Questions about meat turkeys!

[R2elk]

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/

I would not trust that site at all. To start with there is only one breed and that is Turkey. There are many different varieties of turkeys. There final blurb about heritage turkeys making the claim that there are 13 recognized breeds is just an outright lie. There are many more than 13 varieties of heritage turkeys but the APA only recognizes 8 varieties.

The turkey that they are showing as a Blue Slate turkey is appears to be a Lilac.

A good site to learn about heritage varieties is Porter's Rare Heritage Turkeys.

 

[R2elk]

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

They are not like CX which will fall asleep with their head in the feeder. They are not a hybrid like the CX.

They have been bred to efficiently process feed into fast weight gain.

If they are not started on the proper high protein turkey or gamebird feed they will develop leg issues. A proper turkey or gamebird starter will be around 28% to 30% protein and more importantly will contain the higher amounts of lysine, methionine and niacin that they need for proper early development.

If a person wants to keep BBs long term, free ranging and lots of exercise is beneficial.

I started mine on a 28% turkey/gamebird starter and then switched them to a 24% protein turkey/gamebird grower. After that you can switch them to whatever type feed you want to use to finish them.

 

[TabbiMae]

They are not like CX which will fall asleep with their head in the feeder. They are not a hybrid like the CX.

They have been bred to efficiently process feed into fast weight gain.

If they are not started on the proper high protein turkey or gamebird feed they will develop leg issues. A proper turkey or gamebird starter will be around 28% to 30% protein and more importantly will contain the higher amounts of lysine, methionine and niacin that they need for proper early development.

If a person wants to keep BBs long term, free ranging and lots of exercise is beneficial.

I started mine on a 28% turkey/gamebird starter and then switched them to a 24% protein turkey/gamebird grower. After that you can switch them to whatever type feed you want to use to finish them.

Fantastic advice, thank you so much. Do you have any recommendations on feed brand? I've heard some people say the higher protein can be difficult to find.

 

[R2elk]

Fantastic advice, thank you so much. Do you have any recommendations on feed brand? I've heard some people say the higher protein can be difficult to find.

I personally use Ranchway or Hubbard because that is what is available to me. Purina makes a 30% turkey or gamebird starter that is good. You may have to check all your local feed stores and may even have to ask one of them to order it for you. I recommend trying to find a source before you actually need it.

The feed store that I bought from closed last fall and the chain feed stores here refuse to carry a proper turkey/gamebird starter because all they care about is their profit line and don't have any employees that actually know about the proper care and feeding of turkey poults. I was fortunate in that Sutherlands, a lumber yard, carries feed and was willing to order the turkey starter for me.

 

[Molpet]

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.

The heritage fed chicken grower were ready a year later
The heritage fed turkey starter,then grower, were ready for Thanksgiving

The chicken feed group would have been small,in the fall... I am guessing 12lb jakes ( young boy) and 6lb jennies ( young hen) when I picked one up it was very light. In spring they were nice and heavy.
R2elk knows much more than I and has been raising them for a long time. I have only had them a few years and his advice has been very helpful.

 

[Kiki]

I would not trust that site at all. To start with there is only one breed and that is Turkey. There are many different varieties of turkeys. There final blurb about heritage turkeys making the claim that there are 13 recognized breeds is just an outright lie. There are many more than 13 varieties of heritage turkeys but the APA only recognizes 8 varieties.

The turkey that they are showing as a Blue Slate turkey is appears to be a Lilac.

A good site to learn about heritage varieties is Porter's Rare Heritage Turkeys.

And this is why I should know better than to trust a random website or blogger.

Thanks Elk!

 

[iwltfum]

TabbiMae, We grow some turkeys for ourselves for the year and for sale before Thanksgiving. We get our production turkeys (Broad Breasted Whites) in the middle of July from one of the common hatcheries and grow them for 14 weeks for an end-of-Octoberish butchering. Hens are usually about 12-15lbs and the toms are usually 14-18lbs. Just wanted to point out that this is significantly later than your January ordering plan. Spring turkeys are something we would consider if we were raising a heritage breed. If you get production turks that early in the year, I imagine you will either be butchering really early (like in June) or you might have some 50 pounders to deal with by the end of the season. And I can attest that a 50 pounder is NOT fun to deal with.

EDIT: In regards to feed, we use 28 all the way through until the last 4 weeks and then I start adding corn to the mix. I add up to 20% corn by the last week which gives the mix a gradient drop in protein from 28% to roughly 22% during the last month.

 

[MBK Farm]

Valley of the Moon Turkeys

Elk, have you ever ordered from them?

 

[R2elk]

Elk, have you ever ordered from them?

Sorry, I have not. I learned of them from @ozexpat who did order from them. A few years ago they did offer the BBWs and BBBS as sexed poults but I don't see that feature anymore. They also advertised that the BBs were available all year but their mid size turkeys are seasonal..

Unfortunately @ozexpat does not appear to frequent the BYC forums any longer. The last I heard of him posting was on his Facebook page about their project in the Philippines.

 

[mandelyn]

We went back and forth on Heritage versus Broad Breasted and ultimately decided on Heritage, so that we could keep a breeder flock and not worry about artificial insemination to get more of them. We opted for Bourbon Reds and then also got some Narragansett this past Spring. On the 3rd generation with the Bourbons.

Had a guy come get some Bourbons and he was telling me that he keeps his BBW hens and hybridizes them with a Bourbon tom for a nice table bird. I haven't tried it but I was intrigued!

With the Heritage types I keep poults out of the March/April batches, earlier if I have them. Done by fall. After brooding we put them into grow out tractors on pasture for the duration. By the time winter comes in we're down to the barn kept breeder flock for the following season.