How to grow turkeys at home for meat?

Growing turkeys for meat at home is a profitable business. Today, when the stores are full of products of dubious quality, many seek to breed livestock on their own to obtain natural products. Turkey meat is highly valued for its low calorie content and excellent taste.

The principle of growing turkeys for meat

Features of choosing the right breed

Among poultry, breeders often choose turkeys for meat production. This category of birds has a lot of advantages over other types of living creatures:

• accelerated weight gain;
• easy care;
• high survival rate of turkeys;
• small feed costs;
• dietary natural meat.

The main advantage is a quick set of muscle mass. Male representatives of meat orientation can reach 30 kg, females 15. Turkey meat is often prescribed to people with all kinds of diseases of systems and organs. Meat products contain many vitamins and useful amino acids. Meat breeds gain optimal weight in 2-3 months. Among the most popular representatives of meat breeds:

• big6;
• wide-breasted white;
• baht8.

Only breeding individuals give a good return. For 2-3 months of proper nutrition and care, birds gain 20-30 kg. To use the maximum production data of the breeds, it is necessary to create optimal living conditions for birds, close to natural ones, and also provide them with the correct, balanced feed.

Features of the content

Growing turkeys can be a great income. Many novice breeders build their business on breeding meat turkeys. If you have a country house, then there will be no problems with organizing a poultry house. When keeping turkeys, it is important to take into account that the bird does not like the neighborhood with other birds, does not tolerate heat, drafts, dampness and too severe frosts.

There are special requirements for a turkey barn. The room should be fairly large, because the birds are large in build and must have enough space at their disposal for free movement. In the turkey house, the optimal microclimate must be constantly maintained, which is achieved by the equipment of the correct supply and exhaust ventilation. If even one requirement is not taken into account, the productivity of birds will be significantly reduced. Birds are very susceptible to temperature changes and may even die if the situation is not corrected in time.

It is very important to observe the stocking density of birds when breeding. Large-sized turkeys lead a rather active lifestyle, so they should have a lot of space at their disposal. Stocking density will depend entirely on the developmental characteristics of the breed that the breeder has selected.

For rapid growth and optimal development, turkeys need sufficient free range during the warmer months. To do this, next to the poultry house, you should fence off the area and build a hole from the barn door so that the birds can freely enter and exit. In the cold season, walks are strictly prohibited, because the risk of colds as a result of hypothermia is very high. Another important stage in the successful breeding of meat turkeys is timely vaccination, which will allow avoiding mass deaths of birds even during the quarantine period.

When breeding turkeys for meat, you must first take into account all the features of the selected breed. There is a special feeding system, which implies some general provisions. However, it is impossible to get the most out of the breed without learning about the breed characteristics.

How to fatten?

You can feed birds at any age

Growing turkey poults at home requires special care at first, while immunity is being laid. Birds of this species grow very quickly, therefore, in order to achieve certain quality indicators of meat products, you need to know how to feed the bird, so that it quickly forms muscle mass, and does not store fat. You can start feeding birds at any age, while it should be borne in mind that food for turkeys and adults will differ significantly. There are several feeding methods:

• forced;
• self-pecking.

The first method involves feeding the birds with specially prepared formulations. To make the mixture, take 20% corn flour and barley, then add 15% bran and wheat, 5% yeast and 1% sodium chloride. All ingredients are mixed and moistened in water. After that, they are placed on their own in the avian esophagus.

This feeding method allows poultry to be fed to the required body weight in just a couple of weeks. In the first days, manipulations with feeding are carried out twice, then the number of feedings is gradually increased. When pushing food, it is necessary to carefully fix the bird with one hand so that it does not twitch.

The second method involves free-range feeding. Feeding is carried out in the fields after the melons are harvested. In addition to self-biting, the birds are given standard food 2-3 times. The advantage of the method is economy, accelerated weight gain, in less than 14 days.

How to fatten chicks?

Breeding turkeys at home involves organizing a good balanced diet and living conditions from the first days after hatching from the egg. Turkey poults for slaughter begin to be fattened from the age of four months. An increase in nutrition is planned for August - harvest time. The best option is to organize free-range meals. The basis of the diet is cereals, wet mash and a sufficient amount of greens.

If it is not possible to create optimal conditions for free food while walking, or walking is simply limited, for some reason, the diet will consist of:

• cottage cheese;
• meat and bone meal;
• greenery;
• boiled vegetables;
• sprouted wheat.

With such a diet, after a month, the birds are completely limited to walking. In the house where the fattening turkeys are kept, the lighting is dimmed. During the next time period, fattening is carried out with protein products with combined feed. The fattening period will depend on the breed chosen, and can range from 1 to 6 months.

