Midget White

The Midget White is one of the smallest standard turkey varieties. Mature toms typically weigh 13 to 20 pounds and hens 8 to 12 pounds, which is roughly half the size of a commercial broad-breasted bird. The plumage is white, and the breed retains the natural ability to mate, brood, and raise its own young, traits that many larger commercial turkeys have lost.

The breed has a calm, good-natured disposition. Birds tend to stay close to their handlers and forage actively across a yard or pasture. Hens are noted for laying well and for going broody, which makes the variety popular with small farms and homesteaders who want a self-sustaining flock.

Because of its size, the Midget White suits a roasting bird that fits a household oven and feeds a small family. It is often kept for both meat and breeding stock rather than for show alone.

Who it suits

The Midget White fits keepers who want a manageable, dual-purpose turkey that can reproduce naturally. Its small frame is easier to house and process than large commercial breeds, and its docile nature makes it a reasonable choice for first-time turkey owners with adequate space and predator protection.

The Midget White was created in the 1960s through breeding work led by Professor J. Robert Smyth at the University of Massachusetts. The goal was a small white market turkey suited to smaller households, at a time when commercial production was moving towards ever larger broad-breasted birds.

The foundation stock combined a compact commercial White type with the Royal Palm, a smaller ornamental variety. The result was a white bird at roughly half the weight of standard commercial turkeys but with good meat yield for its size.

The breed never achieved commercial scale, as the poultry industry favoured larger carcasses, and numbers fell sharply through the late twentieth century. By the 1990s the population had dropped to very low levels and the variety was considered at risk of being lost.

Conservation breeders and heritage poultry organisations worked to rebuild flocks from the remaining stock. The Midget White remains uncommon today and is tracked as a heritage variety by livestock conservation groups, kept mainly by small producers and hobbyists rather than industrial operations.

The Midget White looks like a scaled-down white turkey. The body is broad and rounded for its size, carried on sturdy legs. The plumage is clean white, sometimes with a small dark beard on the chest of the tom. The bare head and neck show red and bluish-white skin that flushes brighter when the bird is excited or displaying. Toms have the typical fleshy snood, wattles, and caruncles, and fan a full tail when displaying.

Feathers and colour

The variety is white only. White plumage leaves a cleaner carcass after plucking because there are no dark pin feathers, which is one reason white market turkeys were favoured. Beak and shanks are light. The shanks are pinkish to whitish, and toms carry spurs that lengthen with age.

The Midget White is known for a calm and good-natured temperament. Birds are curious and often follow their keepers around the yard. They forage actively for insects and greens and settle well into a flock. The breed is capable in the sense that hens reliably brood and raise poults, and adults remain agile enough to fly short distances and roost off the ground.

With people, the variety is generally gentle and easy to handle, though toms can become assertive during the spring breeding season and may display or posture. The birds mix reasonably with chickens and other poultry when space allows, but turkeys and chickens should not share housing long term because of disease risk. They are moderately vocal: hens give soft yelps and clucks, and toms gobble, especially in spring.

Grooming

• Turkeys keep their own feathers in order; no brushing or bathing is needed
• Check feet and legs for scaly leg mites and injuries
• Trim overgrown toenails only if they impede walking
• Keep dust-bathing areas available so birds can manage parasites naturally

Exercise

• Provide daily access to a fenced run or pasture for foraging
• Allow space to walk, flap, and run; the breed is active
• Offer low roosts since the birds fly and perch off the ground
• Rotate range areas where possible to keep ground clean

Environment

The Midget White tolerates a range of climates but needs dry, draft-free, well-ventilated housing and shade in hot weather. Secure fencing and night housing are necessary, as turkeys are vulnerable to foxes, caracals, dogs, and birds of prey. Keep bedding dry and remove damp litter to limit disease.

Turkeys need more protein than chickens, especially as poults. Start poults on a turkey or game-bird starter at about 28 percent protein, step down to a grower around 20 to 24 percent, then move adults to a maintenance or breeder ration near 16 to 18 percent. Foraged insects and greens supplement the diet but should not replace a balanced feed. Provide insoluble grit for birds that range and eat whole grains, and offer extra calcium for laying hens.

Treats and supplements

Mealworms, leafy greens, and small amounts of grain are useful treats and aid taming, but keep them under about 10 percent of the diet so the ration stays balanced. Provide fresh, clean water at all times, and add a poultry vitamin or electrolyte supplement during heat stress or after transport.

As a heritage breed selected for natural reproduction and foraging, the Midget White is generally robust and avoids many of the leg and heart problems seen in fast-growing commercial turkeys. With good management, birds can live 5 to 10 years, though those kept for meat are processed much younger. Most health problems trace back to wet housing, overcrowding, parasites, or contact with chickens.

Preventive care

• Keep turkeys and chickens housed separately
• Maintain dry bedding and good ventilation
• Provide clean water and rotate range to break parasite cycles
• Use a medicated or well-managed starter programme for poults
• Quarantine new birds before adding them to the flock

The Midget White is an active forager and prefers access to open ground during the day, with a secure, dry shelter for nights and bad weather. Because the birds fly better than heavy commercial turkeys, fencing should be tall, and roosts should be provided so birds can perch off the floor. Good ventilation without draughts is important, as turkeys are sensitive to damp, stale air.

Setup checklist

• Predator-proof coop with secure latches
• Roosting bars sized for the flock
• Sheltered, ventilated nesting area for hens
• Clean waterers and feeders raised off the ground
• Shade in summer and a windbreak in winter
• Tall or covered fencing for the run

Midget White hens often go broody and can hatch and raise their own poults, which is one of the breed's practical advantages. Eggs can also be incubated artificially. Turkey eggs take about 28 days to hatch, a few days longer than chicken eggs. Collect clean eggs, store them pointed end down at cool room temperature for no more than about a week before setting, and warm them to room temperature before incubation.

Hatching steps

1. Select clean, well-shaped eggs and store them no more than a week
2. Warm eggs to room temperature, then set them in a preheated incubator
3. Hold temperature and humidity steady and turn eggs daily
4. Candle around days 10 and 25 to check development
5. At day 25 (lockdown), stop turning and raise humidity
6. Leave hatched poults in the incubator until dry, then move to a warm brooder