Broad Breasted White

The Broad Breasted White is the turkey behind most of the commercial meat market. It was developed in the United States to grow quickly, put on weight efficiently, and dress out with a large proportion of white breast meat. White feathering was selected deliberately, because pin feathers leave the skin clean after plucking rather than the dark stubble left by colored birds.

This is a giant bird. Mature toms commonly reach 16 to 20 kg, and hens fall in the 8 to 11 kg range. The body is deep and wide, with a heavy keel and short legs that carry most of the weight forward. Because of the breast size, mature Broad Breasted Whites cannot mate naturally, and the commercial line is reproduced almost entirely through artificial insemination.

Temperament is one of the breed's practical advantages. The birds are calm, good-natured, and docile, with low energy levels that suit confinement and pasture pens alike. They tolerate handling and rarely show the flightiness seen in heritage strains.

Who it suits

The Broad Breasted White suits keepers raising turkeys for meat on a defined timeline. The birds reach processing weight in about 14 to 20 weeks, which makes them efficient for a single growing season. They are a poor fit for anyone wanting a self-sustaining flock, since the line does not breed naturally and is not bred for longevity. Keepers who want a turkey that lives for years and reproduces on its own should look at heritage breeds instead.

The Broad Breasted White grew out of earlier commercial breeding work in the United States. By the 1930s and 1940s, the Broad Breasted Bronze had become the standard market turkey, prized for its wide breast and heavy carcass. Its one drawback for processors was the dark pin feathers, which left visible stubble on the dressed bird.

To solve that, breeders crossed Broad Breasted Bronze birds with white-feathered turkeys, including White Holland stock, to move the broad-breasted body type onto a white-feathered base. The aim was a bird that carried the Bronze meat yield but plucked clean.

The resulting Broad Breasted White was refined through the 1950s and 1960s and steadily displaced the Bronze in commercial production. By the latter part of the 20th century it had become the dominant turkey on the market, and it remains so today. The great majority of turkeys raised for meat are Broad Breasted Whites.

In Canada, the breed is central to the commercial turkey industry, and most birds sold for Thanksgiving and Christmas are Broad Breasted Whites raised under the federally managed supply management system. The breed is a commercial production line rather than a standardized exhibition breed, maintained by primary breeding companies that hold the parent stock and supply poults to growers. The line is reproduced largely through artificial insemination because mature birds cannot mate naturally.

The Broad Breasted White is built for meat. The body is deep and broad, with a pronounced, rounded breast that gives the breed its name. The legs are short and stout to carry the heavy frame, and the overall stance is low and forward-weighted. Plumage is white across the body, which leaves clean skin after plucking.

The head and upper neck are bare, with skin that shifts between red, pink, and bluish tones depending on the bird's state. Toms carry a fleshy snood over the beak, a dewlap under the throat, and a beard of coarse black bristles on the breast. Hens are noticeably smaller and plainer, with a smaller snood and less developed caruncles.

Coat and colors

Plumage is solid white, with no recognized color varieties, since white feathering is the production trait the breed was built around. The bare skin of the head, snood, wattles, and caruncles changes color with arousal and temperature, running from pale pink through bright red to blue. Toms display these features far more prominently than hens, especially when strutting.

The Broad Breasted White is a placid bird. Selection for fast growth and confinement production has produced a turkey that is calm, good-natured, and slow to startle. The birds spend much of the day resting and feeding, and their low energy means they do not range far or fly, even when young.

With people, they are tolerant and easy to handle, which makes routine care and processing straightforward. Within the flock they are generally peaceable, though toms can scuffle and establish a pecking order, and crowding raises the risk of feather pulling. Around other poultry they are usually quiet, but their size means they should not share tight space with much smaller birds. They show little of the wariness toward strangers that heritage turkeys often display.

Because the Broad Breasted White grows so fast and carries so much weight, daily care centers on keeping the birds comfortable and limiting strain on the legs and heart.

