Taste test to find out which breeds of heritage turkeys taste best!

[Celie]

Maybe someone that lives close to you can swap and you can go and pick them up? Or maybe someone that has 3 different varieties that you want to try, would like to try the breed you have and would be willing to swap with you? BTW, what breeds do you raise? Remember, 6 eggs will only weigh about 2 pounds, including packaging material. Day old poults cost about $12, from a hatchery plus shipping and you have to buy 15 ! For someone interested in trying other varieties, that's getting off really Cheap!!

If you can even find turkey hatching eggs, they will run a lot more than that. I have auctioned turkey eggs on EBay and never got less than $35.00 a half dozen for 6 eggs. Depending where you live and the people you swap with, shipping will probably be in the $15 range, and it's an even swap, egg for egg, so everyone comes out even, just paying postage. I personally think this is a great savings to just swap straight up, and not to pay $12 for each day old poult, and have to buy 15, plus pay postage besides! Lets see what others think??? What would you suggest ???????? I hope others will chime in here !!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Celie]

My White Hollands laid 3 eggs today! I don't think they are fertile, because I saw a hen present herself to a tom today, but as he was trying to mount her, he was attacked by another tom and then a third stepped it and a free for all started, so the scared hen ran off. Tomorrow, we will separate the toms from the hens into a separate yard and just leave my breeder tom from last year with the hens, until we see how else we might want in the gene pool. My older toms are the largest and gentle with the lady turkeys and I know they are fertile. We might put half the hens into the 60x120 fenced area (where the veggie garden will be planted in Feb.) and put one tom in each yard area and keep the other dozen toms in the pasture, until their genetics can be evaluated. But we are one step closer to getting fertile eggs to swap. I don't plan on shipping any eggs until they are larger and then only after I prove fertility! My incubators will hold up to 360 eggs, so there is no hurry. The ducks are starting to lay, but I have too many ducks now! I have sold quite a few, so I will not have as many to process in Feb. and after that I will start hatching the little curly butts again, as I sell quite a few young ducklings, in the spring.

 

[Oregon Blues]

[[[[......... BTW, what breeds do you raise? .......]]]]]]


I've got Midget Whites, but am just starting with them. I raised some BBW's to make sure I liked turkeys before I invested in breeding stock. The oldest midgets are still only half grown (6 months). I hope to have eggs in the spring, but am not promising eggs to anyone until I see eggs.. I have one very nice pair and 6 poults who are not old enough to evaluate their quality or gender. I know one of those is male and I suspect he will be culled because he is considerably larger than the rest and I will be trying to breed the size down. They are Midgets, after all, so I think they should be small.

I would like to try some Holland Whites and some Blue slates.

 

[Celie]

I have Holland Whites and will swap with you whenever you are ready. It's just the 2 of us now, Empty Nester's, so to speak and love turkey. Sounds like Midget Whites would make a nice meal for 2 and maybe leftovers for sandwiches the next day! Holland Whites are on the other end of the scale for Whites, 25 to 40 pounds, at maturity! Of course, you have to subtract 20% for processing weight and you can harvest them before "mature weight" We harvested one at about 7 or 8 months and it dressed out at 20 pounds. They grow a large frame and then start filling out. I hope someone out there with Blue Slates will chime in here?

 

[Celie]

I should have explained the young turkey we dressed out at 20 pounds was a tom. A hen would be even lighter.

 

[Celie]

My girls have been laying for a month now. First it was only 1 or 2 every couple of days, but they are up to 4 or 5 every day, except today, I only got 1 ! So far, I have put them all into the incubator. I have hatched out 5 so far, but one cannot walk yet. He can stand against the side of something for support, but he leans to one side, so we'll see, I remember the eggs being larger last year, so I thought they would not be fertile, and maybe were pullet eggs like when chickens first start to lay. Since I put them into the incubator as they were gathered each day, it will be a staggered hatch, but so far 5 out of the first 6 eggs hatched and the one that didn't was the first one laid and was not fertile! I will be keeping everyone updated as time goes on on the turkey thread "turkeys for 2013", started by KuntryGirl, if you would like to join us there, you would be more than welcome !

 

[Jesz]

O yes I will trade with you ....inbox me your address my black turkey hen is laying eggs right now.

 

[Celie]

Wonderful, I would love to trade with you in a couple of months! I am already running out of room in the brooder and DH has not even started the brooding room in the barn. It is too messy to brood them in the house in winter and too many cold snaps to brood them outside.

Turkey poults are fragile and foolishly, wanting to check the fertility of these first eggs put about 50 into the incubator.

Most are fertile and if I put any more into the brooder in the spare bath, he'll probably kill me!

LOL
In the spring, he promised to build me an 8x10 insulated room inside the barn to do all the incubating and brooding!

I will definitely PM you then with a trade!

 

[Jesz]

I have mine outside in my garage which faces the east, with a 150 watt light on them at all times. I live further south then you, I have a friend who will not put her chickens or turkeys outside til they are 6 months old. The live in her bathroom, I would not do that they can be a little messy.

A friend asked me yesterday if I would want wild turkey eggs. I asked him if he bought them? He said no, they are pn his property in North Louisiana and he would bring me back some if I wanted. I told him yes

!!!!!! The only thing I'm wondering is if they will be fertile???? Guess I will just have to incubate them and wait and find out.

 

[Lagerdogger]

Sounds like fun. Too bad I live in Minnesota because 1) I wouldn't have any eggs to swap until almost April, and 2) Minnesota frowns on turkey imports because the commercial industry is so large.

My suspicion is they all taste the same, but it would be interesting to see the results of a good blind taste test. Of course, a double blind test would be even better. Only one person from the slaughtering team know which turkey is which breed. Neither the cooks nor the consumers know which breed is which. This prevents the cooks from unwittingly being extra careful with the breeds they think should taste the best.