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Bourbon Red Turkey

The Bourbon Red is the iconic American heritage turkey: deep mahogany-red body, white wing and tail tips, table-quality meat, and a friendly disposition. The 'easy mode' heritage turkey for first-time keepers.

About this breed

Quick facts: Bourbon Red Turkey

OriginBourbon County, Kentucky - 1909
APA recognized1909
Conservation statusWatch
Adult weightToms 18-23 lb, Hens 12-14 lb (live)
Size classHeritage
Eggs per year~60
Egg colorCream with brown speckles
Egg sizeLarge
BroodinessHigh
Cold hardinessExcellent
Heat toleranceGood
Noise levelAverage
Flight tendencyStrong flier (heritage trait)
Beginner friendlyYes

History & origin

Developed in Bourbon County, Kentucky, in the late 1800s by J. F. Barbee and others by crossing Buff turkeys with Standard Bronze and White Holland. APA-recognized 1909. Popular through the 1930s-40s but nearly went extinct after WWII as commercial Broad-Breasted hybrids took over the table market. Saved by Heritage Turkey Foundation breeders in the 1990s; now Watch status. Bourbon Red has the friendliest disposition of any heritage turkey breed.

Personality & temperament

calmcuriousfriendlyforaging

Best for: table bird, foraging, heritage, breeding flock

Eggs & laying

Hens are excellent natural mothers - go broody and raise their own clutches.

Husbandry & care

Indoor coop space10 sq ft per bird
Run space25 sq ft per bird
Roost bar15 in per bird

Space: Pasture access strongly preferred - excellent foragers.

Feeding: Turkey starter (28% protein) first 8 weeks, grower (22%), finisher (18%) for table birds.

Health: Watch for blackhead disease - keep separate from chickens or treat both flocks with anthelmintic.

Climate: Zones 3-9. Bred for Kentucky/Tennessee climates.

Buying tips

  • Order day-old poults in February-March for Thanksgiving butchering. Most heritage breeders sell out by April.
  • Heritage strain reaches 18-22 lb dressed in 24-28 weeks. Commercial Bronze reaches 30+ lb in 14 weeks but tastes worse.
  • Toms can naturally breed hens (unlike Broad-Breasted varieties which require AI).
  • Confirm true Bourbon Red - some 'Bourbon Red' poults are crosses with Standard Bronze.

Did you know?

  • Heritage Turkey Foundation considers Bourbon Red the 'gateway breed' for first-time heritage keepers.
  • Hens can hatch and raise 8-12 poults entirely on their own with minimum intervention.
  • Named after Bourbon County, Kentucky - not the whiskey.
  • Tom turkeys can fly 50+ feet at 20+ MPH. Wing-clip or use covered pens.

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