1.3 pounds of feed per 20 week old tom turkey per day
| Broad Breasted Turkey Age (in weeks) | Feed To Gain Ratio for toms | Feed To Gain Ratio for hens |
| 6 | 1.43 | 1.45 |
| 10 | 1.8 | 1.9 |
| 16 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| 20 | 2.8 | 2.6 |
What should I Feed my baby turkeys?
Feeding and Nutrition Young turkeys have very rapid growth and require more protein than most poultry types. Feed your poults with a 30% protein starter until your poults are 8 weeks old. Once your birds reach 8 weeks old, switch them to a high-quality flock raiser with 20% protein and high-calorie content.
What is the best food for turkeys?
Besides commercial feeds that contain high levels of protein, turkeys can be supplied with alfalfa hay as their main feed. In contrast, inadequate or excess protein may be detrimental to the health of turkeys. Plus, corn contributes to weight gain but typically results in birds gaining fat and not muscle.
Are Broad Breasted White turkeys good for meat?
Due to their rapid growth and large processing weight, this is an ideal breed for today’s meat industry. A survey in 2012 showed that 87 million turkeys were consumed in America alone over the course of the year. You can bet the majority of those were Broad Breasted White Turkeys.
What do I need to raise turkeys in my backyard?
You will also need a place that is draft free to keep the turkeys in while they are in the brooder. They grow fast and can be messy and smelly, so plan accordingly. A basement or heated barn/garage are good options. Broad breasted turkeys need high protein diets because they are fast growing.
What do you feed a broad breasted white turkey?
Sometimes day old poults have a hard time remembering how to eat and drink, so it's important to dip their beaks in several times in the first few days they're home and provide them low piles of high protein feed like game bird or turkey starter. You want to feed turkey poults a feed that is around 30% protein.
What is the best thing to feed turkeys?
FEED turkeys cracked or whole kernel corn, sunflower seeds, oats, wheat, or non-medicated commercial poultry or turkey rations. FEED turkeys daily by broadcasting food at a rate of 2 large handfuls (or 1/2 cup) per turkey per day.
How much do broad breasted turkeys eat?
A broad breasted turkey will eat 64 pounds of feed by 16 weeks and 101 pounds of feed by 20 weeks. A heritage breed turkey will eat 73 pounds of feed by 28 weeks. We'll go over the feed amounts for both broad breasted turkeys and heritage breed turkeys.
What do you feed meat turkeys?
Rape and alfalfa, as well as lettuce, cabbage, and most any other garden greens, all provide good food for turkeys. As much as 25 percent of the ration can be greens, which can enable you to compete price-wise with the commercial grower.
What should you not feed turkeys?
Here is some food that you should not feed to turkeys:Low-Quality chicken feed.Dairy foods.Onions.Raw meat.Chocolate.Processed foods.Fruit pits and seeds.Tomato and eggplant leaves.More items...
What is a wild turkeys favorite food?
Preferred foods of wild turkeys Generally, turkeys thrive in and near mature forests that produce abundant amounts of mast, the fruits and nuts of woody plants. In the spring, they tend to eat leaves and grasses, and in the fall, they feed more on fruits, berries, seeds and insects.
How long do broad breasted turkeys live?
Quick Facts about Broad Breasted White TurkeyBreed NameBroad Breasted White TurkeyColorWhiteLifespan2-5 yearsClimate ToleranceHot and cold climatesCare LevelMinimal6 more rows•Jan 20, 2022
How fast do broad breasted turkeys grow?
The chart below illustrates the averages for White Broad Breasted Turkey growth. Most people have their broad breasted turkeys butchered between 18 and 20 weeks of age. Tom's butchered at 18 weeks will average a carcass of approximately 29 lbs and hens will yield a carcass of approximately 20 lbs.
How do you take care of turkeys?
If you've raised chickens, then you have a good basis for raising turkeys. Like chickens, they need quality feed, fresh water, a secure living space and run, clean bedding, roosting poles, and ground-level nesting boxes. Other than that, there are a few differences between chickens and turkeys.
What can I feed wild turkeys?
Acorns, hickory nuts, beechnuts, or walnuts, either cracked open or swallowed whole. Seeds and grain, including spilled birdseed or corn and wheat in agricultural fields. Berries, wild grapes, crabapples, and other small fruits. Small reptiles including lizards and snakes.
Can turkeys eat carrots?
