Try saying that ten times fast! In addition to a tongue-twister, broad-breasted bronze is the variety of turkey we are raising. We recently added sixteen precocious young poults to our menagerie in the barn. I call them precocious because, despite being only about ten inches tall, they seem to rapidly be turning into teenage turkeys. The males are feigning adolescence by displaying miniscule fans of tail feathers to the mostly uninterested females. These creatures are also beginning to expand their avian vocabularies from infantile cheeps and whistles to more adult gobbles. All in all, they are much less timid than their next-door neighbors, the Rhode Island red chicks.
Broad-breasted bronzes are somewhat of a classic turkey. According to the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, their ancestors were domestic turkeys from Europe and wild turkeys of North America that mated after being brought together by colonists. Over the years, breeders selected for the current variety's meat production prowess. Since the 1960s, however, commercial producers have largely given up the broad-breasted bronze for broad-breasted white turkeys.
Soon enough, we'll be moving our quickly growing birds to new digs outdoors. It's not hard to believe that they'll be full-size by Thanksgiving.
Ben, what a great blog! The work you're doing is so exciting. It's funny; growing up in St. Paul I never would have guessed that I'd end up knowing multiple people who went into farming! Anyway, I'll be following along, so keep on blogging!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Joanna! That's a wonderful compliment from someone who produces a top-notch local foodsy website herself. I'm glad to have you following!
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