Turkeys: growing and breeding at home, maintenance and care

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

Turkeys are, by far, the largest economic bird of all bred by domestic farmers. The advantages of these birds, among other things, include very rapid growth and relative unpretentiousness. Keeping turkeys in the backyard is usually profitable. But care for such a bird, of course, must be provided with the highest quality. Conditions for growing turkeys should be created as good as possible.

How to choose a breed

To keep turkeys, the owner of the household plot or the farmer will, of course, have to build a suitable barn. Also, for the bird, you will need to develop the right diet. But first of all, the farmer, of course, should decide on the most suitable breed in this particular case.

Breeding work with turkeys has been carried out for more than one century. And there are many good breeds of this bird today. For example, if desired, the owner of the household plot can bring turkeys to the farmstead:

1. Bronze broad-chested. Males of this breed are able to gain weight up to 15 kg,turkeys - up to 9 kg. Farmers usually receive up to 120 eggs per year from one such bird. Some drawback of the bronze broad-breasted is only the inability to pasture content.

2. North Caucasian bronze. Growing turkeys of this breed is beneficial because they are able to gain weight up to 14 kg. At the same time, the North Caucasian bronze bird can bring up to 80 eggs per season. Turkeys of this breed are very well adapted to grazing.
3. White broad-chested. The bird of this breed is classified into heavy, medium and light. White broad-breasted turkeys in some cases reach a weight of as much as 25 kg, females - 10 kg. A bird of this breed carries up to 120 eggs. per season.

Sometimes modern hybrids of this bird species are also grown in farms and backyards. For example, the BIG-6 turkey is very popular at the moment in Russia. The weight of such a male can reach 25 kg, females - 11 kg. Thus, a lot of meat can be obtained when growing broiler turkeys of this variety. But unfortunately, BIG-6 is somewhat more whimsical in terms of care and feeding than an ordinary thoroughbred bird.

Besides, a farmer who breeds such turkeys will not be able to get offspring from them on his own. BIG-6 males weigh so much that they cannot even cover females. Therefore, the chicks of this hybrid are usually obtained by artificial insemination.

What should be the barn

Actually, the rules for growing turkeys for meat are relatively simple. First of all, a comfortable room should be arranged for this bird. A barn intended for keeping turkeys should first of all be:

• large enough;
• clean;
• well ventilated;
• warm.

You can build a barn for turkeys, for example, from inexpensive foam concrete or make it frame-panel. In any case, the walls of such a building should be warm enough. It is completely optional to heat the turkey house. The optimal temperature for keeping this bird in the winter season is from -3-5 ° С.

Ventilation in the barn must be ensured to eliminate the possibility of dampness. In a room with stagnant air, the bird will definitely start to get sick, which will make raising turkeys for meat unprofitable and unprofitable. In a small poultry house, a pair of windows with vents will be enough to ensure high-quality ventilation. In a turkey house of a large area, it is worth making an additional supply hole in the wall and installing an exhaust hood.

Windows in the turkey house should not be brought to the south. This bird does not like heat very much. Oddly enough, even turkeys get sick more often at elevated temperatures than at low temperatures. Windows in the room for such living creatures should be done from the east or west side.

Materials for wall and floor cladding of a poultry house intended for growing turkeys at home should be chosen environmentally friendly. The walls of foam concrete in the barn should be plastered and whitewashed. floors inturkey houses are usually stuffed with wood. At the same time, softwood sawdust is placed on top of the flooring.

Turkeys are a rather shy bird. In a state of panic, under the condition of a large weight, it can easily be injured. The sawdust on the floor, therefore, in the future will become not only a heater, but also a kind of shock absorber that does not allow the bird to injure itself during the flea market.

Litter is usually not removed during the season for turkeys. To prevent infection with infectious diseases in the barn, new ones are periodically sprinkled on top of contaminated sawdust. The floor in the turkey house is usually cleaned only once per season - after the slaughter of the bird.

The area of the barn for turkeys is chosen based on the fact that one adult needs 1 m² of free space for full development. Chicks per 1 m^{2 allowed to place up to 5 pcs}

How to equip a barn

Growing turkeys, like chickens, requires the use of perches. You can make them, for example, from poles. As for chickens, the first tier of perches for turkeys is set at a height of about 80 cm from the floor. The top one should not reach the ceiling at the same distance. Horizontal perches should not be installed closer than 25 cm to the wall. Turkeys are large birds. And sitting on a perch too close to the wall will be very uncomfortable for them.

