What Are Sweetgrass & Bourbon Red Turkeys? A Guide to These Heritage Breeds

Heritage Turkey Guide: Sweetgrass and Bourbon Reds

If you’ve visited Straight Arrow Farms during the spring hatching season, you may have seen birds that look like living pieces of prairie art. While many people are familiar with the standard Bronze or white turkeys found in commercial agriculture, heritage breeds like the Sweetgrass and the Bourbon Red capture the true spirit of traditional homesteading.

As we manage our 2026 breeding pens here in Barrhead County, these turkeys remain favorites for their beauty, temperament, and hardiness. If you’ve been considering adding heritage poultry to your flock, here is everything you need to know about these two remarkable varieties.

1. The Sweetgrass: A Prairie Showstopper

The Sweetgrass is a heritage variety characterized by its unique tricolor plumage. They were developed by combining several heritage lines to create a specific, stunning color pattern.

• The Look: They feature a base of snowy white feathers accented with intricate bars of black and a distinct "sweetgrass" (a warm, buff, or tan) color.

• The Tail: Their most striking feature is the tail fan, which displays a "sunburst" effect of white, black, and tan when the toms strut.

• Personality: They are known for being exceptionally docile and curious, often acting as the "gentle giants" of the barnyard.

2. The Bourbon Red: A Heritage Classic

The Bourbon Red is perhaps one of the most famous heritage turkey breeds, originating from Bourbon County, Kentucky. They are as functional as they are beautiful.

• The Look: These birds are famous for their rich, deep brownish-red plumage. This is contrasted sharply by white flight feathers in the wings and white barbs in the tail.

• Utility: Historically, Bourbon Reds were bred as a premier table bird before industrial varieties took over. They have a heavy, full breast and a robust frame that handles the Alberta climate with ease.

• Temperament: Like the Sweetgrass, they are social and tend to stay close to home, making them excellent candidates for smaller homesteads where you want birds that are easy to manage.

3. Heritage Integrity vs. Commercial Birds

Unlike the Broad-Breasted varieties found in industrial farming, both Sweetgrass and Bourbon Reds are heritage birds. This means:

• Natural Breeding: They can reproduce naturally without human intervention.

• Longevity: They have a long productive lifespan and are much hardier in our fluctuating northern climate.

• Slow Growth: They grow at a natural pace, which results in stronger skeletal systems and a much more complex, rich flavor profile for those raising them for the freezer.

4. Exceptional Foragers

Heritage turkeys are "working" birds. They are excellent foragers, spending their days patrolling our 80 acres for grass, seeds, and insects. This active lifestyle makes them incredibly hardy and fits perfectly into a sustainable, circular farm model.

Why We Breed Heritage Lines at Straight Arrow Farms

Our farm is built on the philosophy of the "straight arrow"—a direct path back to traditional, honest methods. Whether we are manufacturing our goat milk soap or making our 5x-purified tallow small-batch creams, we believe in using what the land provides in its most natural form.

Maintaining heritage poultry lines is an extension of that mission. By breeding Sweetgrass and Bourbon Red turkeys, we are helping to preserve genetic diversity and ensuring that these beautiful, functional birds don't disappear in favor of industrial alternatives.

2026 Breeding Season at the Farm

During the spring, our incubators are busy with the next generation of turkeys alongside our exhibition-quality Polish, Marans, and Ameraucanas. We believe that a healthy farm starts with healthy genetics, and we take great pride in the vitality of our birds.

Interested in heritage poultry or want to see what else is happening on the homestead? Follow Straight Arrow Farms for updates on our latest hatches and our handcrafted apothecary essentials.