Beltsville Small White

Did You Know?

• Its shanks and toes are typically pinkish white.
• Eggs vary from mid-brown to pale cream and may show some spotting.

History

The Beltsville Small White turkey was born from 1930s market research, which revealed that consumers wanted a bird that was small to medium in size, had white meat, and lacked dark pinfeathers. In 1934, the Beltsville Research Center launched a seven-year breeding program under Stanley J. Marsden, wrapping up in 1941. The initial cross involved Bronze, White Holland, White Austrian, Black, and wild turkeys, with the Broad Breasted Bronze joining the mix two years later. This new breed matured quickly, offered more breast meat, had high hatchability, and fit smaller ovens and families. It entered commercial use in the 1940s and gained official recognition from the American Poultry Association in 1951. Commercial production kicked off in 1947, climbing to about 28 percent of all turkeys—19 million out of 67.7 million—by 1954. But production then slid, dropping to around 9 percent (9 million of 93.4 million) by 1963. A slight uptick to 11 percent occurred in 1964, but the decline resumed. Because the breed was designed for smaller households, it couldn’t compete with the larger Broad Breasted White turkey that dominated the market by the 1970s. Today, Beltsville Small Whites are critically rare, listed as Critical by the American Livestock Conservancy. A recent revival among heritage breed enthusiasts has led to a research flock at Iowa State University and efforts to track down and preserve remaining flocks in the U.S. and Canada, though finding them for home flocks is still uncommon.