Growing Big 6 turkeys at home

The Big 6 turkey cross was created by the British firm "Brutiss Unaited Tyurrkss" in 2007 through selective crossing. For excretion, the paternal line BUT 8 and the maternal BIG 5 were used.

Poultry belongs to the meat type of productivity. Big 6 is a young cross that appeared on the Russian market relatively recently, but has already managed to establish itself due to its large mass, early maturity and vitality.

Description of the cross Big 6

Big 6 turkeys are large and massive farm birds with a stocky body and relatively small head. By its white color and fluffy plumage, this cross is easy to distinguish from other species. White plumage is located throughout the body, not counting a small black speck on the chest. Females are not as fluffy as males.

The plumage is quite dense and dense, with a characteristic shine. Big 6 turkey fluff is highly valued, due to its softness and lightness it is in demand in the industry. The back of the birds is straight and wide. The pectoral muscles are pronounced, convex. Large wings.

The bird stands on large, strong and sinewy legs. There is a small head on the long neck. A distinctive feature of turkeys is the presence of corals, red skin folds located in the head and neck area. On the upper part of the beak there is a cutaneous appendage hanging vertically downward, which, during the period of the bird's excitement, can reach 12-15 cm.

Turkeys have a lively temperament, they are strong enough and can fend for themselves. But, as for the commonwealth with other birds, a conflict may arise, therefore it is recommended to keep broiler turkeys separately and in families. You can read about this in more detail below.

Keeping and breeding turkeys at home

In industrial conditions, turkeys are kept in specially equipped wide-size windowless poultry houses on a litter, with controlled lighting and microclimate, and cage keeping is also often used.

Cross Big 6 is bred not only in industrial enterprises, but also in private farms. The main conditions for keeping turkeys practically do not differ from the requirements for poultry houses for other breeds. On home farms, in the summer, turkeys are kept for a walk and only at night they are driven into a barn. The turkey house should be capital.

The walls are built from bricks or other durable materials, the floors are poured with concrete. If there are windows in the poultry house, then they must open, and so that the bird does not fly away, they are covered with bars.

Turkeys do not tolerate dampness and cold, so the room must be insulated so that the minimum cost of heating the house goes away in winter.

A manhole is made on the south side of the house, the height from the floor should be no more than 15 cm. The floor in the house is covered with a bedding made of sawdust, hay or straw. It is important that the litter is dry. Since turkeys are not very friendly, it is better to divide the room into sections when keeping a large herd.

Tips for Beginners: How to Grow Broilers Properly

It is not recommended to grow more than 30-40 individuals in one department. There are 6 females for 1 male. Poultry houses for breeding broilers are built at the rate of 1-2 adult birds per 1 sq. m.

Turkeys, like chickens, need perches. The height of the perch from the floor should be 90-100 cm. The perches are made of thick, round wooden beams, with a minimum of 40 cm per turkey. Poultry houses are equipped with nests for 4-5 females per nest.

Nest parameters: 60x60x60 cm, with a nut height of 15 cm. The normal room temperature is 16-18 ° C, in winter it should not fall below 13-15 ° C. The poultry houses are equipped with artificial lighting systems for short winter daylight hours.

For turkeys, it is necessary to put baths with ash and sand so that they can clean the feathers of parasites. Wooden boxes are used as baths: 125 × 80 × 25 cm. Proportional ratio of sand and ash 1k1.

Feeders and drinkers are an integral part of any livestock complex. Aviaries for turkeys are built high and covered with a net on top so that the bird cannot fly away.

Characteristics of the Big 6 cross

The live weight of males is 20-25 kg, and of females 10-12 kg. The egg production characteristic of turkeys is up to 100 eggs per year. Females begin to lay eggs at 7-9 months. The mass of 1 egg is 80 g.

The eggs hatch for 26-28 days. The hatchability is 85%. Lethal output - 70-75%. Muscle mass is 80%, of which 30% is on the chest. For 1 kg of live weight gain, 2 kg of feed is used.

A turkey eats 250-350 g of feed per day. At 90 days, turkeys weigh 4.5-5 kg, and at 150 days - 11-12 kg. Turkeys are slaughtered at 3-4 months, since after this period the growth of the bird stops.

Feeding and keeping turkeys and turkeys

Feeding small turkeys is easy. In the first 3 days of life, the chicks are given boiled eggs and boiled cereal porridges. Turkeys must have unlimited access to water. Babies are fed every 3 hours, while the food must always be fresh.

Finely chopped greens and grated carrots are mixed into the feed. Portions should be small, but so that the turkey poults have enough to eat. On day 4, the diet is made up of wet mash with milk and with the addition of herbs.

The first 2 months of life for birds are extremely important, therefore, during this period, turkeys should be provided with a complete diet rich in dairy products. It is recommended to feed cottage cheese, buttermilk, yogurt and return.

