Breed Summary

The Beltsville White Turkey is a meat-type breed developed by the United States Department of Agriculture at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center in Maryland. It was selected to combine rapid growth, uniform carcass quality, and white plumage suitable for industrial processing. Quantitative cues (vary by line and management): typically reaches market age in roughly 15–22 weeks; males commonly weigh about 11–16 kg and females about 6–9 kg at market, with a feed conversion ratio around 2.8–3.3:1 under good conditions. Behavior tends to be calm and adaptable to standard housing; egg production is not a primary selection criterion, as the line targets meat yield and carcass uniformity.