Correct cultivation of turkeys at home
Turkeys are colorful, dignified birds that were tamed by man many centuries ago and they moved to the European continent from the American one. The ancestor of these birds was distinguished by considerable activity and was completely different from modern stately and self-confident large birds. Under the influence of the selection selection of the Turkey, many promising breeds were bred, which differ from each other only in the mass and color of the feathers. Growing turkeys is now gaining popularity around the world. To grow domestic turkeys, you need to know all the rules for the care and maintenance of birds.
Correct cultivation of turkeys at home
With the proper approach, even a few birds can generate a small income. Many farmers do industrial turkey business, supply meat, eggs to the market or raise young animals for sale.
At home, for beginners, it is possible to grow turkeys from scratch, the main thing is to approach this issue responsibly and calculate the profitability. Farming several cross can be done if you rent a plot and make several poultry houses. Before raising turkeys, you should study the full description of bird breeds, as well as watch photos and videos about all aspects of nutrition and maintenance. The price of a turkey starts from $ 5 for individuals, if translated into rubles, it will turn out to be about 300 rubles. How much a turkey costs, you need to look specifically in your region and take into account other features of the young.
Benefits of farming turkeys on a farm
An adult turkey grows quickly and gains weight, poultry it is distinguished by high taste and dietary qualities, has all the necessary components. A turkey carcass contains more than half the weight of meat, with the rest being fat, bones and entrails. Turkey eggs and colored feathers are highly prized. Poultry droppings become the strongest organic fertilizer - a flock of turkeys can fertilize fields better than any chemical fertilizers and does not accumulate in the human body.
For some people, raising turkey poults at home does not seem very profitable. Of course, keeping such large birds requires some effort, knowledge and useful skills. Some breeders find it difficult to raise poults and think that poults will die because they cannot adapt to a different habitat. But, fully providing all the necessary conditions for the living of turkeys, you can be sure that the most inexperienced owner will completely preserve his own livestock. Particularly vulnerable people need the most care turkeys up to the first month life, they need more attention and care than adult birds.
There is no need to worry that the chicks will get sick - timely treatment and vaccinations against especially dangerous infections will prevent diseases of small turkeys and prevent them from dying.Pay attention to balanced nutrition and recommended nutritional supplements, which will lead to rapid growth and weight gain in chicks. So, they will grow significantly in a short time, and will soon become adult birds. Special recommendations for breeding turkeys allow you to resolve any disputes and ensure the good development of young animals by following simple recommendations.
Choosing a turkey breed
At home, mostly grow meat varieties birds. One such popular variety is the broad-breasted white. These are most often individuals of heavy crosses, which from the first month begin to actively gain weight. The weight of an adult male ranges from 25 kg, a turkey weighs about 11 kg. Another meat breed is the turkey variety Big-6... This breed is considered early maturing and by 3 months it can weigh 5 kg. From egg directions, you can choose such a variety as a chiton. the breed is undemanding for breeding and is suitable for novice farmers.
The chiton breed can produce about 100 eggs per year. Very beautiful plumage in a variety of turkeys, bronze broad-breasted. Many farmers start such an egg breed solely because of the pretty feather color. The bronze broad-breasted gives an average of 70 eggs per year. Egg breed white Moscow looks like a variety of big turkeys. The egg production of the Moscow breed is 105 eggs per year. birds adapt well to various temperature fluctuations and easily adapt to new living conditions. Moderately whimsical and suitable for novice breeders.
Special habitat for turkeys
Where to start breeding turkeys and care from the first month, in order to raise young animals without loss. the peculiarity of growing is that all the secrets lie in determining how the birds will be raised, and where they will be kept - it depends on the nature of the habitat and the goals of breeding the birds. Depending on them, there are different techniques for keeping turkeys. Such techniques are determined even before they begin to organize and build a poultry house.
Growing turkeys at home in an extensive way involves only growing young animals in the warm season - in the spring they are grown indoors, and until slaughter in an open pasture. the turkeys are provided with shelter from the rain - this canopy also serves them as an overnight stay. To use this method of breeding, it should be remembered that breeding 1000 individuals requires 4 hectares of land, which will not require additional fertilization when they will be cultivated next year.
