The largest breed of turkeys: names and how much the champions weigh

Despite the fact that turkeys came to the European continent as poultry quite late, they quickly broke records of popularity among farmers. And they are still considered the most profitable in terms of maintenance and subsequent profit. And the reasons for this are endurance and high rates of bird mass. And among them there are real giants - the largest meat breed of turkeys was bred in the bird's homeland - in America.

The largest breeds of turkeys

Turkeys were first domesticated by the Aztecs several thousand years ago. Since then, breeders have worked hard on the ancestor of modern turkeys.

Today, there are several real heavyweights of this species on the poultry market today:

Canadian turkey

Based on the name, it is clear that these birds were bred on the American continent. And it happened relatively recently. The breed belongs to the broiler type. The Canadian is easily recognizable, thanks to the characteristic external differences, from her fellows. Its plumage is black or white, as if powdered with a light brown. There is a bronze sheen. The legs are long, strong and powerful. The chin (goiter) is pronounced, in the form of a fleshy appendage of bright red color. These birds are completely unpretentious in food, and at 4 weeks they already weigh 5 kg. Canadians are fattened for three months. By this time, they have already reached slaughter weight (males - 25-29 kg, females - 14-17 kg). The breed is also distinguished by high egg production and a high percentage of hatching.

Big-6, or heavy meat cross

Very well-known and widespread breed in Russia and abroad. It was bred in the UK by crossing Big-5 males and But-8 females. The new Bigs turned out to be more enduring and larger than their counterparts, they have strong immunity already at the chick stage. This greatly improved the bird's survival rates. The color of the plumage is exceptionally white, the head and neck are bluish-gray, the goiter is red-pink. The mass of adult males is up to 35 kg, females - up to 11 kg. Birds reach slaughter weight at 4-5 months.

Hybrid Converter

This breed is a pure American, but has long taken root in the backyards of Russian and European farmers.The plumage of birds is white-cream in color, not smooth, but slightly fluffed up, “terry”. The skin around the eyes is of an even blue tint. Birds are distinguished by large muscle mass and a wide chest, their meat is somewhat more expensive than other breeds, since it is considered to be of better quality and he althier. This species is hardy and has good he alth, suitable for growing in cold and warm regions. On compound feed, turkeys are ready for slaughter at 16-17 weeks. The mass of an adult turkey reaches 25 kg, turkeys - 12 kg.

How much does the biggest turkey weigh

There is a documented Guinness World Record for the size of a turkey. The champion in 1998 was a male named Tyson. Its weight at the time of weighing was 39 kg and 90 g. The bird belonged to the Leekroft Turkis poultry farm and was raised in the county of Cambridge, UK.

Tyson's owner, Philip Cook, claims that the turkey was fed only natural food and did not resort to antibiotics and special additives to stimulate growth.

Tyson is a representative of the white broad-breasted turkey. This is one of the oldest (bred in 1960) heavyweight breeds, which was subsequently used to breed modern meat crosses. A characteristic difference of this species is the needle patch of black feather on the chest. Meanwhile, the rest of the bird's plumage is completely white. Farmer Cook's record is still officially unbroken, although more than 20 years have passed. Tyson is still considered the largest and heaviest turkey in the world.