How many pounds of Turkey do you need per person?
Michael Henderson
Published Mar 23, 2026
How many pounds of Turkey do you need per person?
So much planning and, honestly, anxiety goes into preparing a full Thanksgiving menu. And there’s nothing worse than not having enough food to feed all of your hungry family and guests. To make sure you have enough of the main event, aka the turkey, we have put together an easy-to-read chart outlining how much turkey to buy per person.
When do you start feeding turkeys regular food?
At about 13 weeks or so, your turkeys can start eating a regular turkey or game bird feed. At this stage, you can start feeding a lower percentage protein. As far as commercial poultry feeds go, typically the lower the total percentage protein in the feed, the less expensive it is.
How to calculate the size of a Turkey?
The first step to the perfect holiday feast is knowing what size turkey you need. With a few simple calculations you can be assured you’ll have enough food to go around. Use the whole bird calculator below to figure out what size turkey you should buy, along with cooking and thawing times.
What to feed a Turkey chick through adults 60 foods?
Chick Starter Protein Percentage Feed Type Protein Percentage Chick Starter (Chicken) 18 – 19% Turkey Starter 26 – 30% Gamebird Starter 28 – 30%
How many pounds of Turkey do you need to feed 60 people?
So if you need to feed 60 people, buy two turkeys that are around 20 pounds each. Families that prefer white meat might also want to consider just buying turkey breast (or a couple extra in addition to the bird) for your meal. Once you’ve got the bird, give it enough time to defrost before following the proper cooking times.
How big of a turkey can I serve with 24 people?
Turkey size varies hugely. They come in all sizes – you can even get up to a 9kg bird, which will happily serve a huge group of more than 24 people, with plenty leftover even for the next day.
How many people can you feed for Thanksgiving?
Hosting Thanksgiving dinner can overwhelm any cook, but it gets even more complicated when you’re catering for a large group. For an event with 100 guests, you must figure out how many pounds of turkey to feed 100 hungry customers.
The first step to the perfect holiday feast is knowing what size turkey you need. With a few simple calculations you can be assured you’ll have enough food to go around. Use the whole bird calculator below to figure out what size turkey you should buy, along with cooking and thawing times.