Why the Midget White Turkey is the Perfect Homestead Turkey

(Page 2 of 2)

August 21, 2008
By Troy Griepentrog 
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How small are mature midget whites?

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Our selection criteria for the midget white at 20 weeks of age were a 13-pound tom and an 8-pound hen.

What advice would you give someone who wants to keep a backyard flock of midget whites?

Protect them from predators when they are young. Since they are small, they are more subject to predation by cats, dogs, raccoons, hawks and owls while growing up.
 
Is raising turkeys more challenging than raising chickens? 

Yes, raising turkeys is more challenging than raising chickens. Poults do not learn to eat as quickly as chicks do. Sometimes I even feel that poults do not learn to use the source of water as readily as do baby chicks. I also believe that turkey poults may pile up onto one another when frightened or cold more frequently than do young chicks.

Is it feasible for a homesteader to keep a tom and a couple of hens and expect the hens to hatch poults in the spring?

Yes, the midget hen is a good mother and she will do a good job incubating and raising the poults. I would suggest that while she is incubating that you remove the tom so he will not harass her while incubating. Watch the hen and poults carefully when she leaves the nest to make sure the tom does not injure the poults.

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  • maggie.henry 12/9/2008 5:11:07 PM

    I would like to maintain a flock of midget whites to preserve them. Where can I get poults from?

    Maggie

  • Eric 8/24/2008 11:27:24 AM

    I have kept heritage turkeys in the past though never midget whites. Next spring I am planning on getting a fair number of poults and midget whites will be among them. I have several potential customers interested in smaller heritage birds for the holiday season.
    www.heartlandmarket.us

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