Broad Breasted White Turkey Poults

Broad Breasted White Turkey Poults

• Meat/Exhibition
• docile, strong hardy birds, toms can sometimes be territorial
• size~ see weight chart below

Broad Breasted White Turkey poults are an excellent choice if you want to raise a turkey for meat. Turkeys sold in grocery stores are Broad Breasted White Turkeys.

The Broad Breasted White Turkey is the breed raised by commercial turkey farmers in the US. It is the best choice for those who enjoy breast meat. These birds have shorter breast bones and legs than other breeds and are unable to reproduce naturally. Instead, they must be artificially inseminated. If you are interested in breeding turkeys, you should try heritage breeds instead.

Breeding the White Holland and the Broad Breasted Bronze produced the Broad Breasted White Turkey. It has become the dominant turkey on the market and is the one that most Americans are familiar with.

For a time, the Broad Breasted Bronze held the dominant position on the turkey market, but beginning in the 1960s, processors began to prefer the Broad Breasted Whites because they produced a cleaner-looking carcass. The fact that their feathers are all white means that their pin feathers are not visible when the bird is dressed.

The large size of the Broad Breasted White Turkey has pros and cons associated with it. These birds have been bred to grow large; some of them exceed 50 lbs at full maturity. However, some people feel that taste and texture have been sacrificed for size. If you want to raise a bird that tastes similar to those you can purchase in the grocery store, this is the breed for you. If you are a bit more adventurous, you may want to experiment with one of our other breeds.

The above numbers are only averages and estimations.  Results may vary from flock to flock.