Green feed is considered an obligatory component of the turkey poultry diet. The food is mixed with chopped greens of alfalfa, dandelion, nettle, plantain and clover. It is allowed to add a little green onions to the diet as a preventive measure against intestinal diseases.

As the bird grows, the number of feeds decreases. At 2 months, 4 feedings are enough for turkeys. For feeding the chicks, special feeders are bought or made independently from plywood. In no case should you use metal, because striking with its beak, the turkey can harm itself.

On the 7th day, the chicks are injected with vitamin D, the second procedure is carried out after 50 days. On day 15, nystatin is added to the feed, aimed at preventing aspergillosis. As a prophylaxis, chicks from 6 to 11 days are drunk with antibiotics.

Conditions for growing turkey poults

The main requirement for growing turkey poults is microclimate control. For the first month, chicks are kept in specially designed compartments on a litter.

Daylight hours are 12 hours.Drafts and high humidity are prohibited in the room.

If you compare the feeding of turkeys with other poultry, you can see some peculiarities. Rations for Big 6 are formed taking into account a large amount of protein feed and vitamins.

What food to give

They feed turkeys 3 times a day; overfeeding these birds is undesirable, since large individuals are prone to obesity. In the morning and in the afternoon, they are fed with wet mash with the addition of cereals, and in the evening the turkeys receive dry grain.

Cereals and legumes in the diet of turkeys account for up to 65%, most of all, oats and buckwheat are fed to turkeys. Grain feed provides 70% of the turkey's protein and is a source of fat. Meals and cakes make up a small percentage of the diet (1-2%), but, despite this, they fully provide the birds with amino acids.

To provide the body with calcium and phosphorus, meat, meat and bone, fish and blood meal are introduced into the diet of birds. To improve digestion, the body needs fiber, which is found in hay and straw. In the summer, turkeys are fed grass.

Green fodder, sprouted grain and fodder of animal origin are rich in vitamins A, B, E, H. The diet of turkeys is balanced in all elements and vitamins;

Detailed description of turkey diseases

Newcastle disease. This disease most often affects young animals and causes a large mortality. Symptoms: paralysis of the limbs, green-gray-yellow diarrhea, mucous masses accumulate in the goiter. The disease is incurable, and timely vaccination is carried out to prevent it.

Respiratory mycoplasmosis. When birds get sick with this ailment, their eyes swell, cough and wheezing appear, and growth slows down. The mortality rate is minimal. Various medications prescribed by a veterinarian are used for treatment.

Aspergillotoxicosis. The disease appears when eating poor-quality feed, and litter can also be a source. The bird becomes inactive, sits still, sleeps a lot, breathes frequently, diarrhea, eats poorly, stunted and dies suddenly in convulsions.

Histomoniasis. The disease affects the liver and causes diseases of the cecum in young animals. The disease can occur due to poor-quality disinfection of the poultry house. Turkeys develop green-yellow frothy diarrhea.

Turkey poults stop eating food, weaken, lose weight, feathers become disheveled and dirty. The disease is treated with such drugs: furazolidone and osarsol. Same deworming turkeys with drugs such as phenothiazine and piperazine.

Advantages and disadvantages of the breed

Advantages:

• The largest cross by weight. Meat turkeys reach 25 kg.
• Early maturity. Young animals quickly gain weight, while fattening costs a minimum.
• The yield of meat products is 80%, of which 30% weighs the breast.
• The plumage is not inferior in quality to the goose plumage and is used in industry for the production of various products.
• Compared to other species, the Big 6 lays more eggs.

Flaws:

• They do not tolerate cold and dampness, which entails the cost of insulating and heating the poultry house in winter.
• Turkeys have poor contact with each other and with other birds, therefore they are kept in separate rooms and families.

Conclusion

Big 6 is a meat cross and is considered a heavyweight of its kind. Turkeys are unpretentious in care, and in order to obtain benefits, it is enough to follow a few rules of feeding and growing. Considering that birds grow rapidly and consume little feed, more than one kilogram of delicious meat can be grown per season.

It's believed that turkey meat has the best taste compared to chicken, it is dietary and well absorbed in the body.

Reviews

For some reason, it is generally accepted that raising turkeys is a troublesome task. Nothing like this! It is necessary to devote no less time and effort than to chickens and ducks, and the meat is 2 or even 3 times more. Yes, there are some nuances, but they are present in any farm animal.

The breed has no flaws, it is almost perfect, to the tips of its snow-white feathers. Big 6 is bred not only for meat, but also for feathers. With proper feeding and maintenance, young growth grows healthy and strong. Cross Big 6 is the best of the existing species.

Since the Big 6 cross appeared relatively recently, it can not be found in all yards, but only at professional breeders.

Chicks are hatched, both under a turkey and in an incubator. Adult birds look very beautiful, especially males. Home maintenance does not require any frills and heavy technology. Even a novice farmer can handle it: a spacious warm barn, without drafts and dampness.