Summary
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Standards
Origin: North America
Classification: Heavy
Head: Red, changeable to bluish-white
Beak: Light horn at the tip, darker at the base.
Eyes: Dark brown.
Throat & Wattle: Red, changeable to bluish-white
Neck: A rich dark, chestnut-mahogany.
| Stag Adult | Stag Young | Hen Adult | Hen Young |
| 14.90kg / 33lb | 10.40kg / 23lb | 8.10kg / 18lb | 6.30kg / 14lb |
Legs and Feet: Lower thighs: dark, chestnut-mahogany. Shanks and Toes reddish pink in all adults; deep reddish horn in young.
Wings: Fronts, bows and coverts: rich dark, chestnut-mahogany each feather having a very narrow edging of black. Primaries and secondaries: pure white.
Back: Rich, dark, chestnut-mahogany with each feather from point of shoulders to the base of main tail having a very narrow edging of black.
Tail: Main tail: pure white, with an indistinct bar of soft red crossing each main tail feather near the tip. Coverts: deep brownish red.
Breast: Rich, dark chestnut-mahogany, feathers having a very narrow edging of lustrous black.
Body and Fluff: Body: deep, brownish-red; each feather edged with a very fine line of black. Fluff: a lighter shade of brownish-red.
Under colour or all Sections: Red, shading to a light salmon at the base.
Colour Female: Similar to that of the male, except there is no black edging in any section. On the breast, each feather has a narrow thread-like edging of white.
Day-old Poult: Head is a light reddish-brown with a darker brown mark on the back of the head. The neck and back is a light yellowish-brown with three dark brown stripes running from the shoulders, with the middle stripe being the broadest of the three. The wings go from dark brown at the front through to cream at the tips. The throat, breast and thighs are a pale yellowish-white. As feathering appears the growing poult takes on a pale beige colouring with white markings, these disappear as the adult feathers emerge.
Defects: More than one-third of any colour other than white showing in either primary, secondaries, or main tail feathers. Entire absence of black edging in the plumage of the stag on the breast, wing fronts and saddle. The entire absence of white edging on feathers in upper breast and neck sections of hen.
Download the Bred Standard Bourbon Reds
Breed History
The Bourbon Red turkey is named for Bourbon County in Kentucky’s Bluegrass region where it originated in the late 1800’s. It was developed by J. F. Barbee from crosses between Buff, Bronze, and White Holland turkeys though the initial steps actually took place in Pennsylvania, where Buff turkeys of darker red hues – called Tuscarora or Tuscawara – were bred and then taken west with settlers bound for Ohio and Kentucky. These dark Buff turkeys would be the primary foundation for the new variety.
After some years of selection, Mr Barbee was able to produce consistently good-sized dark red turkeys with white wings and main tail feathers. He christened these “Bourbon Butternuts.” For some reason, perhaps because the name did not appeal to the public, the birds did not attract attention. Barbee rechristened them “Bourbon Reds,” Bourbon for his home county and red for the rich, chestnut colour of the plumage. The name change seemed to work, and better sales were reported.
The Bourbon Red variety was recognized by the American Poultry Association in 1909. It was ambitiously selected and promoted for utility traits, including a production-type conformation with a heavy breast and richly flavoured meat. Early breeders of the Bourbon Red also claimed that their birds would grow as large as any Mammoth Bronze, a precursor to the Broad-Breasted Bronze. The Bourbon Red was an important commercial variety through the 1930s and 1940s. As time went on, however, it declined in popularity as it was unable to compete with the broad-breasted varieties. Since 2002, renewed interest in the biological fitness, survivability, and superior flavour of the Bourbon Red has captured consumer interest and created a growing market niche.
Bourbon Red turkeys are handsome. They have brownish to dark red plumage with white flight and tail feathers. Tail feathers have soft red bars crossing them near the end. Body feathers on the toms may be edged in black. Neck and breast feathers are chestnut mahogany, and the under-colour feathers are light buff to almost white. The Bourbon Red’s beak is light horn at the tip and dark at the base. The throat wattle is red, changeable to bluish-white, the beard is black, and the shanks and toes are pink. Standard weights for Bourbon Reds are 23 pounds for young toms and 14 pounds for young hens. Since, however, the Bourbon Red has not been selected for production attributes, including weight gain, for years, many birds may be smaller than the standard. Careful selection for good health, the ability to mate naturally, and production attributes will return this variety to its former stature.
The Bourbon Red is an attractive bird for either exhibition or just for the backyard. They are active foragers, and would probably do well in a pasture production system, either as purebreds or when crossed with white turkeys. They also present an attractive carcass when dressed, since the light pinfeathers leave no residue of dark pigment showing the feather follicles as with the Bronze. Unfortunately, we have no recent information on the growth rate, feed conversion or egg production for any of the rare varieties. Documentation of performance information is urgently needed so that this variety can be promoted for use in sustainable agriculture as well as for backyard breeders.
The details above are taken from the ALBC website.