Features of feeding adults

Not all birds are suitable for fattening

So, we grow turkeys at home. Before you start feeding an adult turkey for meat at home, it is necessary to conduct a routine inspection. Not all representatives are suitable for feeding. It is necessary to select representatives who have not reached the required weight, as well as birds with protruding bones and a skin fold without fat.

The selected individuals are kept separately and fed according to a different system.For young animals, feeding is shown up to 5 times a day without grazing. The basis of the diet is combined feeds, which are specially designed for feeding meat-oriented birds. If you organize the supplementary feeding correctly, you can fatten the birds in six months.

Will the birds be profitable?

We grow turkeys for meat. Growing turkey poults at home is a very interesting business idea. Naturally, the success of the campaign will completely depend on the correct organization of maintenance, feeding and care. Today, many breeders have re-entered turkey farming. Until recently, agriculture and poultry were in a deplorable state.

First of all, it is important to establish a line for the sale of meat products. It will not be difficult to do this, because its high taste indicators are highly valued by gourmets and people who are forced to constantly diet. In addition to meat qualities, turkeys have a fairly high level of egg production, and their eggs are large in size.

Feeding secrets

There is a feeding system where you can get exactly the meat you need. So that the increase in body weight occurs as soon as possible, but at the same time the bone tissue is not injured, it is necessary to introduce into the diet a large amount of all kinds of vitamins and microelements, among which the main one is calcium. The use of combined fortified mixtures can significantly reduce costs and save more than one ruble.

The basis of the diet of poultry for fattening is cereals, which are digested for a long time, so the diet must necessarily contain foods that increase digestibility. These products include: greens, straw, nuts, vegetable oil or finely chopped bacon.

Two weeks before slaughter, it is necessary to remove fish oil from the diet, otherwise after slaughter the carcass will have a fishy smell and taste. Feeding corn and alfalfa color the carcasses in a pleasant yellow color, which significantly increases the demand for the product. If it is necessary to make the color of the meat lighter, at the end of the fattening, reinforced feeding with corn and alfalfa is started.

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Conclusion

Today, farming is starting to revive little by little, and many have even decided to open their own turkey farming business. The fact that in a couple of three months you can get a carcass of 30 kg makes them quite attractive for home maintenance and sale. In order for the bird to develop well and grow quickly, it is necessary to provide optimal conditions for keeping, feeding and caring for them.

The main requirement is that the birds are not exposed to a draft and a strong temperature drop. As soon as the turkey poults reach the age of four months, they are transferred to fattening, and this must be done for another month. We grow birds at home.

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Reviews and comments

America is considered the birthplace of turkeys. Turkeys were domesticated about a thousand years ago. They came to Europe only in the 16th century, after four travels of Christopher Columbus.

Description

Turkeys are colorful, majestic and at the same time, poultry of different sizes. They love space and freedom.... From the first days of life in the turkey community, a hierarchy begins to build.

Turkeys walking in the yard

A brave and cocky male appears and gluttons are already visible - applicants for fattening for meat. In flocks of male turkeys, the right to fertilize female turkeys belongs to only one turkey, which is at the top of the hierarchy.

Pros and cons of withdrawal

The clear advantage of raising a turkey herd at home is getting wholesome meat and eggs.Turkey meat is a dietary meat that is low in cholesterol and high in minerals and vitamins.

Turkey eggs

It is hypoallergenic and easy to digest, useful for pregnant women, young children and athletes. Eggs also have a large set of useful components, occupy the 3rd place in terms of the amount of nutrients, after quail eggs and guinea fowl eggs.

Note! The only drawback in keeping and raising turkeys is that they produce much fewer eggs than, for example, chickens. The number of eggs from turkeys can reach up to 100 pieces per year, while chickens produce up to 340.

But, if we consider that turkey meat costs twice as much as chicken and eggs in terms of the amount of nutrients and weight three times higher than chicken, then this minus does not seem so significant.

The most famous breeds for breeding

The most common breed of turkeys for breeding in a private courtyard is the breed North Caucasian bronze... She has an elongated body, small chest and bronze plumage.

These birds are very mobile, long-legged and well adapted to foraging. Live weight of adult males from 13 to 18 kg, females 7-8 kg. Egg production of turkeys varies from 80 to 100 eggs per year.

A very profitable breed for keeping is white broad-breasted... They are classified into three main types:

• Heavy: the weight of males reaches 25 kg, the weight of females is up to 10 kg;
• Average: males weigh 15 kg and females 7 kg;
• Lungs: turkeys weigh 7 kg and turkeys up to 5 kg.

White broad-breasted breed

Turkeys mature for egg production by 9 months of age, bringing up to 115-125 eggs per year.

The broad-breasted bronze turkey breed has a high viability of young animals and almost one hundred percent fertility. The live weight of males is up to 18 kg, of females up to 10 kg.

