Breeding turkeys: a business plan. Turkeys: breeding, growing conditions, breeds (photo)

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

The growing popularity of such an industry in poultry farming as breeding turkeys. As a business, it's quite profitable. However, you should understand everything in great detail. At home, as well as on household plots and on private large farms, turkeys, the breeding of which is not very difficult, feel great.

This bird is most valued for dietary meat, which is very juicy and tasty. Therefore, for some aspiring businessmen, growing it can turn into a great way to generate income.

Not chickens, but turkeys

The breeding of this bird began in America. There she was domesticated about ten centuries ago. The turkey bird came to Europe only in the sixteenth century, after the fourth voyage of Columbus. When this traveler landed on the American coast, he was sure that this was India. Apparently, therefore, this American large bird was named so. A turkey or turkey is a beautiful and majestic representative of birds, however, flightless.

This bird loves freedom and a lot of space. majestic and at the same timethe largest and strongest domestic representative of birds, the modern turkey (whose breeding and maintenance require certain knowledge and skills) is calmer and slower than its wild ancestors.

Description

The process of domestication of this bird led to the creation of a large number of new breeds, which differ from each other mainly in plumage color and weight.

Despite the meat orientation of turkeys, eggs, fluff and feathers are also valued. Their carcasses contain more than fifty percent of meat, about fifteen - subcutaneous fat and more than ten - internal.

Turkeys, which are not commercially bred for eggs, are characterized by rapid growth with minimal feed costs.

Bird characteristics

Like chickens, turkeys are considered big-footed. However, they do not rake the ground with their feet and do not graze like the latter. Turkeys do well in pastures and field crops, which do not damage because they do not dig anywhere with their limbs. There they run around and find suitable food.

Anatomical structure

The legs of turkeys, long and strong, are adapted to overcome fairly large distances. The structure of the legs is very interesting, especially the rapidly growing tibia, tarsus and lower leg. In the ankles of the turkey there are strong and hard bones, which make it possible to carry a large body weight, overcoming fairly long distances. The muscles on the lower leg of this bird contain a lot ofzinc, which perfectly strengthens bones and tendons. That is why its meat in the human diet is an excellent source of this element.

Breeds

There are a great many breeds of turkeys. These are white broad-breasted, and heavy Big-6, and BYuT-8, etc. Many of them were bred artificially. One of the most popular are the broad-chested white turkeys, which are believed to be native to the United States of America.

This breed is distinguished by high meat characteristics, sufficient growth rate and good egg production. However, white turkeys, whose breeding requires the creation of certain conditions, are very demanding in terms of feeding.

In this breed, experts distinguish three varieties of females: light, heavy and medium. Their main differences are reproductive qualities and meat precocity.

Another breed - the North Caucasian bronze - has been known among domestic poultry farmers for a long time. It adapts well to grazing content. The wide body of the bronze turkey is elongated, with plumage tightly attached to the body.

Breeding

Of course, turkeys are not as popular in the market as, for example, chickens, but their meat is also in high demand. Moreover, this figure is growing every year, especially in megacities.

Turkey breeding (as a business) can be started by assessing the demand for this product. The easiest way is to walk through the food markets and ask the meat departments about topicshow many birds per day they sell. In addition, it is necessary to imagine the level of competition, as well as to study the question of how turkeys are sold, the price of which is considerable. If there is already a large poultry farm in this region, then it is unlikely that it will be possible to compete with it. Therefore, it would be better to leave this venture and move on to something else. If you still decide to do this, you will need to register as a private entrepreneur and choose a system for taxation.

Premises

There are two types of growing turkeys - outdoors under a canopy and in specially equipped rooms. The first option is only suitable for residents of warm regions. In general, turkeys can withstand rather low temperature conditions without any problems - up to fifteen degrees below zero. However, it will still be better if they are kept in comfortable conditions. Therefore, a well-equipped turkey farm is the best option. This is also worth considering.

And in the summer, when the temperature outside rises to fifteen degrees and above, turkeys, the breeding and maintenance of which require certain costs, are transferred to the open air - with cages and with a canopy over them.

Livestock

A certain number of birds must be kept in each paddock. Livestock can be divided according to age. Birds that are not yet a month old are not recommended to keep more than fifteen in one cage, two - about 10, and older - about 5 individuals.

Taking into account the fact that the temperature regime shouldsupport, it is necessary to take into account not only the cost of heating, but also the maximum insulation of the walls of the room in order to be able to save at least a little in the future.

