General Information
- Breed Purpose
- World's best variety for free range ecological turkey eggs.
- Broodiness
- One time a year. Doesn't break eggs.
- Climate Tolerance
- All climates. Very heat tolerant and very cold hardy in the Greek towns and villages it was developed. Needs shade in summer months.
- Egg Productivity
- About 100 - 120 a year, without artificial lighting, but with high-density turkey feed. Maybe the best turkey breed for eggs.
- Egg Size
- Just a bit smaller than other turkeys.
- Egg Color
- White with reddish spots.
- Breed Temperament
- Excellent forager, very noisy, friendly to other birds, not aggressive, not competitive, prefers roosting in trees. Avoids human contact.
- Breed Colors/Varieties
- Very close to the color of the broad breasted bronze turkeys, but a bit darker.
- Breed Size
- Large fowl.
- APA/ABA Class
- Mediterranean. Not recognized. Not standardized.
- Color
- Bronze. Not standardized.
- Buy URL
- https://www.farmapateras.gr/
Greek Bronze Turkey Breed is a domestic breed of turkey created from paternal and maternal stock of bronze heritage greek turkeys.
It is not a recognized and standardized breed. It can't be used for showing.
The DNA was carefully selected from experienced and trustworthy breeders.
They selected males and females for:
1) an excellent egg production,
2) a poor meat production (in comparison to other turkeys),
3) strong bones and joints,
4) balanced behavior,
5) a slow growth ratio,
6) resistance in diseases,
7) cold hardiness,
8) heat tolerance,
9) instinct of incubating,
10) good hatching ratios,
11) ability to reproduce avoiding scratchings and wounds on the backs of the hens,
12) poor housing conditions,
13) excellent foraging ability &
13) good response to low-density feed (but stops laying eggs).
Professional farmers use 1 male for 12 females.
The only sad point is that the breeding system that creates them is resembling the ABCD system of the commercial white leghorns. They use four lines of the breed that haven't ever come in any contact. It is called outbreeding.
It is not a recognized and standardized breed. It can't be used for showing.
The DNA was carefully selected from experienced and trustworthy breeders.
They selected males and females for:
1) an excellent egg production,
2) a poor meat production (in comparison to other turkeys),
3) strong bones and joints,
4) balanced behavior,
5) a slow growth ratio,
6) resistance in diseases,
7) cold hardiness,
8) heat tolerance,
9) instinct of incubating,
10) good hatching ratios,
11) ability to reproduce avoiding scratchings and wounds on the backs of the hens,
12) poor housing conditions,
13) excellent foraging ability &
13) good response to low-density feed (but stops laying eggs).
Professional farmers use 1 male for 12 females.
The only sad point is that the breeding system that creates them is resembling the ABCD system of the commercial white leghorns. They use four lines of the breed that haven't ever come in any contact. It is called outbreeding.