Moscow white and bronze rocks are characterized by strong body construction, productive fertility and early egg production. Turkeys begin to lay as early as 6 months, they bring from 100 eggs per year. The live weight of males reaches 13 kg, females - 7 kg.

Conditions for keeping and growing

The main requirement in the maintenance of turkeys, which is worth focusing on, is the heat factor. Turkeys themselves are frost-resistant birds, but for full growth and development they need warmth and dryness in the enclosure.

Important! Create conditions in the pen that will exclude dampness and draft. The temperature in the summer season should be at least 20 degrees, and in the winter season the air temperature should not be lower than 5 degrees.

The room should be frequently ventilated. It is not uncommon for turkeys to be kept in "former" chicken coops, which are slightly modified for larger birds.

Turkeys in the aviary

The main indicators of the pen for 10 turkeys:

• Square not less than 5 square meters, since up to 2 birds can be placed on 1 square meter (ideally, there should be 1 square meter per individual);
• Ventilation, to eliminate dampness;
• Straw bedding, which must be changed at least twice a week;
• Perches, arranged at a height of 70-80 cm from the floor, 5-7 cm wide and 8-10 cm high.
• Lighting can be carried out using a conventional electric lamp, the power of which should be 60 watts.
• In order not to start parasitic organisms in the turkey house, small boxes with sand and ash.

One turkey requires a minimum of 40 cm per roost, so there should be as many perches as the number of birds in the pen. The distance between the perches should be more than 60 cm.

Turkeys need constant walking. In the summer season, outdoor enclosures are set up for them near the poultry house, an area equal to the number of birds, at least one square meter is allocated per bird.
Conditions for arranging a summer enclosure:

• On the territory of the corral there should be a canopy, under which birds can hide from direct sunlight in hot weather;
• It will be ideal if it grows on the territory alfalfa, oats and cloverthat sow in early spring;
• Drinking bowls, the water in which should change as it gets dirty, at least once a day;
• Feeders with barley, or oats.

Keeping turkeys in a cage

In the winter season, when the air temperature is below 10 degrees, it is also recommended to let turkeys go for walks. To do this, a layer of straw is lined on the territory of the corral so that the birds do not freeze their paws, and the feed is scattered throughout the corral.

Walking turkeys is simply necessary, otherwise they will only get fat without gaining muscle mass.
Most turkey breeders keep heterosexual individuals separately.

In this case, only one manufacturer is launched to females. But there are poultry farmers who prefer to keep all birds in one enclosure. In this case, there should be no more than 5 females per male in a turkey flock, otherwise he will not be able to cover all the turkeys.

If the herd of turkeys is large, then it is better to divide it into small groups., each of which will have one manufacturer.

Care and feeding during puberty

Puberty in turkeys occurs at the age of 8-10 months. For the most complete development, turkeys must be fed with a special mixture, which consists of:

• Yeast - 5 grams;
• Carrots and greens 70-80 grams;
• Cottage cheese 20 grams;
• Sprouted corn 100g.

Youngsters on the run

The turkey begins to lay eggs from 10 months. Very often they suffer from the "brooding" syndrome, so in order to collect the eggs they have taken out, they often have to drive them away.

It is very important to monitor the feeding of the roosting individuals. When birds are just starting to lay, they need to be fed up to 5 times a day. In the winter season, you need to give moistened cereals, finely chopped carrots, grass flour. In the summer, cereals with herbs.

After mating, the egg-laying process begins.

How to maintain and grow

Young turkey poults

During lay, a young turkey can lay up to 17 eggs that need to be tested for fertility. To do this, the eggs must be lowered in turn into a container of water, if the egg sinks, then we return it to the nest, if it floats up, to the refrigerator.

The hatching process lasts up to 28 days. During this time, it is necessary to ensure that the turkey eats on time. Feeding is done in the morning. It is best to feed the hen with soaked and swollen oats. When the turkey is eating, it is imperative to cover the eggs with a warm cloth for this time to prevent hypothermia.

One turkey is able to hatch and raise not only its offspring, but also someone else's. One bird is capable of raising 75-80 turkeys.

How to keep and how to care for turkeys

The heat factor is the basis for growing turkey poults. Chilled young animals are highly susceptible to various diseases, which can prevent them from gaining the necessary weight, even with a good balanced feed.

Turkey poults should be bred in cardboard boxes with fabric bedding, or dry fine sawdust. For 10 babies, a container with dimensions of one meter by one meter and a wall height of up to 40 cm is suitable.

Feeding turkeys

Heating and lighting is carried out by electric lamps, the power of which must be at least 40 watts. Light bulbs are fixed on top of the box, using a table lamp. You can lower the lamp directly into the box, but for this, it is necessary that it be in a special weighted glass shade.

