkeys as pets. We let them live through their golden years and enjoy their beauty. We will enjoy these 3 also no matter what. Just curious on people's thoughts as they definitely don't look as advertised.

If you want turkeys as pets, in the future, buy heritage turkeys and not broad breasted turkeys. The heritage turkeys will have a much better survival rate. I have had several that lived to be 11 years old.

 

[MamaHutch06]

If you want turkeys as pets, in the future, buy heritage turkeys and not broad breasted turkeys. The heritage turkeys will have a much better survival rate. I have had several that lived to be 11 years old.

I will take that into account next time. We had Bourbon reds that lived quite long. Do you know thhe lifespan of BBW's if left to age naturally?

 

[theoldchick]

Yes, Tractor Supply can be wrong.

 

[R2elk]

I will take that into account next time. We had Bourbon reds that lived quite long. Do you know the lifespan of BBW's if left to age naturally?

Very few BB turkeys live longer than 6 months as the vast majority are processed for meat.

When I kept them, the hens would usually make 3 years before something killed them. I never had any of them die from natural causes.

There was one former BYC member who had one live to be 9. That is not normal.

BB hens have a much better chance of living longer than do BB toms.

 

[Evadig]

Do you know thhe lifespan of BBW's if left to age naturally?

I don’t know the average lifespan, but I have read that if you make sure they get plenty of exercise and don’t give unlimited feed, then they have a better chance of survival and a happier/healthier life.

 

[casportpony]

Many years ago, before I knew about the life expectancy of broad-breasted turkeys, I purchased two BBW poults. They got big very fast! It's been a long time, and the details are fuzzy, but I think they lived to be 3 or 4. The member that @R2elk mentioned was @DylansMom, she had one she called Turtee that lived to be nine.