Turkeys breed guide
Heritage vs broad-breasted turkeys, blackhead prevention, and raising poults.
History & origins
- Turkeys were domesticated by Indigenous peoples in Mexico and the American Southwest, then reimported to North America as European varieties.
- Heritage breeds like the Royal Palm, Bourbon Red, and Narragansett nearly disappeared behind the commercial Broad Breasted White before conservation flocks revived them.
Care & housing
- Feed 28% turkey starter for 8 weeks, then 20% grower; standard chick feed is too low in protein.
- Poults are slow starters — use bright waterers with marbles and teach them to eat and drink.
- Avoid grazing turkeys where chickens have been to reduce blackhead (histomoniasis) risk.
Breeding tips
- Heritage turkeys mate naturally; broad-breasted lines almost always require artificial insemination.
- Incubate 28 days at 99.5°F, lockdown day 25.
- Hens go broody readily and will hatch and raise their own poults on range if predators are controlled.