The first two days, turkeys are kept under round-the-clock lighting, gradually reducing the light regime by 30-35 minutes.

From 20 days, the light regime lasts 15 hours. In addition, for the first 10 days of babies' life, it is worth maintaining the temperature to +36 degrees, gradually lowering and bringing it to + 25 degrees. At two months, the temperature should be +20 degrees.

Turkey chicks

Under such conditions, it is recommended to keep the turkey poults until the end of feeding., that is, up to 7 months.
Turkeys are prone to developing diseases, most of which are fatal.

The main diseases of domestic turkeys and turkeys

• Coccidosis - the development of the simplest microorganisms in the bird's body, leading to the death of the carrier.
• Trichomoniasis incidence occurs in the body of birds when Trichomonas is absorbed when drinking water, or contact with other species of birds that are carriers of the infection.
• Tuberculosis... It develops if the rules for keeping turkeys are not followed. Direct sunlight is the only source of healing for a sick bird.
• Pasteurellosis... Most often occurs in fattened turkey poults, whose age is from 1 to 2 months. The reason is the pecking of manure by turkeys and the harmful substance pasteurella contained in it, which is destroyed from direct sunlight in a day.
• Development parasitic organisms in the digestive tract.
• Aspergillosis - a fungal disease of the pulmonary system of organs, which develops as a result of the presence of straw or other litter on the territory of the aviary, containing fungal microorganisms.

Important! From the first days of life, prevention of diseases and reinforcement of chicks with vitamins are carried out to develop their own immunity.

Prevention of young stock during rearing

• On the 1st day, the solution is drunk ascorbic acid with glucose, since the turkey is still weak and unable to assimilate other complex elements;
• From the second to the fifth day is given irex vital (a pinch is diluted per liter of water);
• You can also amino-vital (pinch per liter of water).

Keeping turkey chickens

The earlier the poultry begins to feed, the more viable they become. On the first day, it is best to feed a hard-boiled and minced egg.

Then a specialized compound feed is given for young animals up to 40-45 days old, and also include milk mash, return, sour milk and buttermilk in the diet. It is imperative to give babies finely cut greens of nettles, dandelions, clovers. In a month and a half, you can transfer them to an adult diet.

• From 6th to 10th day given to chicks in small quantities furozolidone, which is for the prevention of gastrointestinal diseases;
• From the 15th to the 20th day, turkey poults need to be drunk amproliumwhich goes against coccidia;
• Before releasing turkey poults for walking, you need to give them ASD-2 - faction against fungal and aspergillosis;
• In 40 days it is soldered metronidazole, within 4 days (4 tablets per liter of water). It will protect the young from the development of the simplest microorganisms that are formed when the earthworms chew and can cause the death of the turkey.

Important! For the first 10 days of life, feed babies only with boiled water.

What to feed the birds

In preparation for the winter period, it is recommended to harvest linden, birch and poplar brooms for turkeys, which are subsequently hung in the house at a height accessible to turkeys and are a source of additional vitamins.

Compound feed for feeding

The diet of adults includes:

• Compound feed, which contains proteins, vitamins and proteins. Usually used to feed brood males.
• Oatspreferably sprouted.
• Best fed to turkeys for fattening wheat.
• Tops vegetable crops (in summer).
• Shredded vegetables (potatoes, carrots, turnips).
• Greens (alfalfa, green onions, clover, dandelions).
• Young twigs trees, hay, sauerkraut (in winter).

If you raise a poultry for fattening, then you need to feed it more with wheat and other grains. During morning feeding, it is better to moisten grain crops with water, and give dry food in the evening. In order for the meat to be tender and juicy, you need to feed as much greens and vegetables as possible.

In order for laying turkeys to be carried in a balanced way, their diet should also include:

• 150 grams boiled potatoes per day, despite the fact that the laying hen produces up to 9 eggs per month, if from 15 to 18 eggs per month, then potatoes, respectively, from 110 to 130 grams.
• Bone flour and table salt should be up to 2 grams daily, regardless of how many eggs the bird gives out.
• Fish waste should be 30 grams for 9 eggs per month, 40 grams for 15 eggs per month, 50 grams if the turkey produces 18 eggs.
• Cottage cheese, if laying hens is 3 eggs per month, then 3 grams per day, 9 eggs, then 5 grams, 15-20 eggs, then 10 grams.

Important to remember! That turkey nutrition should always be balanced, enriched with essential vitamins and microelements, feeding should always be done on time.

Mature turkey

Breeding turkeys on a personal backyard, subject to all the necessary measures for the care and rearing of young animals, will become a very interesting and profitable activity even for a novice farmer.

Maintain and raise a free-range turkey herd in summer and cellular content in winter will give a large number of large eggs and dietary meat, enriched with vitamins and various microelements. Recently, broiler turkey breeds, which are kept for fattening, are gaining popularity. They are not picky about food and are easy to maintain.

