# how to Fatten a turkey?



## lunagardens

We have 3 Narangasset turkeys- 2 are to be a breeding pair and then a tom for Thanksgiving.They are all hatched out from Last March or so.
The larger Tom I thought we should keep for the breeder. Correct me if I am wrong.I just thought the Tom of better structure gain and strutting would be the best choice for a breeder.
The other Tom is not as big and I would like to know if there are any ways I can humanely "fatten" him up for Thanksgiving. I have about 14 people to feed with 1 bird.
Any tips?


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## Brisket

For our broad Breasted which will gain weight eating air I do feed one feeding in the evening when I bring them in. Eat sleep extra weight I don't know but I would thank so. I do give them some 14% cattle, goat, sheep feed. It fattens up the other animals.


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## Wisconsin Ann

Birds need a lot higher protein than 14%. 21% will do you well with turkeys, the higher "game bird" stuff (usually up to 28%) is even better. Keeping him contained in the coop will help, maybe a small pen if you can keep him inside it. Just keep food in front of him 24/7.

The heritage birds do fill out quickly after about 6months of age. They look all gangly and stringy..and then the toms get BIG. Hens always seem to stay nicely lean, but the toms do put on a breast eventually. Nothing like the Broad Breasted varieties, but the heritage breeds have a really DEEP and LONG breast.

Forgot to add that you can put some alfalfa hay in his coop/pen. In a hay rack seems to work pretty well for turkeys. They'll eat it on the ground, but since they don't scratch around it often just gets trampled. During the winter I put hay bales around the edges of the coops, and the turkeys would tear them apart to munch the hay


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## Guest

I feed mine a 50/50 mix of 20% protein Flock Raiser and 28% protein game bird starter along with a free choice tube feeder of whole oats and corn. They're in a tractor that gets moved every day so they get plenty of greenfeed. When I feel like chasing them around at dark I let them out to forage on their own. For midgets they've grown to a very nice size.

.....Alan.


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## lunagardens

Thanks guys. I just thought it odd that one Tom was nice and thick compared to the other- I was not the one who hatched them out so the one Tom may just be a little older and what wisconsin Ann said about the 6 mo. age spurt may just be right on for these two in theri size.
I will be penning him up in a chicken tractor just outside the open pen so he can at least see the others and still be fed 24/7 without the other animals getting their fill before he does.
Thanks about the alfalfa- I did not know they would that. Gotta get some oats now too. A friend said beer- a few cans total per day...I'm not sure I want to chance that on Thanksgiving dinner...


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## moonwolf

I grew some really nice turkeys this year. My feed ratios were approximately 50/50 feeding 18% layer crumbles and whole wheat. Due to the high cost of the layer ration I had to look into a cheaper alternative, so I went with feeding about half and half with whole wheat saving about 20% on feed costs. These birds came out excellent with about the right amount of fat and gained very well throughout the season. I had a couple over 30 lb. that were June poults that I butchered just this past week. Very nice indeed!


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## Cyngbaeld

He'll fatten better if he cannot see the other turkeys. Toms tend to strut first, eat last and seeing the others induces more strutting behavior.


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## chickenista

I have a flock of 20 that free range during the day. They can eat all the green stuff they want and hunt all the bugs and fly to biuld up those muscles.
Soon I will pen them all the time to let those built muscles soften up a bit. I will bring in greens by the arm load for them to eat and increase their grain a bit and add more corn.
They should be good to go by butcher time.
I do the same with my chickens that I am going to eat and it works well.


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## Curtis B

chickenista said:


> I have a flock of 20 that free range during the day. They can eat all the green stuff they want and hunt all the bugs and fly to biuld up those muscles.
> Soon I will pen them all the time to let those built muscles soften up a bit. I will bring in greens by the arm load for them to eat and increase their grain a bit and add more corn.
> They should be good to go by butcher time.
> I do the same with my chickens that I am going to eat and it works well.


How big of a pen are you using? Last year I started pening mine up and that is when the big fighting started. I didn't want to even consider pening them up this year because of that. Do you separate the hens from the toms?


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