Home turkey and features of its content

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The turkey is almost the largest poultry in the chicken family. Only the ostrich has more weight. But African giants are rarely raised here. The turkey was domesticated many centuries ago, in America. Introduced to Europe by the Spanish colonialists in the 16th century. From Spain, the bird quickly spread to neighboring countries. The old name for turkey is "Spanish chicken". In English it is called "Turkish chicken".

Home turkey and features of its content

Description of the species

In nature, there are two species - the eye turkey and the common wild turkey. The ancestor of all domestic breeds that have been bred is the wild common turkey. The appearance of birds may vary depending on varieties... But all turkeys or turkeys have common features and characteristics, here is their description:

• Males weigh 11-13 kg, pedigree broilers can reach 20-35 kg
• The weight of females is 5.5-6 kg, in meat breeds - up to 11-15 kg
• The body length of the male is 100-110 cm, that of the female is about 85 cm
• The head is small, with thin feathers or completely naked
• The beak is medium, slightly bent down, the nose is located at the base
• There are coral growths on the beak, they are much larger and longer in turkeys than in turkeys
• There is a small blue wart-like process on the forehead.
• The neck is elongated, almost without feathering.
• The chest is strong and wide
• The body is elongated
• The thighs are strong and well muscled, which allows the birds to run at speeds of up to 50 km per hour
• Plump tail
• The wings are mediocre, slightly lowered to the ground, turkeys can fly a distance of up to 150 m at a low altitude
• Lush plumage
• The color depends on the breed, there are white, black, gray, brown, bronze, marble, variegated turkeys

This species has good eyesight, sense of smell is slightly worse. The male screams loudly, the sound of his voice is not very pleasant, the Turkey rarely shows aggression. Females, especially rushing ones, enter into battle much more often. Turkeys fly well, like royal birds guinea fowlso everyone who is breeding will clip their wings. In nature, birds live for 3-4 years, at home - up to 10 years.

You can take a closer look at what a home turkey looks like in photos and videos. It is important to remember that the size, plumage and some body parameters may differ from breed to breed. a turkey is a very beautiful bird, many poultry farmers are attracted not only by productivity, but also by the decorative look of pets.

How to determine the gender of birds

How to tell the difference between a turkey and a turkey, what is the difference between them? In the first days of life, you can distinguish by the type and size of the feather. Male turkey poults have longer flight feathers on the wings, their length is exactly the same. After a couple of days, it is no longer possible to determine the gender on this basis.

Males are always the largest of females

More striking sex differences appear from the second month of life. A male domestic turkey is always larger than a turkey. In the future, its weight can be twice the weight of the turkey. The head of the male has no feathers; the females have a light downy fluff.One of the main differences is the length of the nasal process. In turkeys, it is large, sometimes descending below the breast. During the period of sexual activity, it is filled with blood and increases a couple of times, it can reach 15-20 cm.

Male and female differ in plumage. In the male it is lush and slightly loose, the tail opens like a fan. In females, feathers are thin, fit snugly to the body. At the age of 5 months, a special gland can be felt on the neck of Turkeys, like a wart or a lump. Turkeys do not have such a gland. The turkey also boasts beautiful spurs on its legs.

Turkey breeds

Domestic turkey poultry has been bred for many centuries, mainly as a meat breed. Modern broilers can weigh up to 30 kg. The turkey bears few eggs. When breeding breeds, attention was also paid to adaptability and resistance to diseases. After all, turkeys are rather delicate birds, they do not tolerate cold well. Therefore, they are suitable for growing only in a temperate and warm climatic zone.

