Beltsville Small White

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Beltsville Small White
Beltsville Small White.jpg
A historic photo of a Beltsville Small White breed turkey.
Conservation statusCritical[1]
Country of originUnited States
UseMeat
Traits
Weight
  • Male:
    17–7.7 kg (37–17 lb)[1]
  • Female:
    10–4.5 kg (22–10 lb)[1]
Skin colorWhite
Egg colorPale buff with reddish-brown spots
Classification
APAAmerican[1]
PCGBLight: White [2]


The Beltsville Small White is a breed of domestic turkey. The bird was named after its physical characteristics—a relatively small size and entirely white plumage—as well as its place of origin: the United States Department of Agriculture's Beltsville Agricultural Research Center in Maryland.[3]

Description[]

Small Whites have entirely white plumage,[4] with a red to bluish-white head, black beard, horn colored beak, and dark brown eyes. Their shanks and toes typically pinkish white.[5] At market, Beltsville Small White toms will weigh around 17 pounds, while a mature hen will weigh 9-10 pounds.[4][6] Their eggs are usually pale bluff with reddish-brown dots.[7]

History[]

Development for the Small White began in the 1930s in response to market research that said consumers wanted a turkey of small to medium size with no dark pinfeathers and more white meat.[8] In 1934, the Beltsville Research Center started a seven-year breeding and research program; led by Stanley J. Marsden and lasting until 1941. Initially, the Small White was a cross of the Bronze, White Holland, White Austrian, Black, and wild turkeys varieties. Two years later, the Broad Breasted Bronze was introduced as well.[9] The new breed was characterized by early maturity, more breast meat, high hatchability, and an adequate size for smaller ovens and families.[8] The breed was used commercially in the 1940s and was recognized officially by the American Poultry Association in 1951.[1] Commercial production of Small Whites began in 1947 and increased to about 28 percent (or 19,000,000 of 67,693,000) of turkeys produced in 1954. However, in the following years, production slowly declined in favor of larger white strains to about 9 percent (9,000,000 of 93,370,000) of turkeys raised in 1963.[10] In 1964, light breed turkeys (presumed to be Beltsville Whites or of similar breeding) saw a slight increase to 11 percent, but in the following years, saw a continued decline.

Since the Beltsville Small white was explicitly developed for smaller households, its size could not fulfill the shift in consumer demand for larger turkeys; precisely the demand of commercial food processors and restaurants in need of larger breasted turkeys.[11] By the 1970s,[11] it had nearly disappeared, with the Broad Breasted White rising to prominence to meet consumer needs.[12] Beltsville Small Whites are extremely rare today and are listed as Critical by the American Livestock Conservancy.[1] In more recent years, the variety has seen a revival of interest specifically for those interested in heritage turkey breeds, including a research flock at Iowa State University and efforts to locate and conserve remnant flocks in the United States and Canada.[5][11] However, the acquisition of Small Whites for home flocks remains rare.[11]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Turkeys: Beltsville Small White". albc-usa.org. American Livestock Breeds Conservancy.
  2. ^ "White ‐ The Poultry Club of Great Britain". www.poultryclub.org. Retrieved 2021-11-23.
  3. ^ Ekarius, Carol (2007). Storey's Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds. Storey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-58017-667-5.
  4. ^ a b RoysFarms (2021-05-22). "Beltsville Small White Turkey Characteristics & Uses". Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  5. ^ a b Angelique. "Beltsville Small White Turkey". The Livestock Conservancy. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  6. ^ "Beltsville Small White Turkey Info, Farming, Meat production, Pictures | Breeds List". Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  7. ^ "Beltsville Small White". Retrieved 2021-11-23.
  8. ^ a b Hanscom, Scott. "Changing tastes: Rise and fall of the Beltsville Small White Turkey". High Plains Journal. Archived from the original on 2021-11-22. Retrieved 2021-11-23.
  9. ^ Marsden, Stanley J. (1945). The Beltsville Small White Turkey. U.S. Department of Agriculture. p. 1.
  10. ^ United States. Agricultural Research Service. Animal Husbandry Research Division (1965). Breed history and commercial production of the Beltsville small white turkey. National Agricultural Library U. S. Department of Agriculture. p. 3.
  11. ^ a b c d "Changing Tastes: Rise and Fall of the Beltsville Small White Turkey". USDA ARS AgResearch Magazine. Retrieved 2021-11-23.
  12. ^ RoysFarms (2021-05-22). "Broad Breasted White Turkey Characteristics & Uses". Retrieved 2021-11-23.

External Sources[]

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