Turkeys are beautiful and majestic animals ideal for keeping on a home farm. However, breeding, keeping and caring for turkeys is a headache for many novice poultry farmers. How to breed turkeys correctly?

Turkeys: breeding, maintenance, care at home

The most famous breeds for breeding

If you have chosen turkeys as a breeding bird, the first thing you need to do is decide on the breed. They usually choose it in accordance with the goals, method of content and personal desire. Before buying individuals, you need to learn how to navigate the characteristics and main features of the chosen breed - this is the only way to organize proper care. In Russia, several of the most common breeds are distinguished.

Bronze	Red and brown striped feathers, black necks in males. Females are more modest in color. They are good for keeping in the fresh air, they do not require special conditions.	13	7	up to 100
Moscow bronze	Hardy individuals intended both for breeding in production conditions and for a home farm. Relief chest, elongated torso. Feel good when grazing.	15	9	100
Bronze broad-breasted	In appearance they are similar to their bronze ancestor, but larger and larger in the body. Low egg production, inability to walk. Are intended more for industrial content.	14	8	70-80
North Caucasian bronze	They first appeared in the USSR, in 1946. One of the most common breeds for growing at home. Large birds adapt well to any conditions.	14	7	80
White broad-breasted	Oval body with a large chest and a broad back. They are characterized by rich plumage, strong legs. Grown for healthy dietary meat and eggs.	15	7	100-120
North Caucasian white	Hardy birds with good performance and quick weight gain. They are well kept in pasture conditions, not picky about food.	13	7	up to 180

Read also: Turkey breeds

Negative and positive aspects of breeding

Home farmers are increasingly opting for turkey farming. Some breed turkeys for personal consumption, some make a profit from the sale of meat and egg products. Either way, turkey breeding has its advantages and disadvantages. Before deciding whether to do this business, you need to know them.

Bronze broad-breasted turkey

The advantages of content are the following:

• dietary turkey meat is very useful for humans, all thanks to low cholesterol, vitamins, amino acids and trace elements;
• the cost of a turkey growing business quickly pays off;
• for the purpose of earning money, you can sell not only meat and egg products, but also down, feathers;
• turkeys gain weight quickly and rapidly;
• undemanding to conditions of detention and unpretentiousness to nutrition.

Turkey meat is considered dietary

Turkeys are excellent pets for keeping at home and running a business selling meat, eggs, fluff. But some breeders refuse to keep turkeys. They justify this with the following disadvantages of keeping turkeys:

• low productivity - turkeys produce much fewer eggs than chickens;
• the risk of death of chicks after birth;
• demanding for water - use only fresh liquid at room temperature;
• turkeys are often sick, especially if hygiene rules are violated when caring for them;
• the tendency of turkeys to obesity.

Obesity turkey

The note! Turkeys first appeared in America, domesticated them about a thousand years ago. Europe saw birds only in the 16th century.

Features of caring for turkeys

Turkeys are unpretentious animals that can withstand cold temperatures down to -15 ° C, but they still prefer dry and warm care. Make sure that the pen is not damp and that there is always warm bedding on the floor - you need to keep the legs of the turkeys warm. Change the bedding at least twice every seven days. Equip each paddock with small boxes of sand and ash to prevent parasites.

Ash bath for birds

You should especially carefully approach the issue of caring for young animals. Provide chicks with a dry and warm place for the first time. For these purposes, you can use a cardboard box or box. In a temporary dwelling, the temperature must be at least 36 degrees, in addition, it must be constantly illuminated. When the chicks mature, you can move them to a common stall. When arranging a nest, you need to raise its walls high, isolating the hen from other individuals.

Turkey nest

Read also: DIY turkey nest

Requirements for the premises

Experienced livestock breeders have specific room requirements for comfortable keeping and profitable turkey breeding. To set up a comfortable house, follow the instructions below.

Step 1. Decide on the size of the room. The correct calculation is as follows: at least 1 m2 for two turkeys. Ideally, there should be 1 m2 per individual.

Turkey house on a small flock of birds

Turkey house project for 15-30 heads

Step 2. When the house is set up, check the room temperature. The acceptable temperature in summer is 20 ° C, in winter it is no colder than 5 ° C.

Step 3. Adjust lighting. You can illuminate the poultry house with a conventional 60-watt light bulb.

Lighting in the poultry house

Step 4. Be sure to equip ventilation, this will help eliminate dampness.

Step 5. Equip the perches according to the number of birds in the pen (one perch per bird), the distance between them is 60 cm or more.

Step 6. Check the height of the perches. Correct indicators: about 70-80 cm from the floor, width - from 5 to 7 cm, height - from 8 to 10 cm.

