Your favoritve turkey breed/variety, or any advise :)

[Potato]

I have been raising broad breasted turkeys for a few years now. I really enjoy having turkeys, so I have decided to get some heritage turkeys to keep year round and have them reproduce. We cannot decide on which breed(s), so we are thinking about getting a couple of each of the popular breeds. If anyone has any insight on which breeds are great and/or which to avoid please let me know. I am raising them for meat, but we also really enjoy just having them around. I think we would like to avoid any of the midget or wild varieties of turkey. I looked through some fourms and I am seeing many people really enjoy the royal palm. Any advise would be great, thanks everyone

 

[nanclapper]

I have been raising broad breasted turkeys for a few years now. I really enjoy having turkeys, so I have decided to get some heritage turkeys to keep year round and have them reproduce. We cannot decide on which breed(s), so we are thinking about getting a couple of each of the popular breeds. If anyone has any insight on which breeds are great and/or which to avoid please let me know. I am raising them for meat, but we also really enjoy just having them around. I think we would like to avoid any of the midget or wild varieties of turkey. I looked through some fourms and I am seeing many people really enjoy the royal palm. Any advise would be great, thanks everyone

I really like the White Hollands...they are friendly and reach a good processing age about 9 months old. My toms at 9 months were about 23 lbs and hens 17lbs. I started with a mature breeding pair a year ago, the hen layed like crazy in the spring and through the summer, however, none of her eggs were fertile, except when my Narragansett tom hopped the fence, LOL! I hatched about six mixed breeds! We processed the mature tom, he was 35lbs. I was told he was 2-years-old when I bought him, but I think he was much older than that. I have a young White Holland tom (six months) and two hens so I'm hoping to start hatching more out next spring.

I also enjoy having Narragansetts because they are so beautiful. I hatched some of there eggs in my incubator and then let "Rosie" hatch out her own in late spring. She sat on six eggs and they all hatched! She didn't lay anymore eggs this year after that!

 

[mrsreaper2278]

We have one BBbronze tom and a Royal Palm hen. The BBBs are definetly a more friendly breed.

 

[LittleRock]

Hello, I have not been raising turkeys for too long but I have had a couple of varieties. This year I raised Royal Palm, Black Spanish, Blue Slate, Bourbon Red, a Narragansett mix, BBW & BBB. My Royal Palms were the most curious. The Black Spanish the most lay back. The Blue Slates are the only ones that showed slight aggression, therefore were the most aggressive. The mix was the most skittish. The Bourbon Reds seemed to have a balance of these characteristics, I can see why they are the favorite of so many. The BBW are definitely the most "puppy" like. The BBB are like a diluted version of the BBW.

This has been MY experience with MY birds. I am sure personalities can vary from bird to bird, even though they may be the same variety. I think all heritage birds have a possibility to express any of these characteristics among many more.

I hope I could be of some help.

 

[Potato]

Everyone's advise is great thank you all. I will likely end up getting a few different varieties of hen and maybe just two toms. If anyone knows a very broody turkey variety please share. I plan to let them naturally mate and care for the eggs. Having them cross breed is expected and hoped for

 

[beardedmessman]

I have Narragansetts, supposed to be calm birds at maturity. They are supposed to be experts at breeding and raising their own young. They are a joy to raise.

 

[Book Em Danno25]

i say bourbon reds!