Guaranteed smaller Christmas turkey breed

To meet the growing demand for smaller Christmas turkeys, a new breed has been developed and will be introduced this season by FarmGate Hatcheries.

The turkey has been bred to achieve hens that will meet the demand for 4kg (8.8 lb) oven ready turkeys when grown to full maturity from 22 weeks plus. The smaller turkey has been developed from pure bronze-feathered male and female pedigree lines used in producing the company’s Tiny and Super Mini poults — an essential feature of the breeding programme.

Tried and tested breed

Paul Kelly, managing director of FarmGate Hatcheries says “We’ve tried and tested this new breed over the past four years and it’s perfect for guaranteeing the 4kg over ready weight band, with the stags giving great 6 to 8 kg over ready turkeys.”

“Our small breeds of bronze turkeys are the genuine article, bred from a bronze mother and a bronze father,” said Paul Kelly. “Expensive to produce, but bullet proof when it comes to a probing press and food journalists.

Limited supplies of poults of this new breed will be available, in both bronze and white, both as sexed hens and as-hatched, from mid May onwards.