Here are the names of some of the popular breeds:

• White broad-breasted and her hybrids
• Bronze broad-breasted
• Moscow bronze
• Moscow white
• Mountainous North Caucasian (white, bronze and silver)
• Black Tikhoretskaya
• Black steppe Kuban
• Uzbek
• Dutch white
• Beltsville White
• Norragentset
• Black norkfolk
• Red bourbon

If you go to any village, you can see local varieties there. They are unpretentious, but gain weight rather slowly. The mass of turkeys and turkeys does not exceed 11-12 kg. In an industrial setting, they prefer crosses and hybrids, the benefits of them are great. A broiler turkey can produce a lot of meat at an average feed cost. Turkey meat is very useful, recommended for children with breastfeeding or hepatitis B, with diseases of the liver, other organs of the gastrointestinal tract, with tuberculosis.

Conditions of detention

The turkey is a rather whimsical bird, sensitive to cold and dampness. Turkey poults up to 9 weeks require special care and attention. By three months they will get stronger and their content will be simpler. Turkey coop should be spacious, light and well ventilated. It is not necessary to heat it in winter, you just need to carefully caulk it.

The area of ​​the house is calculated so that no more than one and a half birds live on one square meter (2 m² for 3 turkeys). The floor is made of planks, it is raised above ground level by 15-20 cm. A litter of straw, peat, sawdust is laid on top. Its thickness should be about 10-15 cm. It is important to ensure that the litter is always dry and clean, changing as needed.

Turkeys cannot stand damp

At a height of about a meter for turkeys they arrange perches... Their dimensions are 60 × 60 × 60 cm. A small sill is made in front, about 15 cm high. Up to five females can carry in one nest. A box with wood ash is placed on the floor, in which the birds can take baths. This helps them fight off parasites. The dimensions of the box can be 125 × 80 × 25 cm. Drinking bowls and feeders are also installed in the chicken coop.

The temperature in the poultry house in summer should be within 20 degrees, in winter not lower than - 5 degrees. Lighting is provided at the rate of 2-5 W of power per 1 m². For ventilation, you can make ventilation, it has huge advantages. If it is absent, the house is regularly ventilated.

a turkey does not at all accept cellular or closed content. He needs a spacious place to walk. If it is a village, turkeys can be released into the yard or meadow. When growing in the country, an aviary is equipped. The turkey, like the guinea fowl, has not lost its ability to fly, so the fence around the enclosure should be high. There is another way out, to clip the wings of the birds. Most farmers do just that. It is important to remember that keeping turkeys together with chickens and other domestic birds is not acceptable. They can contract dangerous diseases.

Feeding turkeys

To get the maximum yield from turkey, you need to feed properly... The diet should contain a sufficient amount of protein. The main source of protein is grain, meat and bone meal or fish meal. Of the grains, wheat and barley are preferred. The turkey eats oats reluctantly, and only sprouted or soaked rye is given.

Also, the menu should include a sufficient amount of fat. Breeder birds are given 3.5-4.3% fat, before stabbing turkey poults, the amount is increased to 5-6%. Fiber in the diet of turkeys is 4-5.5%. It is very important that birds eat adequate amounts of phosphorus and calcium, especially during the growing season. Its source is meat and bone meal, chalk, crushed shells. The amount of calcium should be 1.9-2.7%, phosphorus - 0.8-1.5%.

Here is a rough description of the menu of one turkey per day that the guide provides:

• Whole grains - 120 g
• Chopped grains with herbs or yeast (grated) - 50 g
• Bran - 40 g
• Green and juicy food - 400 g
• Herbal flour - 30g
• Meat and bone flour - 5 g
• Chalk - 10 g
• Salt and gravel - 2 g

It must be remembered that a turkey can eat 30-40% more feed than a turkey. Wet mash of boiled potatoes, carrots, fodder beets, fresh kitchen waste, if there are no spices in them, will be useful for turkeys. The bird should eat them within 20 minutes so that the food does not sour. Therefore, the mash is given in small portions. In summer, green grass occupies an important place in the diet. Suitable for feeding are nettles, alfalfa, clover, beet and carrot tops.

You only need to feed the bird with fresh food.

