What breed of turkey should my son start with for his 1st year in 4h

[mammajames85]

This will be our first year showing in 4 h. I want to get information for my son to start reading up on. What breed should we start with for market 4h turkeys? TIA

 

[Twistedfeather]

Welcome to BYC and welcome to the wonderful world of 4-H! This is my second year raising market Turkeys and last year I had the most success with the Broad Breasted Bronze variety as it grows faster than the heritage Bronze variety. You could also do Broad Breasted White but if you can get the Broad Breasted Bronze. I got six poults last year and was lucky to get a ratio of three toms to three females. You should get at least 4 to 6 poults depending on how much space you have. Unlike my Cornish I had more trouble keeping all my turkeys alive. When is your county fair? Mine is in late July early August so I got them in February/March and entered in my Toms which tend to do better.

If you have any more questions about care and stuff like that feel free to ask.

 

[mammajames85]

Our fair is in August. I was looking at the bronze and hoping to go with those. So 4-6 to start with? I am sure I will have plenty more questions soon! Thanks for the reply

 

[Twistedfeather]

I am glad you're doing turkeys they're really fun. (It's one of those things you won't go back to Cornish Cross) Just make sure you get the broad breasted strain because a normal Bronze won't make weight in time.