White Holland Turkey Questions.

[Mary Coleman]

Hey guys, so about a week ago I bought three white holland turkey poults at a local feed store. I can't really find much information on them, so I've got some questions.
- can they reproduce naturally? I'm pretty sure they can, but just checking.
- will they go broody / do they make good mothers?
- are they good foragers?
- do they lay a lot of eggs?
- can they fly at all?
- are turkeys good guard dogs?
Ive read that they're very gentle and tame, and so far the baby's are proving that to be true. Thanks in advance for any answers.

 

[WalnutHill]

Like everything else in life, it depends. There are variable temperaments in dogs of the same breed, turkeys are no different. But in general, heritage breeds like the White Holland do fly, breed naturally, and are good foragers. I have had hundreds of turkeys and I can't say that any have been "great guard dogs" though their curiosity toward new people and things can make them seem that way. Mine watch ME more than anything else. (I have Narragansetts). Broodiness is instinctive but not present in all hens.

http://www.livestockconservancy.org/index.php/heritage/internal/whiteholland this may provide some helpful information.

 

[R2elk]

Hey guys, so about a week ago I bought three white holland turkey poults at a local feed store. I can't really find much information on them, so I've got some questions.
- can they reproduce naturally? I'm pretty sure they can, but just checking.
- will they go broody / do they make good mothers?
- are they good foragers?
- do they lay a lot of eggs?
- can they fly at all?
- are turkeys good guard dogs?
Ive read that they're very gentle and tame, and so far the baby's are proving that to be true. Thanks in advance for any answers.

Unless the poults were special ordered it is highly unlikely that you got White Holland turkey poults at a feed store. It is far more likely that you got Broad Breasted White aka Giant White turkey poults which is the type carried by feed stores. The price that you paid for the poults is also a very good indication of their variety. White Holland poults would probably run around $12 to $15 at a feed store while BBWs would sell for $8 to $10 at a feed store.

White Hollands are capable of reproducing naturally while the BBWs are produced commercially by artificial insemination.

All of the turkey hens I have had went broody no matter what variety they were.

It depends on the individual hen as to whether or not she will be a good mother. BB turkey hens don't make particularly good mothers since they can't walk as delicately as heritage hens and often end up with squashed poults.

Turkeys can be good foragers and can be very effective at grasshopper control.

Turkeys are seasonal layers and can lay from spring to fall if they are kept from going broody.

Heritage turkeys can fly. White Hollands are a heritage variety. BBWs can fly until they become too heavy for their wings to support them.

Some people make the claim that their turkeys are good guard dogs. I have been raising turkeys for well over 20 years and would never consider a turkey a guard dog.

 

[Mary Coleman]

The tag said "White Holland Turkey", and I paid $11.50 for them. I really hope that they aren't BBW. Is there some way I can tell if they're really White Hollands? I saw a list of everything that the store was ordering for the next few weeks, and they were all heritage breeds ( Royal Palm, Narragansett, Blue Slate, White Holland, Bourbon Red, Standard Bronze...) I just happened to go to the feed store the week that they had White Hollands, so I would think that they truly are White Hollands...

 

[R2elk]

The tag said "White Holland Turkey", and I paid $11.50 for them. I really hope that they aren't BBW. Is there some way I can tell if they're really White Hollands? I saw a list of everything that the store was ordering for the next few weeks, and they were all heritage breeds ( Royal Palm, Narragansett, Blue Slate, White Holland, Bourbon Red, Standard Bronze...) I just happened to go to the feed store the week that they had White Hollands, so I would think that they truly are White Hollands...

If you are dealing with a store that regularly carries heritage breed turkeys then it is likely that you got what you think that you bought.

Good Luck.

 

[Mary Coleman]

Alright. Thanks so much for all the info you gave me.

 

[Mary Coleman]

haha okay, now you have me nervous. Is there any way for me to tell the difference between a White Holland and a BBW poult? I know with chickens the "meat birds" have very thick legs and stout bodies as chicks. Is this the same with BBW turkey poults? The ones that I have have skinny little legs.

 

[ivan3]

haha okay, now you have me nervous. Is there any way for me to tell the difference between a White Holland and a BBW poult? I know with chickens the "meat birds" have very thick legs and stout bodies as chicks. Is this the same with BBW turkey poults? The ones that I have have skinny little legs.

As day olds? Better eyes than mine could probably ferret it out. However, the price seems reasonable for heritage and highway robbery for a BBW.

Compare yours with the little guy at bottom of page: http://www.porterturkeys.com/whiteholland.htm

Same reqs as any other heritage: http://www.livestockconservancy.org/index.php/resources/internal /turkey-manual

 

[Mary Coleman]

Yup. They look exactly like that! So hopefully this means Iv'e got some White Hollands.

 

[theLOWEchicken]

hello im new to the site and to poultry however i paid like $3 apiece for mine in alabama so maybe where u live also has something to do with it idk