Growing turkeys at home for meat is usually the most profitable business. It is the broiler bird of this variety that farmers contain most often. Butmany breeds of turkeys, as already mentioned, are capable of carrying a rather large number of eggs. Therefore, in the barn for this bird, among other things, of course, it is worth installing a sufficiently large number of nests. You can make them, for example, from timber and plywood.

One nest is supposed to be installed for 4-5 turkeys in the house. Egg boxes knocked down from plywood and timber should be placed at a height of about 80 cm. Of course, it is best to stuff them next to the perches. In this case, it will be much more convenient for the bird to enter them.

Turkey nests should be large enough. In any case, the bird should not feel embarrassed in them. At the bottom of each box you need to put a thick layer of hay. In front, under the inlet in each nest, a bar should be stuffed to prevent the eggs from rolling out.

The success of growing broiler turkeys at home depends to a large extent, of course, on their proper feeding. Such a bird should receive food in plenty. In the turkey shed, therefore, of course, a sufficient number of feeders should also be installed. You can make such containers, for example, from tin or plywood.

It is best to place the feeders in the turkey shed in the center. This will minimize the risk of crushing and injury during feeding. As drinking bowls for turkeys, you can use, for example, old pans or, even better, heavy cast-iron ducklings. In order for the bird not to overturn such containers, they should be additionally secured with something.

Do I need an aviary?

According to the rules, when growing broiler turkeys, like chickens, it is necessary to equip a paddock next to the barn. It is best to locate such a site on the east or west side of the building. On the south side, the bird will most likely be too hot in summer. When walking on the north side, turkeys will not be able to get the amount of sunlight necessary for the production of vitamin D in their bodies. And this, in turn, can cause rickets.

Turkey paddocks are usually fenced with an inexpensive chain-link mesh. The height of the fence around the walking area should be significant - at least 2 m. It is also advisable to stretch a nylon mesh over the paddock or, for example, a metal painting one. This will protect young turkeys from the attack of a bird of prey.

In the aviary, of course, for the summer, you should also install feeders and drinkers. In addition, in walking for turkeys, it is desirable to make a light canopy. In this case, the bird will have an additional opportunity to hide in the heat from the scorching rays of the sun.

In order for the turkeys to freely enter the paddock, a wide hole should be cut in the wall of the barn. In order to prevent the entry of ferrets or foxes at night, this opening must be equipped with a secure door on hinges with a hook.

What you need to know

Turkeys are a strong, powerful bird and, moreover, quite aggressive. In a herd of such economic animals, a hierarchy is necessarily established. Keeping turkeys in the same room and walking with another bird is extremelyNot recommended. Conflicts during the division of territory with roosters or drakes can lead to the death of the latter. For turkeys, you should definitely build your own barn. Well, or at least reliably separate them from another bird. It is imperative to seat these birds, in order to avoid losses, and by age groups.

Growing broiler turkeys has one more nuance. Unfortunately, sometimes the males of this bird can also attack people. Moreover, their blows are often very painful. Therefore, the owners of the farmstead should ensure the safety of children on the site, excluding their access to the turkey house or aviary.

Among other things, at a young age, turkeys should definitely clip their wings. This bird, and this applies to both males and females, unfortunately, can fly very well. Turkeys should be trimmed with flight feathers, placing the wing on flying away in the sun. If this is not done, the females will subsequently begin to fly into fruit trees, fences, etc. Turkeys, on the other hand, can leave the site by air.

Features of diet development

Fed turkeys when growing in almost the same way as chickens. That is, they offer them concentrates - cereals, mixed fodder and greens. Little turkeys are fed cottage cheese and a chopped egg. Moreover, it is believed that the sooner food is offered to the chicks after hatching, the stronger and he althier they will subsequently grow. 3-5-day-old turkeys, in addition to eggs and cottage cheese, you can also start giving greens.

To grown-up young animals in summeralso be sure to offer fresh cut grass daily. For nutritional value, farm owners usually mix such food with wheat bran. This bird eats such food very willingly.

When growing turkeys for fattening, they are usually given only wheat or special compound feed as concentrates. In most cases, producers are offered a mixture of grain of this crop with oats and barley. Such turkeys, of course, should not be too fat. Otherwise, they will not be able to fulfill their duties to increase the herd.

