Questions about meat turkeys!

[TabbiMae]

So my husband and I have decided we want to raise turkeys next year. Mainly for meat, our big goal is to just raise some for Thanksgiving to start with. I have some questions before we dive in...

We were originally planning on getting poults in January to raise until November when we would process them. That's about 10-11 months of growth, free range + 18-22% feed.

Is that too long to grow them? Will they be tough like adult chickens?

Can they benefit from caponization/poulardization? We caponize cockerels already.

TIA!

 

[Kiki]

I think that @Molpet might be able to answer some of these Qs for you.

 

[Molpet]

Good luck finding poults that early in the year
I bought some BBB the end of March... they should have been processed around 20wks.. I wait until September and tom dressed out at 24lbs.. they were raised with layers and CX.. fed chicken grower 2x a day for 20 minutes.... I kept the hen until the next year in October she was butchered, because she was too big... not tough at all..23 lbs
I also got some heritage at the same time... they were not ready until Easter on chicken grower.17lbs dressed.. the next year I got poults a month later and I fed the heritage poults turkey feed 28% and they were ready for Thanksgiving 18 lbs dressed.
So feed makes a difference
They usually don't sell sexed poults but I imagine capon would work

 

[Molpet]

Oh they were all out in the poultry yard. I think it was about 150 x 70 back when I had the BBB, and they would follow me out in the pasture. The BBB didn't go out on there own. They stayed where they could see me LOL

 

[TabbiMae]

Good luck finding poults that early in the year
I bought some BBB the end of March... they should have been processed around 20wks.. I wait until September and tom dressed out at 24lbs.. they were raised with layers and CX.. fed chicken grower 2x a day for 20 minutes.... I kept the hen until the next year in October she was butchered, because she was too big... not tough at all..23 lbs
I also got some heritage at the same time... they were not ready until Easter on chicken grower.17lbs dressed.. the next year I got poults a month later and I fed the heritage poults turkey feed 28% and they were ready for Thanksgiving 18 lbs dressed.
So feed makes a difference
They usually don't sell sexed poults but I imagine capon would work

Thank you for so much info!
Yes, I'm looking for breeders ATM so I'm not searching late December

So the heritage you got in late March weren't ready until April of the next year?

What are BBBs? I'm totally new to turkeys, I'm not familiar with breeds.

 

[Kiki]

Thank you for so much info!
Yes, I'm looking for breeders ATM so I'm not searching late December

So the heritage you got in late March weren't ready until April of the next year?

What are BBBs? I'm totally new to turkeys, I'm not familiar with breeds.

I do not know who or what this site is about...quick google search and the names all sound familiar to me ( I am like you and don't know much)
https://www.roysfarm.com/turkey-breeds/

 

[Kiki]

Broad Breasted Bronze

 

[Kiki]

One more
https://www.cacklehatchery.com/turkey.html

 

[R2elk]

Thank you for so much info!
Yes, I'm looking for breeders ATM so I'm not searching late December

So the heritage you got in late March weren't ready until April of the next year?

What are BBBs? I'm totally new to turkeys, I'm not familiar with breeds.

BBB is Broad Breasted Bronze. BBW is Broad Breasted White. White are preferred for their cleaner carcass after processing.

If you get broad breasted turkeys in January and properly feed them, they will be immense by Thanksgiving. When I raised BBWs, I would get them in March and have mid 30 lb. dressed carcasses for Thanksgiving from the toms. The hens would dress out in the low to mid 20 lb. range.

Valley of the Moon Turkeys

 

[TabbiMae]

BBB is Broad Breasted Bronze. BBW is Broad Breasted White. White are preferred for their cleaner carcass after processing.

If you get broad breasted turkeys in January and properly feed them, they will be immense by Thanksgiving. When I raised BBWs, I would get them in March and have mid 30 lb. dressed carcasses for Thanksgiving from the toms. The hens would dress out in the low to mid 20 lb. range.

Valley of the Moon Turkeys

Awesome! Thank you so much. Are they similar to CX where you need to control their feed to avoid heart/leg issues?