Research at Virginia Tech confirmed several heritage turkey varieties are more disease-resistant than commercial turkey strains. The results indicate standard-bred turkeys, popularly known as Heritage turkeys, are better suited for pasture production than their commercial broad-breasted counterparts.
The Livestock Conservancy, Virginia Tech, and eight breeders and producers of heritage turkeys collaborated to compare the immune function of heritage turkey varieties against a commercial turkey strain in range-based production systems. Study results on pasture production follow; findings on immune function will be discussed in the next Livestock Conservancy blog.
Bourbon Red turkey courtesy of D. Cavagnaro
Pasture Production
In field trials on eight farms across America, producers compared Bourbon Red turkeys against the industrial broad-breasted white strain. They made behavioral observations and collected data on weather, health, feed consumption, morbidity, mortality, weekly weight gain, harvest weight, dressed weight, and sales.
Bourbon Red turkeys were more inquisitive, active foragers. They exhibited better heat tolerance and used perches more than commercial turkeys.
Bourbon Red turkey poults courtesy of Leonard Becca
As expected, the commercial broad-breasted turkeys had faster weight gain and better feed conversion than the Bourbon Red turkeys. The commercial variety turkeys achieved market weight around 18 weeks of age, while the Bourbon Reds required 26 weeks to reach the same weight. The Bourbon Red turkeys required 18 percent more feed per pound of weight gain. Yet, surprisingly, the carcass yield was similar for heritage and commercial varieties raised on pasture.
Greater mortalities among commercial strain turkeys on pasture offset the significant gain and feed efficiency rates. Mortalities occurred during the transit of poults to farms and in the brooder. Other mortalities were consistent with heat stress. When mortality and sex were factored into the final results, the yield of pounds harvested per farm was only slightly lower for heritage than commercial turkeys.
Disease resistance also plays a key role in turkey management and productivity, especially for birds raised on pasture. In Part II, research findings on immune function and survivability confirm the importance of genetic diversity found within heritage turkeys.
Portions of this blog first appeared in How to Raise Heritage Turkeys on Pasture. An updated edition of this popular resource will be available later this fall thanks to a generous gift from McMurray Hatchery.
