Our first breeding pair of turkeys was the broad breasted white. When our birds were old enough to mate, we learned a very disappointing fact: they are too large to mate naturally. In commercial production, the turkeys are artificially inseminated. This led us to research turkeys and we learned of Heritage Breeds. Our first year, we chose the Narragansett turkey. We will be raising a variety of breeds until we find a favorite. Traditional livestock breeds that are an essential part
of our American agricultural inheritance.

Narragansett
The Narragansett is a docile, friendly bird. They are also good foragers. The hens grow to 12-14lbs and the toms to 20-23lbs. These turkeys are listed with the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC) as threatened. If you would like to read more about Narragansetts from the ALBC Web site please click here. Fewer than 1,000 breeding birds in the United States,
with seven or fewer primary breeding flocks, and
globally endangered. URL: http://albc-usa.org/cpl/narragansett.html
*Link opens in a new window.

Royal Palm
Royal Palms are active, thrifty turkeys, excellent foragers, and good flyers. Standard weights are 16 lbs for young toms and 10 lbs for young hens. The Royal Palm was recognized by the American Poultry Association in 1971. It is similar to a European variety called the Pied, Crollwitz, or Black-laced White, which has been known since the 1700s. They are on the watch list of the ALBC.

We feed our turkeys certified organic grain. However, they are free to roam around after the goats, cow and horses who are fed alfalfa and grass hay that is not organic.

Would you like to visit the ALBC Web site? Click here. URL: http://albc-usa.org/
*Link opens in a new window.