How to keep turkeys

In the first days of newborn chicks of this economic bird, they are kept in boxes with a fabric bottom at a temperature of 36 ° C. It is impossible to break such a regime. It is believed that it is the thermal factor that is the basis for growing turkeys at home. Heating and lighting of boxes with newly hatched chicks should be done using incandescent lamps.

The temperature of 36 ° C when keeping turkeys is supposed to be maintained for the first 10 days. Further, it must be gradually reduced. At 1 month, chicks are kept at a temperature of +25 ° С, from two to seven months - +20 ° С.

The first two days the chicks are kept under round-the-clock coverage. Further daylight hours begin to shorten. This should be done gradually. Starting from the 20th day, daylight hours for growing broiler turkeys should be 15 hours.

Disease prevention

Most farm owners consider turkeys to be rather frail birds. Beginner farmersraising turkeys because of the case sometimes seems like a thankless task. Such birds get sick, unfortunately, quite often. However, of course, it is still possible to avoid losses when keeping such a bird.

In order to avoid a lunge, the owners of a turkey farm should take approximately the following preventive measures:

• from the first to the sixth day, turkeys need to be soldered with vitamins, for example, "Aminovital", preparing a solution at the rate of 1 pinch of the drug per liter of water;
• from 6 to 10 days, turkeys should be given "Furazolidone" in a small amount to prevent gastrointestinal diseases;
• from 15-20 days it is advisable to give the chicks "Amprolium" as a prophylactic against coccidia.

Before being released for walking, young animals should definitely be offered ASD-2 in order to avoid the development of fungal diseases. 40-day-old turkeys are given Metronidazole. This medicine is a good means of preventing histomonosis. The bird should be given a solution of this remedy, prepared from 4 tablets per liter of water, for 4 days. Such preventive maintenance is essential. It is precisely because of histomonosis that turkeys in private farms, unfortunately, die most often.

Egg incubation

Growing turkeys at home for beginner farmers can seem rather complicated. But with strict adherence to the technology of keeping such a bird, even the most inexperienced poultry breeder will be able to succeed in this business in any case. Moreover, even a novice farmer can breed such a bird in the backyard.

Turkeys of many modern breeds are able to incubate and nurse chicks themselves. However, most often, farmers, of course, increase the livestock in the farmstead with the help of an incubator. Raising turkey chicks artificially is usually no more difficult than chicks.

For a good fertility of eggs in a farmstead for 5 females, 1 male is usually left. In order for the bird to want to breed, daylight hours in the barn are extended to 14 hours. So that the turkeys do not have the instinct of incubation, they try to remove the eggs from the nests on time.

Incubators for breeding the chicks of this bird use in most cases ordinary chicken. Eggs are chosen for breeding turkeys:

• clean;
• no shell defects;
• with a shell with frequent speckles;
• correct form.

Do not use for incubation eggs with green or blue spots, spherical, excessively elongated, too small or large. The size of all selected eggs should be approximately the same. Otherwise, the hatchability of the chicks will not be very good.

It is allowed to lay in the incubator no later than 10 days after the eggs are laid. At the same time, eggs should be stored in a room with an air temperature of 8-12 ° C and a humidity of about 80%. Do not leave them in direct sunlight.

The artificial rearing of poults looks something like this:

• From the 1st to the 8th day, the eggs are kept at a temperature of 37.7-38 ° C and humidity - 55-65%. At the same time, they are turned over 6 times a day.
• From 8th to 14th daythe temperature is reduced to 37.6 ° C, and humidity - up to 45-55%. The number of revolutions is saved. At the same time, the eggs begin to air 1-2 times a day for 10 minutes.
• From day 15 to day 25, the temperature is maintained around 37.5 ° C, humidity - 55%. The number of coups is reduced to 4. Air the eggs during this period 4 times a day for 10 minutes

At the final stage of incubation, the temperature is reduced to 37.2 °C, and the humidity is increased to 70%. Turning and airing turkey eggs in the last days is not necessary.

Slaughter Rules

What are the conditions for growing turkeys, we thus found out. But what is the right way to slaughter such a bird? The main method of killing turkeys, like chickens, is a sharp separation of the head from the body. The jugular vein, located about 3 cm below the ear, should be cut in the individual at slaughter. After slaughter, it is advisable to hang the bird upside down for some time. Before plucking, the carcass is scalded with boiling water. After cutting, the meat is first allowed to cool for several hours and only after that it is placed in the freezer.

Turkeys are usually slaughtered at the age of 4 months. Starting from this time, the bird consumes a lot of feed and at the same time slowly gains weight.