Grooming

• Provide dry, clean bedding to keep breast skin and feet free of soiling and pressure sores.
• Check the keel and hocks regularly for blisters or sores caused by the bird's weight.
• Keep feeders and waterers clean to prevent feather and skin staining.

Exercise

• Encourage gentle daytime activity with spread-out feed and water stations.
• Avoid forcing strenuous movement; the frame is not built for sustained exertion.
• Watch for limping or reluctance to stand, which signal leg strain.

Environment

Give each bird generous floor space, since crowding raises stress, leg problems, and feather pulling. Housing should be well ventilated, dry, and predator-proof, with low or no roosts because heavy birds injure themselves jumping down. In Canadian winters, insulated housing and protection from cold drafts are as important as shade in summer. The heavy body sheds heat poorly in warm weather, and becomes stressed quickly in cold, wet conditions without adequate shelter.

Broad Breasted Whites are bred to convert feed into muscle quickly, so diet drives both growth rate and health. Use a turkey-specific ration rather than chicken feed, because young turkeys need more protein. Start poults on a high-protein starter, then step the protein down as the birds age. Provide clean water at all times, since these heavy birds drink a great deal, especially in summer heat.

Treats and supplements

Keep treats under about 10 percent of the diet so they do not dilute the balanced ration. Leafy greens, chopped vegetables, and small amounts of fruit are suitable. Offer insoluble grit if birds eat anything other than complete crumble or pellet. Provide a separate calcium source only if breeding hens are laying, since growing meat birds do not need it.

The Broad Breasted White is a robust grower but a short-lived bird. Lifespan runs about 2 to 5 years, and most are processed well before that at 14 to 20 weeks. The breed's health problems trace almost entirely to the speed and scale of its growth. The skeleton and heart often struggle to keep pace with the muscle, so birds kept past market age commonly develop leg and cardiac trouble. Controlled feeding, dry footing, and cool housing reduce these risks.

Preventive care

• Manage feed to slow growth and ease leg and heart load.
• Keep bedding dry and provide low or no roosts to prevent jump injuries.
• Provide shade, ventilation, and ample water in hot weather.
• Keep turkeys separated from chicken-soiled ground to limit blackhead.
• Maintain clean feeders and waterers and observe birds daily.

Housing for the Broad Breasted White is shaped by the bird's weight and low mobility. The birds need more floor space than lighter poultry, dry footing to protect the breast and feet, and strong ventilation to manage heat and cold. Roosts should be low or absent, because heavy birds injure their legs jumping down. The shelter must be fully predator-proof, since these slow, heavy turkeys cannot escape attacks.

Setup checklist

• Sized shelter with 0.6 to 0.9 sq m of dry floor per bird.
• Low or no roosts to prevent jump injuries.
• Predator-proof walls, roof, and run fencing.
• Multiple feeders and waterers spread to ease crowding.
• Shade structures and cross ventilation for hot days.
• A clean, well-drained run kept off chicken-soiled ground.

Hatching Broad Breasted Whites has a built-in limitation. Mature birds carry too much breast to mate naturally, so fertile eggs are produced almost entirely through artificial insemination, and most poults are bought from breeding companies rather than hatched on the farm. Where fertile eggs are available, turkey incubation follows the usual species pattern. Eggs hatch in about 28 days, longer than the 21 days typical of chickens. Steady temperature, controlled humidity, and regular turning matter throughout the period.

Hatching steps

1. Collect or source clean fertile eggs and store them pointed end down below 15 degrees C for no more than about a week.
2. Warm eggs to room temperature, then set them in a preheated incubator at 37.5 degrees C.
3. Hold humidity at 55 to 60 percent and turn the eggs at least 3 to 5 times a day.
4. Candle around days 8 to 10 and again near day 25, removing clear or dead eggs.
5. At day 25 stop turning, raise humidity to 65 to 70 percent, and leave the incubator closed for lockdown.
6. Allow poults to hatch and dry fully before moving them to a brooder at about 35 degrees C.