Turkeys For 2013

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Arielle said:
Would you expand on how you managed the BBW hens to get to breeding age?? I was looking at the listing at the feed store and debating on betting any BBW or BBB for mixing with some of my heritage birds.

I like the ida of fast grwoing birds that don't eat as much feed-- but can still get around ok. I'm really not sure what direction
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I'm going sometimes.
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Major free-ranging and DIET! They'll eat you out of house and home if you let them. Then you will want to be careful with breeding. My tom (who's lighter than the hennies) broke a leg on one of my hens, who had to be butchered after she had internal bleeding (she had so many broken bones that I didn't even know about, thought it was just the dislocated leg). Look around, see if you can find anyone who's crossed them, because they'll be easier to deal with than full bloods.
 
Arielle said:
Would you expand on how you managed the BBW hens to get to breeding age?? I was looking at the listing at the feed store and debating on betting any BBW or BBB for mixing with some of my heritage birds.

I like the ida of fast grwoing birds that don't eat as much feed-- but can still get around ok. I'm really not sure what direction
hit.gif
I'm going sometimes.
Click to expand...
The hens are easier to get to breeding age than are the toms, but like Bettercreek said You can't let them eat their fill all day long, and as much exercise, as you can encourage from them, although when I raised them a few years ago, they weren't very active! The hens are not a problem crossing, since using a heritage tom will be able to mount the hen without any problem, as long as she doesn't get too big for the tom to reach. I was thinking of crossing my Holland white tom with a couple BBWs hens in the fall, if I get them early enough to be laying in the fall. If I remember right, it only took 6 or 8 months for them to mature, But I'm not sure. After all it was the the Hollands that they first bred commercially, before the BBW came to pass, and the Hollands were used in breeding the BBW, because of their wide chest and adequate size breast at maturity. I don't know what breed they used for the fast growing part, though? I don't think all the offspring will be double breasted or develop very fast, but if over time, if they can be breed to mature quicker, they naturally would eat less to get to a good processing size.
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1MrsMagoo said:
I have read several studies and papers (the stuffy, long-winded university research type papers) that have extensively studied parthenongenesis in turkeys (embryos develop in non-fertilzed eggs). Turkeys, Beltsville Small Whites in particular, have a higher instance of parthenogenesis than most other fowl or poultry (Dark Cornish have the highest instance in the breeds of chickens that have been tested).

In one study conducted in 1953 by the man to whom you are referring above (Dr. Olsen), he initially found that 14% of all eggs laid by female Beltsville's began to develop when incubated without a male being present. Indeed he took that first poult hatched via this method home for safe keeping only to have his dog kill it.
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In the beginning of his study, 1% of the parthenogenic eggs hatched successfully with all offspring being male. He then selectively bred for this trait. Toward the end of his study, over 40% of the eggs were fertile without a male and 8% hatched. All offspring hatched from parthenogenic eggs will be male.

As to the blue eyes, this is what I found after digging around online: If a white turkey carries the genes for black (cc BB) they will have blue eyes. If they have the gene for bronze (cc bb) they will have brown eyes.

I like the blue eyes in the Beltsvilles too, but since that is not what the APA standard calls for, some people are not interested in them (My Pomeranian geese have blue eyes as well). So, I may have to separate them into two pens: Brown eyes in one and blue eyes in the other. Luckily, I do have a good enough mix to be able to do this if I want to.
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I know that in parthenogenesis all the offspring are male, like with the tree frog, but I did not know that about the Dark Cornish! That's very interesting, too and I was just thinking about getting some Cornish to cross with a fast maturing heavy breed like Delaware or Rocks for meat chickens. I am not interested in showing any livestock, just for food, and a few poults to sell to help with the feed bill! Thanks for the information, that is very interesting. I guess they used a black and a bronze in the mix when they bred the Beltsville line?
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I have cornish cross hens under leghorns and EE's. The fertility isn't as high on them, but it could've been due to too many roos? I just sold two roos, so we'll see if fertility increases. I'd LIKE to mix them with silkies to see if I could get that black meat in a bird that's worthwhile to actually butcher, lol.
 
Celie said:
I know that in parthenogenesis all the offspring are male, like with the tree frog, but I did not know that about the Dark Cornish! That's very interesting, too and I was just thinking about getting some Cornish to cross with a fast maturing heavy breed like Delaware or Rocks for meat chickens. I am not interested in showing any livestock, just for food, and a few poults to sell to help with the feed bill! Thanks for the information, that is very interesting. I guess they used a black and a bronze in the mix when they bred the Beltsville line?
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From what I have been able to find, this was the initial "mix" used to create the Beltsville's:
Standard Bronze (2 strains); Broad Breasted Bronze (1 strain); Charlevoix Bronze, a Canadian small-type Bronze, (1 strain); White Holland (4 strains); Black (1 strain); Narragansett (1 strain); wild (4 strains); and White Austrian (1 strain) a small-type turkey imported from Scotland specifically for this project.

So, their is plenty of bronze and some black creeping around in their gene pool!
 
Bettacreek said:
I have cornish cross hens under leghorns and EE's. The fertility isn't as high on them, but it could've been due to too many roos? I just sold two roos, so we'll see if fertility increases. I'd LIKE to mix them with silkies to see if I could get that black meat in a bird that's worthwhile to actually butcher, lol.
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Either too many roos and the hens are hiding, or if the hens body shape and the rooster's don't mesh...they have a hard time successfully mating. I know in my ducks when one of my Mallard drakes tries to breed one of the much larger Pekin or Appleyards, they often fall or are thrown off before "doing the deed". I've seen the same thing when one of the Cornish roosters tries to get on one of my poor little Ameraucanas: Those hens wiggle out from under those heavy brutes in a big hurry.
If you have an area to pen the hens up with 1 rooster for each 4 to 5 I would do that. Pick the rooster with the same size and body type as the hens and see if that doesn't help.
 
Bettacreek said:
I have cornish cross hens under leghorns and EE's. The fertility isn't as high on them, but it could've been due to too many roos? I just sold two roos, so we'll see if fertility increases. I'd LIKE to mix them with silkies to see if I could get that black meat in a bird that's worthwhile to actually butcher, lol.
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Black meat sounds intersting--is it really dark,? I wouldn't expect it to actually be a true black.

1MrsMagoo said:
Quote: So, their is plenty of bronze and some black creeping around in their gene pool!
HOw many many strains to make the Beltsvilles!! Great scott!!
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