New pet turkey - is he too fat? He is not too steady on his feet...

[sourland]

The hot weather of summer may very well be his undoing. Production birds like him are not genetically programmed for long lives. Treat him well, but do not become emotionally invested. His time here is limited.

 

[hilltopfarm7777]

I would like to say thank you to all who wrote me such thoughtful replies to my questions last week about my fat, Broad Breasted White turkey. Unfortunately, last Saturday morning I opened the pen to find that the poor big guy had passed away sometime on Friday night. I think the stress of changing homes at almost 2 years old and with so much weight on him was just too much for his heart. I will certainly never get a turkey of this breed again in hopes of making it a pet, but now that I know how cute and tame turkeys can be there might be a lovely new bourbon red or other heritage breed in my future.

Thanks again! Cara

 

[Echos_dad]

Bourbon Reds are the best tasting birds, though. Just sayin'.

 

[Corona~Barb]

Yep, these guys are right. You need to get some heritage turkeys if you want them more than a few months. My first turkeys were BBW and BBB. I had no idea what I was getting to. One of the toms did end up with a broken leg. It was awful! I now have some heritage turkeys...a 5 yr hen who is still breeding/laying, a 3 yo tom and several of his 2 yo offspring. They are very entertaining.

Barb in So Cal
Heritage Chickens, Heritage Turkeys, Heritage Silver Fox Rabbits

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

i'm so sorry about your turkey. It is so sad that those types of birds are bred to live such a short time. i got turkeys for the first time last year. Raised them from eggs and ended up keeping a Bourbon Red pair. i really love having them around. They do take extra care when very young, as they are very fragile. After being born, they need to be taught to eat or they will starve to death. So, not too smart, but very sweet. And then now that mine are almost a year, i still have to put them in their coop when it rains hard or they will just stand there getting drenched and look miserable. But i love the sounds they make and they are so pretty.

 

[ColbyNTX]

Quote:
Sorry you lost him but it saved you from making a tough choice. By the way,

!!!!!!!!!!!!! You will love the heritage breeds and there are so many colors to choose from.