Please read - broad breasted bronze (bbb)

[MamaBird072316]

Hi everyone. I love this site. I've found a lot of valuable info on here from experienced folks. I want to share something with you all.

When it comes to bbb, please don't purchase these birds as pets. Or accept them for free as I did. Turkeys are wonderful and very social. I don't regret having had one. But if you're not planning to process this bird for food, be prepared to let it go early. These birds are genetically engineered to grow huge very quickly and their skeletal structure and organs cannot support the huge amount of meat they pack on. These birds are designed (yes, designed. Makes me so angry) to live only four months - 5 max - and keeping them longer is just mean.

I just had my beautiful bbb euthanized last week. He wasn't showing signs of acute issues or great discomfort, but at times wouldn't go up the ladder to the coop. In the cold weather, he would shake upon rising. He had great difficulty going down the coop ladder and every other day or so he would end up sliding down on his keel. I didn't want to prolong this.

Anyway please be mindful when acquiring your backyard poultry.

Thanks for reading.

 

[ivan3]

Glad you provided the fella with as good a life as possible, for as long as possible. And, yes, this caution/warning can't be repeated often enough as, every Summer, the turkey forum starts to resemble triage (bad legs/hips/breast blisters/sudden heart attacks, etc.) by members who didn't buy those cute poults in the feed store for food.

Heritage present their own worries but, though one might occasionally wish them dead, e.g., "**** you know what! Quit scratching the paint on the roof of the new car!", etc., rapid physical decline is not one of them.

Sorry for your loss, and thanks for posting.

 

[Turkey parents]

My wife bought two birds last spring for my birthday she had heard stories from my folks about me and my pet birds and wanted to surprise me. Well the Tom she got was a BB White Holland, which we didn't know he was a he until about the 4th month when he started strutting, she got a bronze hen at the same time pretty sure she's a BB as well but she also shows signs of being a heritage bird too smaller and doesn't have a difficult time breathing. Anyway he died on us Saturday last and broke my wife's heart she had taken to him and that bird loved her more than I ever could it seemed. We suspect he had a heart attack or a stroke, he rested his head in my hand as he took his last breath and that in itself broke my heart. We have asked the feed store if next spring they could order us some Rio Grande Wilds and have been promised a batch.

 

[katsdar]

BB's are not really for pets, as they get too big and they do not reproduce naturally, So if you want a good meat bird then get a BB

 

[yochickiemomma]

I bought 2 BBB about 6 wks ago and was completely ignorant about keeping them. Now Ive gotten super attached to them and know It would be a bad Idea to keep them on as pets once they grow up due to health issues theyll have.

 

[Turkey parents]

I bought 2 BBB about 6 wks ago and was completely ignorant about keeping them. Now Ive gotten super attached to them and know It would be a bad Idea to keep them on as pets once they grow up due to health issues theyll have.

Yes it's a bad idea but if you want to hear from someone who just lost his BBB Hen listen to me. If they're already super imprinted keep them raise them learn what you can from them. Learn how loving they can be, learn how they can become your best friend your little buddy. Learn just how much they can change your life, change your ideas about turkeys.

 

[yochickiemomma]

2 months ago I would have said Id never get turkeys. Hell two yrs ago I would have said no way to chickens too but last yr I had an Idea to get a 'few' chicks. But about 7 wks ago my husband came home excited about seeing someone elses cool turkeys. Sooooo I blindly bought two.

T they are deffinately as attached to me as I am them. they follow me everywhere and get upset when I leave them. It's been a huge learning experience so far. I plan on giving them the best short life ever bc they deserve it.

 

[Turkey parents]

I'm trying to upload the picture of my little girl who I was very attached to, but it won't load for some reason. She was my companion