Turkey roosts

The note! If you keep all individuals in the same pen, the flock should be no more than 5 females per male, otherwise not all hens will be covered.

Do turkeys need walking?

Turkeys are prone to obesity, so they need to spend enough time walking. While walking, the bird eats useful food, finds worms, beetles, eats greens, seeds and nuts. The ideal place for walking in summer is dry ground with shrubs and green grass. Make sure that the bird can find shade and hide there from the heat. For walking turkeys, you can equip special outdoor enclosures. Install feeders with oats and barley, drinkers, and change the water regularly.

Walking for turkeys

It is especially important to walk the turkeys during the winter - take daily walks for several hours, but not in too windy weather. Cover the area with plenty of straw to keep the turkeys from freezing their feet. You should also scatter food to lure pets out for a walk. If there are too many turkeys, divide the herd into small groups (each with one breeder).

Organization of walking turkeys

Breeding turkeys

Experts recommend for beginners to start breeding with grown young individuals. The best option is three or four month old individuals. By this time, they get used to the classic food, and their immunity is getting stronger. When breeding from scratch in the house, it is necessary to have individuals of different sexes. One male - for 8-10 females. If there are more of them, the male will not be able to properly perform his duties.

North Caucasian silver turkey and turkey

Female eggs incubate for about a month. The bird should be rooted in the spring. Ideally, there are about 17 eggs under one turkey, and all are freely located under the female. Under an inexperienced turkey, which became a mother for the first time, it is better not to lay a large number of eggs. At the very bottom of the nest, place a thin layer of earth, and put dried straws on top. Put the nest in an isolated place, place a drinker and a feeding plate with food next to it.

The note! Female turkeys can raise about 80 babies. A turkey is able to hatch even other people's chicks - chickens or ducks.

Hatched chicks

Using incubators and brooders

Turkeys are wonderful mothers who hatch responsibly and then raise and protect their offspring. Sometimes they give themselves up to their duties so much that they forget to eat - in this case, forcefully remove the hen from the nest and take it to food. While the turkey is feeding, you can inspect the eggs for scratches or dents. After hatching, it is recommended to immediately add the babies to the hen and keep them with the mother for about 6-8 weeks.

Bronze turkey with chickens

On a home farm, you can use an incubator. Eggs that are intended for incubator rearing must be removed from the poultry and transferred to storage. Place eggs on the tray with the pointed end downward - this saves a lot of space. From the moment the eggs are placed in the incubator to hatching, it takes about 28 days. Turn eggs up to day 22 inclusive 12 times a day so that they warm up evenly. You should also observe a strict temperature regime.

1-3	37,8-38	29-29,5	closed
6-12	37,6-37,8	29-29,5	ajar 15 mm
13-25	37,5-37,6	28-28,5	ajar 15 mm
26	37,2	29-30	ajar 20 mm
27	37-37,2	30-33	ajar 20 mm
28	37	35	ajar 20 mm, open completely 3 hours before sampling

Setting eggs in the incubator

Video - Turkeys: breeding and maintenance

In the video, an experienced livestock breeder tells the audience where turkeys came from in Russia. You will learn how to organize the keeping of a bird from egg to adult. The video covers the incubation process, as well as the main issues of care and maintenance. You will also see how to properly equip an aviary and how animals behave while walking.

Nutrition for proper and complete growth

To successfully raise turkeys on a home farm, feed them properly. In most cases, poultry farmers use a combined type of food. Feed the birds with sprouted grains, dry or damp mash. In the fall and spring, take your pets for walks in the pasture so they can feast on the greens. Use vitamins and top dressing: add chopped carrots, chopped cabbage and beets. Food can be diluted with dried, steamed herbs.

Turkey feed recipes

Turkeys love oats, grains, and barley, but germinate them first. During the breeding time, feed the pets about four to five times daily, during the other period - three times. In the morning and in the afternoon, you can feed with wet food, and in the late afternoon - with dry grain.To make turkey meat tastier and more tender, experienced livestock breeders recommend increasing the concentration of juicy mixtures, gradually reducing the number of grains.

To improve the quality of meat, poultry farmers recommend increasing the concentration of juicy mixtures

Small chicks need to be fed eight times to ensure good health of the brood later on. Three days after hatching, feed dry flour grits, which are mixed halfway with chopped hard-boiled eggs. For up to a month, feed your little ones with small cereals mixed with a variety of nutritious herbs - lettuce, cabbage leaves, nettles and clovers. You can also use a combination feed containing all the elements required for healthy growth.

Feeding at puberty

Puberty in turkeys occurs when they reach 8-10 months. Females lay eggs starting at 10 months. Watch the birds closely during this time, feed them about five times daily. In winter, feed moistened grain feed, finely chopped carrots, and grass flour. In summer, any grain crops mixed with fresh herbs are suitable. Sexually mature individuals should be fed with a mixture of yeast, carrots, greens, sprouted grains and cottage cheese.

