Midget Whites
We have sold our Breeding Trio of Midget Whites do to space availability! However if you are interested in some of these birds I may have access to some eggs I can incubate for you! Give me a call!
The Midget White is a Rare Heritage Turkey variety named for its white plumage and small stature. The breed is the smallest standard variety of turkey, with toms at roughly 15 -20 lbs and hens 8-10 lbs, it weighs only slightly more than the largest chickens.
The Midget White is classified as "Critical" by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy. It is also included in the Ark of Taste, a catalog of foods in danger of extinction.
In 1971 only six known specimens of the Midget White turkey were alive. In 2008, they won a taste test and have a reputation as an excellent homestead turkey. Dr. Bernard Wentworth, who holds doctorates in poultry science and avian physiology, is credited as saving the breed from extinction.
The Midget White is sometimes shown in the same class as the Beltsville Small White, but despite the similarity was bred from different lines, mostly white commercial turkeys and the Royal Palm. This has given the Midget White a plumper breast with a shorter keel and shorter legs. It was originally developed in the 1950's by Dr. J. Robert Smyth at the University of Massachusetts Amherst as a smaller complement to the Broad Breasted White. This anticipated demand never surfaced, and along with other rare breeds the Midget White declined as a result. The bird is relatively friendly and is especially well-suited to being raised on small farms and on a homestead.
The Midget White Turkey at 20 weeks of age are Approximately 13-pound tom and an 8-pound hen. They develop slowly much as other Heritage Turkeys so consequently they would likely be older than the commercial turkey when consumed. Therefore it is likely the flavor would be more apparent.
The temperament of Midget Whites differs from other varieties of Heritage Turkeys in that they have a tendency to be extremely friendly, tame and likes people a great deal. Several people raise them as a pet trio (one male and two females) and they are enjoyed by the entire family.
The hens lay a lot of eggs and make good mothers doing a good job incubating and raising poults.
The Midget White is classified as "Critical" by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy. It is also included in the Ark of Taste, a catalog of foods in danger of extinction.
In 1971 only six known specimens of the Midget White turkey were alive. In 2008, they won a taste test and have a reputation as an excellent homestead turkey. Dr. Bernard Wentworth, who holds doctorates in poultry science and avian physiology, is credited as saving the breed from extinction.
The Midget White is sometimes shown in the same class as the Beltsville Small White, but despite the similarity was bred from different lines, mostly white commercial turkeys and the Royal Palm. This has given the Midget White a plumper breast with a shorter keel and shorter legs. It was originally developed in the 1950's by Dr. J. Robert Smyth at the University of Massachusetts Amherst as a smaller complement to the Broad Breasted White. This anticipated demand never surfaced, and along with other rare breeds the Midget White declined as a result. The bird is relatively friendly and is especially well-suited to being raised on small farms and on a homestead.
The Midget White Turkey at 20 weeks of age are Approximately 13-pound tom and an 8-pound hen. They develop slowly much as other Heritage Turkeys so consequently they would likely be older than the commercial turkey when consumed. Therefore it is likely the flavor would be more apparent.
The temperament of Midget Whites differs from other varieties of Heritage Turkeys in that they have a tendency to be extremely friendly, tame and likes people a great deal. Several people raise them as a pet trio (one male and two females) and they are enjoyed by the entire family.
The hens lay a lot of eggs and make good mothers doing a good job incubating and raising poults.