Market Analysis

Like any other type of business, turkey breeding also requires certain investments. The business plan should clearly define the types of products to be produced. It is noteworthy that there are a lot of chickens and broilers on the shelves today. There is a lot of competition in this poultry industry. Whereas the turkey in stores can be seen far from always and everywhere, which means that there is not much to compete with here. Nevertheless, a novice businessman must definitely determine a marketing strategy for his products.

The manufacturer can offer the consumer the following types of goods: eggs and offal, feathers and down and, of course, meat. You can supply products not only to the distribution network, but also to shops engaged in the manufacture of semi-finished products, to meat processing plants or sell through your own retail network.

The key to the success of a newly organized farm will largely depend on a well-written business plan. In general, according to experts, the breeding of this large poultry is different from all other types of agricultural activity: in this case, a very high payback.

The main stages of the technological process

In addition to the premises, in order to successfully grow turkeys, a novice businessman will need to take into account a number of important requirements, withoutwhich it is impossible to achieve the normal functioning of this enterprise.

The main steps of the technological process are as follows:

• Equipment of the premises with all necessary communications, such as electricity and ventilation, plumbing. In addition, heating devices must also be installed.

• Establishment of automatic water supply, and if possible, then feed: this is done in order to minimize the number of personnel working on the farm, which means significant savings in wages.

• Ensuring regular cleaning of the cages: Maintain maximum cleanliness.

• Equipping a special area for walking birds.

• The presence of a competent certified veterinarian who will constantly monitor the condition of turkeys and start treating them at the first symptoms of disease, preventing a general case.

• A selection of only high-quality food: experts recommend giving as little as possible (or even eliminating) various additives that are positioned as accelerating the growth of chicks.

Observing all these basic and very important rules, the future entrepreneur will be able to establish the normal operation of his small business, whose profile will be turkey breeding.

Where to buy young animals?

It must be purchased only in special incubators. These are either specialized large enterprises that cooperate with many farms, or small private companies that breed certain breeds.turkeys.

But despite the fact that in such private firms it is really possible to purchase high-quality livestock inexpensively, experts advise to still turn to larger breeders. This will allow us to solve in the future, when selling eggs or meat, the issue of a quality certificate and a veterinary agreement. As practice shows, it is in cooperation with such large incubators that there are fewer problems with the preparation of the relevant documentation.

It is also necessary to take into account the fact that adults differ in mass: this characteristic depends on the breed of young animals. They are subdivided into:

• light, with females weighing five and males about ten kilograms;
• medium: seven and ten respectively;
• heavy - 15 and 31 kg.

The first two varieties of birds are the most popular and in demand.

Factory equipment and feed

When starting to grow turkeys, you must first purchase a standard kit. It should include incubators and automatic drinkers, cages with feeders, heaters and lamps, as well as thermometers. All this provides normal conditions for growing turkeys. A special item in the business plan is the expense item, that is, the funds that will be used to purchase feed and mineral supplements.

The use of the most modern technologies will allow the future businessman to mechanize his production, as well as create such conditions for the life of this poultry, which will help to receive onlyhigh quality products. It is very important to think in advance about how to feed the turkeys and how to care for them. After all, both the quality of meat and the number of eggs depend on it.

But unfortunately, modern mechanized equipment is quite expensive. And this means that not every novice entrepreneur is able to afford it.

As for feed, in addition to them, turkeys need vitamins. You should not save on this component in their diet, since these birds are quite "capricious".

Therefore, when developing a business plan, special attention should be paid to the natural mortality of birds. On average, ten to fifteen percent of the heads do not survive to maturity.

Staff

To ensure the normal maintenance of turkeys, the future farmer will need to hire a livestock specialist, a veterinarian, as well as a manager, a sales manager and a driver who will have to deliver the goods to a variety of trading points. The number of workers, of course, primarily depends on the scale of activities and livestock.

Business plan

To be able to soberly assess the profitability of the opening enterprise, a novice entrepreneur needs to analyze all possible costs and incomes.

The expense item will need to include the cost of renting premises and utility bills, repairs on the future farm, salaries to employees, the purchase and installation of the necessary equipment, advertising, the purchase of feed and multivitamins, the design of the entirenecessary documentation. When calculating income in a business plan, you need to consider the average revenue and monthly profit from breeding this bird.

Conclusions

Growing turkeys is a fairly profitable business, the profitability of which is about one hundred or even one hundred and fifty percent. However, there are certain risks, for example, livestock diseases, which can cause huge losses. That is why you need to buy only high-quality young animals: a turkey, the price of which seems very profitable, may eventually turn out to be defective - sick or unsuitable for keeping. In addition, a good veterinarian must work on the farm.