Adult turkey and turkey

Yeast	5
Carrots and greens	70-80
Cottage cheese	20
Sprouted grain	100

The note! The weight of one egg laid by a turkey is 70 to 90 grams - much more than that of chickens. Eggshells are pockmarked, not brown or white.

Video - How to feed turkey poults?

The brood owner explains the basic principles of poultry feeding. From the video you will learn how to feed babies from 0 to 7 days inclusive. The farmer also considers the following questions: in what percentage to add feed, whether it is worth introducing greens into the diet, and also how to properly give the turkey poultry water.

Growing turkeys for meat

To grow turkeys for meat in a farm, use hybrids (individuals that were born from crossing representatives of different breeds). Purchase chicks weighing at least 50 grams, which were removed from the incubator no more than eight hours ago. The most common meat production technology used by many Russian farmers is that young turkeys should be kept in cages until they are eight weeks old before being moved to the floor. Babies should eat fortified feed. Feed the birds about eight times daily, but gradually reduce the number of feeds to 4 times. Otherwise, the rules for caring for individuals intended for slaughter do not differ from the rules for keeping other individuals. It is recommended to slaughter animals at 16 weeks, males at 22 weeks.

Growing turkeys on a farm

The main diseases of domestic turkeys

Some diseases are contagious and are transmitted from other animals that are kept on the farm. Most often, ailments are caused by certain infections and viruses, and in many cases they can be prevented. Experts identify several main infectious diseases of turkeys:

• respiratory mycoplasmosis... Runny nose due to excessive moisture in the pen, as well as due to unbalanced nutrition;
• tuberculosis... One of the most dangerous ailments. Acts on the upper respiratory tract, lungs and other organs. Transmitted through dirty water, eggs, foul bedding and tools;
• histomoniasis... The defeat of the cecum. The disease spreads to the digestive system. Develops in individuals that were placed in an untreated room, where chickens or geese were previously kept;

Turkeys histomoniasis

• worms. The most common disease that affects not only the digestive system, but also the respiratory system. Infection occurs through land, food, water, as well as from other birds;
• smallpox. It is not treated - the dead bird is burned. It is transmitted to turkeys from chickens through food or water, as well as through contact with sick animals.Sometimes transmitted by insect vectors.

To avoid the development of diseases, feed pets only with proven food, provide the turkeys with decent conditions, periodically clean up the pen, keep food bowls and drinkers clean, and periodically inspect animals and vaccinate them. Proper care will help save your pets from the most common diseases.

The first manifestation of smallpox in a turkey

Turkey breeding business

Some novice farmers often think about breeding turkeys. They are attracted by the low competition, as well as the high return on this business. This is more profitable than breeding chickens - the turkey is larger, and its meat is more nutritious and tastier. One individual gives about 100 eggs annually and more than 600 kilograms of meat when fattening offspring. However, there are important points to consider when planning a business.

Step 1. Decide what you want to create a business for. Choose a breed, carefully study all the rules for caring for turkeys, acquire useful equipment and collect initial capital.

Step 2. Draw up a competent business plan for your business, in which all aspects are considered. Determine the main stages of the business, analyze all financial costs, indicate the possible risks, the expected profit.

Step 3. Register the farm with the relevant authorities. Obtain quality certificates and all permits from the sanitary-epidemiological and veterinary services.

Breeding turkeys in a large production environment

Step 4. Rent an area, land or farm. Equip the poultry house, create all the conditions for proper care of pets. Purchase turkeys from specialized farms. For self-breeding, purchase an incubator.

Step 5. Take up the sale of products. It is best to define marketing methods in advance. You can choose to sell on the market or make contacts with retail outlets - shops and restaurants.

The note! Place an ad in your local newspaper for the sale of the product. If possible, place ads on the Internet - this will increase your chances of selling the product several times.

Sale of Inuk carcasses on the market

Benefits of a turkey breeding business

Breeding turkeys is a fairly profitable business that requires large investments at the initial stage. In the first few months, you will be engaged in raising the acquired young stock, which requires constant financial investments. First you need to pay for the construction of a pen, its insulation, the purchase of turkey poults, feed, electricity. In addition, you will have to pay for utilities and feed every month.

After about six months, the profit received from the sale of products will cover the initial costs. Soon, your farm will acquire a new livestock, which will bring new income. For example, if you buy 30 turkey poults and several adults at the beginning, you will receive about 150 thousand rubles after six months of work. At the same time, by increasing the number of birds, you will increase your profit.

