New pet turkey - is he too fat? He is not too steady on his feet...

[hilltopfarm7777]

Hi All, I am new to this forum but have a small flock of chickens, a pair of peafowl, and now one broad breasted white turkey tom. I say "now" because several days ago I inherited this tom from a neighbor who got it free with a flock of chickens he bought, but gave it to me because he had no desire to keep it. This poor turkey was so stressed out from riding in a kennel with 10 chicken hens that by the time he got to my house he was panting heavily and could hardly walk. It is a few days later now and his breathing has returned to normal, but he seems to be very slow on his feet. He is huge (probably 25 - 30 lbs) and also seems to be too fat in his breast, thus throwing him off balance. He moves quite unsteadily. They told me he is about 2 years old. I have no plans to eat this turkey so what I am wondering is this:
1. Should I put him on a diet and if so, what should that diet be?
2. I have him in a pen by himself now, but if I let him out to free range with the chickens and the peafowl do you think the peacock or
the rooster will attack him since he is so slow?
3. He has a lot of dry mud on his feathers - is there any safe way to help him clean this off?

This turkey is extremely tame and seems like he will be a very nice pet as he already eats from my hand and "gobbles" cute little noises as he follows me around, so I hope I can give him a better life than he has had in the past. Any helpful hints/suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance, Cara

 

[MetalSmitten]

as far as i know, this breed is kinda like the turkey equivalent to cornish X chickens - bred for meat, not really "supposed" to live much past broiler age. if he's 2 years old, he's already far surpassed what he was bred to do. i've not yet tried raising turkeys though, so i don't have much advice for ya. good luck with him

 

[jerseygirl1]

Quote:
Exactly - they do not live long due to being bred for food

But good for you, I have a pet turkey, and the personality is always a plus!

 

[Jmiller429]

eventually he will either outgrow himself and his legs will give out, or he will have a heart attack. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but BBW turkeys just arent meant to be pets.

 

[mbnewby]

place at 375 f in the oven for 4 hour it will take care of all his health issues

 

[Denninmi]

I have no personal experience trying to keep a broad breasted bird, I only have had a few heritage breed birds for the past 10 months. So everything I am going to suggest is simply based on what I've read on this forum and other sites about turkeys, take it for what it's worth.

As others have stated, the bb breeds are genetically doomed from the start, essentially. They suffer from the sort of health problems that certain former professional athletes, such as former NFL players, experience -- joint problems, cardiovascular problems, due to excess weight and muscle, and being unable to support that on their frame, and the wear and tear that the weight inflicts on the joints, bones, and organs.

Those that have kept them find that they do best if kept as lean as possible and with the opportunity for moderate exercise. I guess the key is to provide adequate nutrition without excess calories. I would consider using a feed that is moderate in protein, perhaps just a bit lower than normal turkey feed, limit the quantities to the bare minimum the bird can survive on -- some weight loss no doubt would probably actually help the bird, as long as it isn't losing vital muscle mass -- my guess would be that the bird could probably safely lose between 10 and 15 percent of its weight without being unhealthy for it, if its done gradually with attention to proper nutrition and exercise. Keep treats light and healthy -- things like fresh produce, NOT cracked corn, white bread, or other high calorie, low nutrient foods. Definitely look into giving the bird a vitamin and mineral supplement to support the lower calorie diet.

I think if you treat this turkey for what he is, in essence a middle aged possibly pre-diabetic with joint and cardiovascular problems, you stand the potential to give the bird a better life for however long that may be. Even if his life isn't as long as a heritage breed bird without these genetically-based health issues would have, you can have the satisfaction of knowing he has a good home for whatever time he has, be it months or several years.

 

[cashela]

I started out as a new turkey owner with two little BBW's. I got them at a chicken swap and didn't know that they wouldn't live long. I raised them up, I had a hen and a tom. Unfortunately the tom didn't make it a year and despite my best efforts to keep him thin, I suspect his organs failed on him. I still have the hen, she is 2 and seems to be going ok. She is laying eggs for a second year in a row. She has a Narragansett tom and two chickens keeping her company. I love her

 

[bargain]

The more commercial the turkey, the tom is prone to heart problems and leg problems. I would recommend heritage type birds instead which do not grow as large. Many of our original toms are still with us and doing very well also. Please let me know if you're interested in eggs or poults. Thanks and have a blessed day. Farmer Nancy

 

[hilltopfarm7777]

Wow, thank you all for writing! I had no idea that I had replies - I was under the impression that I would receive email notification when and if I had gotten a reply, but apparently this is not the case. Good that I thought to just open the forum because quite a few of you took the time and effort to write to me - thank you very much! Some were funny, some very sweet and supportive and some very informative. I appreciate them all! I am very saddened to find out that this turkey is the equivalent of a cornish X chicken... I found out about those the hard way when I got my very first chicks some years ago and two of them were unable to stand by 5 months of age. What a tragedy that we produce these poor creatures! I do think that I am going to try with this poor tom though, as he has such a lovely and sweet personality. I really appreciate your thoughts, Denninme, on how to put this guy on a nice healthy diet. It is worth a shot! If I could just get him to a sound enough state that he could hang out and free range with the chickens then he could live his life out as a pasture ornament. But right now I'm afraid he would be so frightened in the big open pen that he would have a heart attack. I think if I could get him to lose 3-5 lbs then he could probably get around ok, so this will be my goal. But being a farm-raised realist, if his ability to breath or ambulate worsens, I may have to choose to eat him. Does anyone know if a tom of this size/age/type would even taste good?

Thanks again for all your great responses - I love this forum!

 

[Denninmi]

Yes, even an older bird will have good flavor -- they don't get "gamey" in the same way an older meat animal such as mutton does. But, it may be tougher, so would require long, slow, moist cooking to tenderize.