Turkeys love to pick at natural plants. They will consume all sorts of leaves and grasses. You can also feed your turkey various vegetable plants like lettuce, cabbage, carrot leaves, and much more.
Can chickens and turkeys live together?
One of the main ways to keep turkeys healthy is too NOT raise chickens and turkeys together. When turkeys and chickens are raised together, turkeys run a high risk of contracting the disease histomoniasis, also known as blackhead.
What can I feed wild turkeys?
Acorns, hickory nuts, beechnuts, or walnuts, either cracked open or swallowed whole. Seeds and grain, including spilled birdseed or corn and wheat in agricultural fields. Berries, wild grapes, crabapples, and other small fruits. Small reptiles including lizards and snakes.
Is Cracked corn good for wild turkeys?
Cracked Corn-Corn is chocked full of protein and fiber that makes a great wild turkey food. Cracked corn is simply corn that has been dried and broken into pieces. This process makes it easier for wild turkeys to digest.
How do I attract turkeys to my property?
Ideally, 20 to 30 percent of your woodland should consist of these fruit- and nut-bearing trees. Turkeys love acorns and pecans, as well as dogwoods, huckleberries, blueberries, and other fruits found in the understory. Planting food plots: Follow these tips to establish food plots as a supplement to natural forage.
What do farm raised turkeys eat?
American farmers are raising turkeys in scientifically designed, environmentally controlled barns that provide maximum protection from predators, disease and weather extremes. They are fed a balanced diet of corn and soybean meal mixed with a supplement of vitamins and minerals.
What is the best feed for a turkey?
Turkeys need high protein feed. Start your turkey poults out on a 28% protein feed. Ideally, you’ll be able to find a feed made specifically for turkeys, but that’s not always the case. We always use game bird starter, then game bird grower for turkeys.
What is the feed to gain ratio for turkeys?
As the turkey gets older, closer to butchering weight, the feed to gain ratio goes up to 2.8 to 1. This feed to gain ratio is for turkeys that are kept in a roomy pen, but not free range. If your turkeys can do a lot of roaming around, that takes extra energy, which takes more feed.
How much does a poult eat?
A day old poult eats nearly nothing, .04 pounds of feed per day per poult. Compare that to a 20 week old broad breasted tom eating 1.3 pounds of feed per day! By 14 weeks toms are eating 30% more than hens and by 20 weeks toms are eating more than twice as much as hens!
How much feed should a 20 week old hen eat?
A 20 week old tom will have eaten 101.72 pounds of feed and be 36 pounds, yielding a 28.8 pound carcass. Hens at 20 weeks will have eaten 64.37 pounds of feed and be 24.14 pounds live, which will yield a 19.31 pound carcass.
How much do heritage turkeys eat?
The heritage breed turkeys will eat 73 pounds of feed over a 28 week period. Poults start out at just over a half pound of feed eaten for the entire first two weeks and gradually increases to each bird eating over a half a pound per day! Heritage Turkey Age. (in weeks) Total Pounds Of Feed. (per poult for 2 weeks) Daily Pounds Of Feed.
How much should a 16 week old turkey eat?
Your turkeys will eat 64 pounds of feed by 16 weeks. At 16 weeks old your broad breasted turkeys will have eaten 64 pounds of feed each for toms and nearly 46 pounds of feed each for hens. These 16 week old toms will weigh 25 pounds, yielding a 20 pound carcass.
How much food do turkeys eat per day?
If these turkeys are getting 50% of their diet from pasture, they are actually eating .93 pounds of food per day, with only .62 pounds of that food being the turkey feed you gave them.
How hot do poults need to be?
Poults need their environment to be 95 for the first week of life and that temperature requirement drops by 5 degrees each week. In the heat of the summer, my poults were able to live in their outside brooder with only a heat lamp for extra warmth at night.
Can heritage turkeys roost at night?
While heritage turkey breeds can roost at night, I found that broad breasted turkeys only do that for the first 10 weeks and after they start to really put on weight and prefer to lay on the coop floor in straw bedding. I put larger logs in their run so they could still be elevated while sunning outside during the day.
Why are broad breasted white turkeys so popular?
It’s no secret why these turkeys are the leading breed for the commercial meat industry. On top of their fast rate of growth, Broad Breasted Whites produce more meat than any other turkey breed. They also produce a large amount of sought after breast meat, a well-loved favorite of many people. 4.
How to raise a turkey at 8 weeks old?