Turkey breeding is a profitable business

Breeding turkeys on a farm is an interesting and profitable process even for an inexperienced and novice farmer. It is not difficult at all if you know the theoretical information well. Observe all the conditions of keeping, properly care for the birds, feed them on time and take care of your pets, then they will grow strong, healthy and bring you long-awaited profit.

Breeding chickens, geese, ducks has its advantages, but one chicken is not enough to feed a large group of guests with meat, but a turkey weighing under 20-30 kg will be quite enough. In addition, its dietary meat is highly nutritious and excellent taste, which is why turkey farming is becoming more and more popular among farmers: some breed these large poultry for personal consumption, others profit from the sale of meat, fluff and eggs.

Pros of growing turkeys

But no matter how good turkeys are, growing them has its difficulties and disadvantages.

If turkey meat is so healthy, why then are not everyone ready to give up the usual chickens and geese for the sake of raising turkeys? What are the pros and cons of breeding them? Does it make sense to breed these poultry on your site?

Turkey is easy to digest and does not cause allergies

First of all, it is worth noting, of course, the benefits of dietary turkey meat: low cholesterol, a large amount of important vitamins, amino acids and trace elements, turkey is easy to digest and does not cause allergies. The turkey liver is no less useful - it has a high content of useful folic acid and vitamin K.

Video about growing turkeys

You can buy a turkey in the store, but growing turkeys with your own hands, you will be sure of the complete harmlessness and freshness of their meat. If your family has pregnant or lactating women, small children, if someone from the family is engaged in hard physical labor or constantly suffers from stress and insomnia, then you should definitely start raising turkeys!

In terms of taste and dietary properties, turkey eggs rank third after quails and guinea fowls, and after turkey eggs are followed by chicken eggs. The only downside is that turkeys produce fewer eggs than chickens.

Turkeys from the age of three months quickly gain weight, outstripping chickens in this.

For those who are interested in the financial side of the issue in poultry farming, it will be interesting to know that growing a turkey pays off quickly enough and begins to bring good profits. Especially when you consider that turkey meat is more expensive than chicken meat, and is much less common on the market. In addition, turkeys gain weight quickly from the age of three months, ahead of chickens. Muscle is 60% of turkey's live weight, which is healthy white meat.

In order to make a profit, you can implement:

• turkey meat,
• eggs,
• down and feathers,
• young growth,
• small turkey poults.

In food, turkeys are unpretentious, they can be fed with fresh wet mash with vegetables and root vegetables

As for the conditions of detention, turkeys are satisfied with the same room in which chickens are usually raised, only nests for layers need to be provided for a larger size and perches must be built in such a way that 40 cm of free space is provided for each bird. The house should be light, dry and spacious.

In food, turkeys are unpretentious, they can be fed with fresh wet mash with vegetables and root crops, compound feed, hay. In the summer they are released to pastures, where turkeys feed on greenery and insects.

Cons of growing turkeys

Many poultry farmers do not take the risk of raising turkeys due to the difficulty of raising small turkeys. The risk of death of chicks at a tender age is very high. But if you know the basic rules of how to raise turkeys and care for young animals, you have nothing to fear.

Many poultry farmers do not take the risk of raising turkeys due to the difficulties in raising small turkeys.

Here's what you need to remember to keep the poultry from dying:

• try to maintain +33 degrees in the first five days of chicks' life, +27 degrees up to 10 days, +23 degrees after 11 days of turkey poultry life;
• chicks with white plumage need a higher temperature than chicks with dark plumage;
• do not allow sudden changes in temperature in the room where small turkeys live;
• when growing chicks under a brooding turkey, it is enough to maintain a temperature of about +23 degrees in the poultry house;
• before the formation of skin growths on the neck, young animals (by 5 weeks) are very sensitive to dampness - do not let the birds out into the yard when dew falls and on rainy days;
• for small turkey poults, the chopped food is poured onto thick paper so that they do not damage the beaks on a hard surface, otherwise this can lead to their death.

Small turkey poults should not be kept together with chickens and chickens, since as a result of cohabitation of turkey poults, they can become ill with enterohepatitis. Unlike chickens, turkey poults are more fearful, more susceptible to colds and do not get used to a change of environment or a change in feed. Spoiled feed can easily cause illness and death in turkeys.

Video about the content of turkeys

Water is poured to turkeys only fresh, always at room temperature. Try to design the drinker so that little turkey poults can easily reach the water, but cannot get into it. The feed should also be constantly fresh: regularly remove leftover leftovers from the feeders, cook the mash immediately before feeding so that they do not sour, do not allow moldy and musty food to enter the feed. Drinkers and feeders will need to be rinsed as they become dirty.

Growing turkeys is further complicated by the fact that they are more prone to obesity than other types of poultry. Adding more greens and grass flour to their daily diet helps to prevent obesity in turkeys, the amount of grains is reduced. Birds that are prone to obesity are made to move more.