Question about TURKEYS

[mdrinkwine]

We raised our first batch of turkey poults this past spring. All meat breed. I'm discovering our tom is wayyy to heavy to be breeding our hens; he is hurting them (ripping their backs up with his feets, hurting their legs somehow, etc.) so he needs to go. I want to try raising a heritage turkey breed next spring. If we end up with a mixed flock of toms and hens again, is that tom going to do the same thing? I know most heritage breeds are quite a lot smaller than a meat breed. Just wondering if I need to stick to just toms or just hens due to injury. Advice turkey people?!

 

[donrae]

My understanding in the heritage breeds (Burbon Reds are the one's I've researched the most) are easily able to reproduce on their own, without the hens getting beat up. I know the local wild turkeys don't get beat up with mating....I think it's a broad breasted thing.