Raising heritage Turkeys for meat and breeding... Advice?

[MillersFarm]

So this is my first year raising turkeys and i'm already in love. Started out with a rescue, a broad breasted bronze we named Dorthy. Got a friend for her, a half Black Spanish half wild tom. Realized we didn't have enough hens so we bought 3 royal palm hens one turned out to be a tom so we traded 2 of our chickens for 3 heritage mutt hens. Two ended up getting killed due to a fox which was quickly taken care of. I've lately been working at an near by slaughterhouse/market and was very surprised to hear them denying requests for thanksgiving turkeys and that they sold out. They raise broad breasted whites in crowded muddy conditions and aren't the healthiest of birds I've seen. Now I already know where I can get my turkeys processed and sell them but what I want to know is what breeds do I want that are heritage and best meat. I'd also like to know how much space i'll need for over 60 turkeys.. I've got about 30 acres behind me and plan on using 15 for the turkeys. I'll be planting timothy and red clover in the pasture since i've read that turkeys love red clover (Any other plants I could throw if for the turkeys?). I would also like to keep my horses in with the turkeys.. Would that effect anything? Another thing is that I want to plant some fast growing trees in the pasture for shade but i'm not sure what to chose. I'm debating whether to plant willows or pines. I'll also be sectioning the 15 acres into 3 areas to rotate them.

Oh and for the turkey coop I'm not yet sure on what i'm going to build. I want it to be able to hold over 60 turkeys but I also want to move it. I've seen those coops where its just a roost and a roof but we get some pretty cold weather around here. If you have any pictures of your turkey coops and their hold setup i'd love to see some pictures. Any advice will be greatly appreciated and if you know and Do's and Don'ts please don't hesitate to tell me.

 

[Molpet]

usually they say a minimum of
per bird 10 sq ft = 600 sq ft for coop
per bird 40 sq ft = 2400 sq ft for run
However when they are teenagers, they prefer to roost in a tree or on your house roof...which the predators like
Palms are usually a smaller turkey the rest are about the same size.. usually
I just have a few in with chickens.. in a hoop coop.

 

[MillersFarm]

usually they say a minimum of
per bird 10 sq ft = 600 sq ft for coop
per bird 40 sq ft = 2400 sq ft for run
However when they are teenagers, they prefer to roost in a tree or on your house roof...which the predators like
Palms are usually a smaller turkey the rest are about the same size.. usually
I just have a few in with chickens.. in a hoop coop.
View attachment 1193202 View attachment 1193203

I like the hoop coop idea for breeding pens, I've got a couple of turkeys that insists on roosting on top of our barn so I know to make the roosted high. Thanks for the reply and pics!

 

[Molpet]

@R2elk ,@duluthralphie and @rjohns39 have larger flocks

 

[rjohns39]

I'll defer to R2 and Ralphie on breeds. I'm still trying to figure out what I prefer. This year I hatched out some Red Bronze (bourbon Tom, Nari hen) for meat, they were a bit smaller than I like (avg 9lbs) but tasted fantastic. Next year I'll separate them and move to a higher carb diet to put on some fat. As far as shelter, well they pretty much refuse to go into anything and like their scissor truss. 3 Xs made from 2X4s with 2X2s ever two feet 1X6s around the top with 3/4 PVC pipes 4" long with screw in bottom and clamp on top, Then 1/2 pvc goes into the 3/4" to form a hoop. Cover with a tarp. Until the teens destroyed the cover, everyone would sleep up under the cover.

ETA: Teens destroyed the top because 1/2" PVC and a tarp can't hold 12 turkeys.

 

[duluthralphie]

I just processed 2 bronze boys hatched this spring for Thanksgiving ( they had the accident with the pvc cutter on monday)
They weighed 18 and 20 pounds without giblets...dressed. I was impressed. If you are a big white meat fan they are not for you.

I had about 4-5 pounds of fat on them ( a guess) the breasts were smaller but the legs and thighs huge.

I did not expect them to go over 15, BUT I moved them to a separate pen and fed them a ton of corn for last 8 weeks. They really put on the fat. Some people don't like corn raised birds, I do.

I also like the fat as it keeps them juicy..and tastes so good!