Which Tom to Keep for Breeding?

[GotCoop]

I have two toms and a single hen. The three turkeys are some type of cross. One tom is bronze-like, the other is mostly white with gray and tan. The hen is white with black and brown coloring. They are fullsize turkeys ( I also have some midget whites). Colorwise which would you pair up?



The Hen

Prospect 1

Prospect 2

Toms together

 

[Granny Hatchet]

the white one is very pretty. i just went through the same thing with my roos and i finally decided they are for my enjoyment and i would keep the one i liked the best

 

[barra060]

Why not try a round of breeding with each and see what comes out? If you look at porterturkey.com, the genetics to the coloration of feathers will give you an idea of what might come about.

 

[Lagerdogger]

Looks like you have a royal palm hen, a blue palm tom, and a standard bronze tom. Blue is a dominant color, so if you cross the blue palm with the hen, you will get all blue palm or half blue palm half royal palm, depending on how many blue genes the blue tom has. If you cross the royal palm with the bronze, they will all look like bronzes, but will be all be carrying recessive genes for black-winged bronze base, grey, and narragansett. Crossing those turkeys to each other or back to the hen can produce several colors, including bronze, narragansett sweetgrass, palms, black-winged bronze and more.

 

[GotCoop]

Thanks for the replies. I have 5 toms and three hens. 2 MW hens, 2 MW toms, a regular blue palm tom (smaller and without the added tan coloring mixed with the gray), plus the three in the pictures above. I'd like to keep them all but I'm afraid there might be too much drama. Maybe I'll let the hen choose...

 

[GotCoop]

Thanks...that was the info hoping to get. I'm looking for variety, so I guess it will be the bronze and the palmish hen.

 

[Arielle]

She can be bred to different toms too. Doen't have to be just one.

Have you sconsidered that you might have sweetgrass??? I"m no expert but I do have sweetgrass from porters and mine, when young, look like your hen and tom.

 

[GotCoop]

The three are related...I got them as poults locally, advertised as blue slates, I saw pictures of the parents and they looked like red slates to me. They are a little over 6 months old. It was not my original plan to keep all of them, I had Thanksgiving in mind...but it's easy to get attached to them. Thanks.

 

[Arielle]

Your hooked!! Enjoy!!