Young turkeys have very rapid growth and require more protein than most poultry types. Feed your poults with a 30% protein starter until your poults are 8 weeks old. Once your birds reach 8 weeks old, switch them to a high-quality flock raiser with 20% protein and high-calorie content.
What breed of dog is modeled after a broad breasted white?
1. Midget Whites. Although this breed ends up on the other side of the size spectrum, Midget Whites were modeled after Broad Breasted Whites. Midget Whites share many of the same characteristics as Broad Breasted Whites, but without the challenges with breeding and health.
What temperament do turkeys have?
These turkeys can sometimes be a bit of a toss-up as far as temperament goes. Generally speaking, Broad Breasted White Turkeys have fairly docile temperaments, with the occasional aggressive tom.
How much space do you need for a chicken coop?
Inside your coop, you will need to provide a minimum of ten square feet per adult bird to make sure everyone has enough space.
When was the turkey accepted into the American Poultry Association?
The resulting bird grew faster, larger, and had a cleaner looking carcass. In 1874, this new breed of turkey was accepted into the American Poultry Association. Once the breed was accepted, it proceeded to take the position of the most popular turkey breed, formerly held by the Broad Breasted Bronze.
Can you breed a broad breasted white?
Breeding. Another challenge in raising this breed is the fact they are generally unable to breed naturally. If you’re interested in breeding Broad Breasted Whites, it’s a likely possibility you’ll need to inseminate artificially.
Why do turkeys need protein?
Broad breasted turkeys need high protein diets because they are fast growing. We are feeding our turkeys a commercial poultry starter/grower food made for a variety of poultry, including turkeys, chickens, ducks, geese, and quail. Supplement more protein in their diets if needed. When you first get the turkeys home dip their beaks into ...
How long do turkeys live in a brooder?
To get started, you will need a brooder and a few supplies. The turkeys will spend the first 7 – 8 weeks living in the brooder, so it is important to have everything ready before you bring the turkeys home.
Why are turkeys so hard to mate?
Because they are broad breasted, it is difficult for them to mate naturally. Many times they are bred through artificial insemination. Bronze and white broad breasted turkeys are available at most poultry hatcheries and also at many farm stores (in the spring).
How old are turkeys when they are ready to move?
7 weeks old. At 7 – 8 weeks, if the outside temperature stays consistently at or above 60 degrees, the turkeys are ready to be moved outside. During the day, they can free range or be in a fenced area on your property. They will need a coop that they can be locked in at night to protect them from predators.
How to keep brooder temperature down?
For the first week, keep the brooder temperature at 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Each week, bring the temperature down 5 degrees by raising the heat lamp a few inches. Once you reach 60 degrees, you can remove the heat lamp. 7 weeks old.
Broad Breasted White Turkey Origins
During the Great Depression of the 1930s, Americans preferred smaller turkeys with more breast meat that fit into an icebox. The Beltsville Agricultural Research Center responded in 1934 by creating the Beltsville White turkey, and it dominated the market until the creation of the Broad Breasted White turkey in the early 1960s.
Broad Breasted White Turkey Characteristics
Unlike the previous bird that dominated the market, the Broad Breasted White turkey is an enormous bird with shorter breast bones that support more meat than any other breed. One reason turkey farmers prefer the White breed is its rapid development.
Broad Breasted White Turkey Uses
The United States slaughters over 250 million White turkeys every year for meat. Less than 5 months after birth, the turkeys are loaded haphazardly in large trailers and taken to the slaughterhouse. Conditions on the truck are even worse than on the farm.
Broad Breasted White Turkey Appearance & Varieties
Broad breasted white turkeys have white feathers, red carnucling, a black beard, and pink feet. The bird’s large breasts weigh the bird down, and the full-grown turkeys seem off balance when they waddle around. One of its relatives, the Broad Breasted Bronze turkey, was a popular commercial bird until it was replaced by the Beltsville White.
Population, Distribution & Habitat
Genetically, White turkeys are not healthy animals, but they’re considered hardy species less affected by climate conditions. Except for Antarctica, white turkeys live on every continent in the world. Their largest population is in the United States.
Are Broad Breasted White Turkeys Good for Small-Scale Farming?
Homesteads and small farms keep Broad Breasted White turkeys, but heritage turkeys are more reliable for small-scale farming. White turkeys were designed to produce the largest amount of meat, but they’re more vulnerable to diseases and other medical conditions than heritage birds.