In winter, when there is no greenery, you can feed the turkeys with silage. For its production, clover and alfalfa, chopped carrots with tops, fodder and sugar beets, corn cobs of milk ripeness are used. It is also useful for the body of birds, if you feed them in the winter with needles from pine, Christmas tree, fir. To increase egg production in spring, vitamin supplements and fish oil are added to the feed.

There must be water in the house at any time of the year. Both food and water are always given fresh. If you do not follow this rule, you can cause irreparable harm to the livestock. Turkeys will start to ache and die, it is easy to lose an entire herd in a matter of days. The birds are fed 2-3 times a day. Grain is served for breakfast and dinner, wet mash for lunch.

Breeding turkey poults

To get good offspring, you first need to properly form the breeding herd. Selection for breeding begins in the first day after the birth of chicks. The largest, active and strongest are chosen. Then additional selections are carried out at 2-3 and 6-7 months. They take into account the rate of weight gain, health, external characteristics, compliance with breed standards. There can be 6-7 females per male in a herd. Sometimes a large herd of 4-5 turkeys and 30 turkeys is formed.

Sexual maturity in females and males occurs late, by 8-9 months. The mating season for birds begins in early spring. The turkey at this time begins to behave in a special way. It lowers its wings, the corals on its beak swell, its tail fan out. The male speaks loudly, when listening to his voice and cry, he resembles a bubbling. Sometimes he is so intrusive that the owners dream at night. Turkeys rarely attack each other, females are more aggressive. Mating takes place many times, the male manages to fertilize most of the eggs.

Birds breed only up to five years, then the tribe should be replaced. A turkey makes a very good hen. She is able to raise not only her chicks, but also chickens, guinea fowls and even ducklings. The female lays approximately 50-90 eggs per year. One egg weighs 75-90 g, has a conical shape, gray speckled shell. For breeding turkey poults, they take spring material; in winter, young animals often die. If it is not possible to put eggs under the female, an incubator is used for hatching. Small chicks hatch 28-30 days after hatching begins.

Raising little chicks

Turkey poults in the first weeks are very sensitive to cold and dampness.Therefore, it is best to use a brooder for growing them at home. If special equipment is not available, a conventional heater or lamp can be used. In the early days, the temperature is maintained at 31-33 degrees, from 6 to 10 days it can be reduced to 27-29 degrees, on days 11-20 - to 24-26 degrees, from 21 to 30 days - 21-23 degrees. Two-month-old turkey poults feel great at room temperature and walk outside.

In the first three days, turkey poults are fed with a boiled egg mixed with steep porridge. From the third day, you can dilute such a mash with kefir or sour milk, add bread, finely chopped greens. Nettle, dandelion leaves, plantain, clover, alfalfa are useful for the growing organism. To prevent intestinal pathologies, young animals are fed with green onions. With intensive feeding, turkeys are given a special compound feed with 28% protein. Chicks need clean water so that they do not get sick, a little potassium permanganate or an antibiotic is added there. Turkey poults grow rapidly, already at 3 months they weigh 2.5-3 kg. The weight gain table will tell you more about this.

Turkey diseases

It is necessary to have an idea about poultry diseases

Even the most well-groomed turkey at home can get sick. Therefore, any owner needs to know the main symptoms of pathologies. If this is an industrial farm, timely diagnosis will help save the whole livestock from infections. Most often found in poultry:

