Homestead Turkey Production
(Page 2 of 9)
We here on Toowoomba usually purchase a dozen poults (baby
turkeys) each year, and have had very good results. True,
there have been years when we have lost as many as four of
the dozen . . . however, these have usually died in the
very early stages before they have consumed very much
expensive feed.
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TURKEY BREEDS
The prospective turkey raiser will have his choice of six
major breeds. They are the Bronze, White Holland, Bourbon
Red, Narragansett, Black and Slate. Choice will depend on
what varieties of poults are available, the size of the
finished carcass desired and personal preference concerning
color. All breeds do well when produced on a small scale .
. . however, if the fancier wished to butcher birds at a
maximum of 25 pounds, he may select the Broad-Breasted
Bronze. If, on the other hand, he prefers a bird that will
dress out in the neighborhood of 20 pounds, he may select
any of the other four breeds. The Broad-Breasted Bronze is
an improved variety of the Bronze breed developed on the
Pacific Coast: its distinguishing feature being that it
produces more white meat per pound of dress weight than any
of the other breeds. In the past few years this has become
the most popular of all breeds and the beginner may very
well start with these magnificent birds for they are hardy,
do well on both range and in close confinement, and
certainly present a handsome carcass. If on the other hand,
unplucked pinfeathers that do not show are of importance
(as they are in the kitchen of Toowoomba) then the choice
may be the White Holland.
STARTING WITH TURKEYS
Although the rearing of turkeys is much different from the
rearing of chickens, the general principles of starting are
the same. As with chickens, there are three major
beginnings: [1] day-old poults, [2] "started" poults . . .
six to eight weeks or older and [3] home-grown poults. This
choice is up to the breeder, but unlike chickens, the
beginner will find it much more difficult and considerably
more expensive to produce home-grown poults than it was to
produce home-grown chicks. It goes without saying that
breeding turkeys will consume more feed than will the same
number of breeding chickens (a full-grown tom will consume
over 200 pounds of feed in a single year) and it is
therefore not practical to keep breeding stock unless a
minimum of 15 hens is maintained, or if the fancier is
interested in producing "show stock" thus making the
economical production of poults a secondary matter.
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