Does anyone know what breed of turkeys and geese are best for eating?
Question by Ken: Does anyone know what breed of turkeys and geese are best for eating?
I’m in a third world country and I’ve been test raising local geese and turkeys but their flesh is too tough compared to turkey that can be bought in a supermarket. (the ones in the supermarket are imported from the USA)
Can you help? Leave your own answer in the comments!
4 Responses to Does anyone know what breed of turkeys and geese are best for eating?
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Ken ,
the “turkeys” imported to u are hybrid genetically modified “turkeys”.
these turkeys would not survive in ‘third world’ conditions. nor could u afford the feed costs, chemicals needed to grow them. that is where the ‘tenderness’ come from no excercise.
robert w
January 14, 2012 at 8:57 pm
i am NOT SURE
adefolakepatience
January 14, 2012 at 9:12 pm
Ken, What country are you from? I am an American, but lived in Nigeria for about 13 years managing a large crop farm. When I first started out there, I bought local chickens and turkeys (didn’t try ducks). They were so tough that I couldn’t eat them. I solved my problem by finding a hatchery that sold day old chicks which I raised for meat and eggs. I fed them well and supplied them with green material, cut grass and clover. They did great, but I had to keep them penned up to keep them away from the local chickens because of diseases. I bought some turkeys and let them breed. When they hatched I raised the day old turkeys just like my chickens. Fed them well and killed them at a young age. They were as good as any you can find in the supermarket. I’m sure that you could do the same with the ducks. The secret to good meat is to feed them well and harvest them at a young age while they are tender. The breed will make some difference, if you can find them get an improved breed of birds. If you can’t, you can make do with the local breeds if you raise them properly. Good luck.
john h
January 14, 2012 at 10:04 pm
The commercial turkeys sold in the US are Double Breasted Whites which have so much breast meat that they cannot mate naturally. They grow very very very fast and so require a very rich diet.
If you buy heritage or heirloom turkeys like Spanish Blacks, Bronzes, Bourbon Reds, Naragnasets, Royal Palms, Lilac, or Chocolate turkeys though, which were the turkeys used for eating in America before the double breasted variety was created, they can be raised with little feed input beyond what they get from eating grasses and chasing bugs. You do still need to feed them, but they take care of themselves pretty well. These turkeys taste better than the large breasted whites and are more resistant to diseases.
They do grow more slowly and are generally not ready to eat until they are approaching 6 months old. Here in the US, if you want to buy one of these heirloom turkeys to eat you have to pay sometimes as much as 10 times more per pound because they are so much better, rarer, and require more time to raise, but to buy the little chicks to raise yourself is about the same cost. An added bonus is that if you save a few turkeys the first year and let them breed and hatch their eggs the next year then you can have your first chicks make more chicks for you to raise and continue your little turkey farm.
Happy eating!!
pippinstar
January 14, 2012 at 10:36 pm