• Newcastle disease. It is caused by a virus, in birds, paralysis of the limbs occurs during infection, then diarrhea joins. The duration of the disease is 1-4 days, at least 7-10 days. If sick turkeys are identified, they must be immediately slaughtered, the carcasses must be destroyed. No treatment has yet been developed to prevent injecting vaccinations.
• Respiratory mycoplasmosis. With this disease, at first the birds wheeze, sneeze, cough. Bloating or swelling then appears under the eyes. The mortality rate is not very high, but little meat is obtained from a turkey with mycoplasmosis. She is losing weight, stunted. So that the infection does not spread, sick birds are isolated, disinfection is carried out in the poultry house.
• Pullorosis. Pathology of young animals, sick little chicks lag behind in growth, weaken, they develop diarrhea. In the final stage, the turkey poults fall on their paws, hammered into a corner. The mortality rate among young stock is rather high. For prevention, it is important to monitor the cleanliness of the box with chicks, their water should always be clean, and the food should be fresh.
• Aspergillotoxicosis. Fungal turkey pathology that is transmitted with contaminated feed. It can be acute and chronic. It manifests itself with diarrhea, the turkey becomes lethargic, stunted, loses weight. It is best to kill a sick individual, disinfect the room, change the litter. Pills with bacteria, sour milk well prevent disease.
• Histosomiasis. A bacterial disease that affects the colon and liver. The main signs are orange or yellow frothy diarrhea, loss of appetite, weight loss, feather loss. Often, the disease occurs in a herd that lives in a former duck poultry house.
• Parasites. When skin parasites appear, the turkey itches and behaves restlessly. For prophylaxis, ash baths are arranged, and the poultry house can be treated with insecticides.

When the first signs of pathologies appear, you should contact your veterinarian, why risk it again. If this is a dangerous infectious disease, the whole herd should be slaughtered. Both sick and healthy birds are slaughtered. With some diseases, you can still get meat from turkey; they are not dangerous to humans. There are pathologies that can really be treated. So that the turkey does not get sick at home, you need to keep the house clean and vaccinate on time.

How to cut a carcass

You can get a lot of dietary meat from turkey. As already mentioned, this is one of the largest domestic birds.The mass of broiler carcasses reaches 20-25 kg, and a live individual can weigh more than 30 kg. The yield percentage is quite high. You can hack a turkey to death in the usual way, separating the head from the body with an ax. Electric shock jamming is practiced in factories. You can stab the bird with a sharp knife.

Cutting the carcass with your own hands does not present any particular difficulties. First, the turkey with the feathers is scalded. Sometimes it is kept in boiling water for 10-15 minutes. Then plumage is plucked out, you can use tweezers or special tweezers for this. Then the plucked carcass is placed on the table to be butchered. Cut off the paws between the tendons. The skin is cut from the anus to the sternum, and the insides are removed.

The next step is to cut off the thighs, carefully cutting the ligaments and separating the joints from the pelvic bones. The wings are cut using the same technology. The body is divided into two halves along the sternum. You can cut out the neck and separate the ribs neatly on both sides from the ridge. To cook a whole turkey, for example, stuffed in Thai or with rice, you can only gut it, not butcher it. This completes the cutting of the diet turkey. It remains to add spices, bake and serve for dinner.

How much is a turkey

Before you buy birds for breeding and rearing, it is worth choosing a breed. Broiler turkeys can quickly produce a lot of meat, but these breeds require proper feeding and special housing conditions. Otherwise, among them there is a high mortality rate, the output is lower than the declared one. Common varieties recover more slowly and have lower final weights. But they are undemanding and undemanding in content. Diet turkey meat in both cases will be very tasty and healthy.

How much does this type of domestic bird cost? Daily turkey poults cost approximately 250-350 rubles per head, depending on the breed. The price of an incubation egg is 60-90 rubles. The cost of an adult turkey is 500-1000 rubles. It happens that a turkey with turkeys or a turkey with several females is sold. Such a small herd can cost 3000-5000 rubles, depending on the number of chicks and adults.

What is the price of meat? A kilogram of turkey meat costs 350-400 rubles in wholesale stores, even more expensive at retail. In addition, beautiful decorative feathers and a small amount of eggs can be obtained from turkey. It is profitable to grow this type of poultry. Everyone who is engaged in poultry farming thinks so. A village is best for this, as a turkey requires a lot of room to walk. But if you wish, you can breed birds in the country, if the livestock is small.