Growing features depend on the breed
The outdoor method of keeping in a poultry house is quite common on farms, but provided that it is additionally insulated, it is equipped with enough light and spacious, and well ventilated. A place for walking birds must be attached to the poultry house. The cages contain small birds, young individuals and females that sit on eggs. They are equipped with tiers in the room, the corral is heated and provided with good ventilation.
Place for rearing young animals
For young animals, in particular, they equip a box, a small corral, or a spacious cage - the air in them should not stagnate in order to exclude the appearance of all sorts of ailments. Shavings are poured onto the surface of the habitat, and mandatory reusable ventilation is provided because the chicks have a very negative attitude to unpleasant odors and musty air. The temperature regime is at least 37 degrees, but as the chicks grow up, it constantly decreases.
Stable lighting and regular litter changes are essential. The bird's habitat is provided with all the necessary equipment and the presence of a heating device, a thermometer, which records the temperature. Although wild turkeys can withstand temperatures up to minus 15 degrees.In order to prevent poultry from freezing, the temperature regime is made at least 17 degrees, and turkeys should be provided with a heat of at least 32 degrees.
Growing turkeys
Sometimes, novice farmers wonder whether it is worth keeping different types of birds in one place to save space and how to raise turkeys in this case? Veterinarians advise to refrain from this step because different species of birds are prone to different infections, and their transfer from one breed to another can dramatically increase number of diseases... In the event that you still have to keep different species of birds together, you need to build a fence in the room.
To grow turkeys at home to be productive, you should adhere to the following rules
- Establish a special microclimate in the house. For turkeys of the first month of life, moisture is inserted about 75%, and later at least 60%. To reduce the heating fee, the house should be thoroughly insulated, because individuals do not perceive sharp temperature fluctuations well and begin to get sick.
- Provide adequate lighting in the poultry houses - if there is not much light, the poults will simply not be able to find their own food. Adequate nutrition also has a positive effect on the physiological condition, weight gain and productivity of the bird. And when the turkeys reach the age of one and a half months, it is enough to provide them with daylight hours for 8 hours, and the rest of the time they will rest.
- In order for turkey poults to grow strong and healthy, they need to provide full and regular nutrition... Their food should be fortified with supplements and vitamins, and green food is often given in summer.
- The nature of young birds should also be taken into account - like people, they can become depressed, and some individuals have a quarrelsome character and start fights all the time. The fighters themselves, their neighbors in the poultry house, often suffer from conflicts in the poultry house - squabbles can even affect their health.
- You should know that birds should be separated by age, and not kept in one pen more than it should be according to the standards for keeping individuals. Up to a month of life, no more than 15 individuals should be kept in one cage, from two months no more than 5-10 birds.
- turkey poults should be provided with a full-fledged food, while do not immediately change the usual food ration - they negatively tolerate changes in food quality and may refuse food offered that they do not like.
- The key to healthy turkey poultry is good food, clean water, cleaned poultry house and fresh air.
For equipping perches, they are fixed at a height of at least 80 cm, and they should lag behind each other by at least 40 cm so that the birds do not interfere with each other. Up to seven days of age, river sand should be used as bedding, and later that age, straw is used. It is poured over with boiling water for disinfection and dries well; such a bedding is replaced once every 7 days. If the litter is made of sawdust, then their layer should be at least 9-15 cm, and it itself should be without indentations in order to prevent the chicks from falling.
Until the age of five days, only soft feeders are used, from where turkeys with immature beaks can eat. For this, you can use a cloth. In addition to ensuring external conditions, attention should be paid to the chicks themselves, they should be mobile and keep well on their feet, their umbilical cord should be healed, and the fluff should be clean - choosing such chicks, you can be sure that they will grow up healthy and strong birds.
How to feed the birds?
How to raise turkey poults so that they always feel comfortable? To ensure a quick weight gain and growing of all turkeys, you should know what to feed the turkeys at home. To get healthy meat and eggs, you need to purposefully choose the diet of young animals. All components must be present in it. In the diet of turkey poults, cereals and legumes should be present - they should make up about 70% of the total feed.Fish, cottage cheese, herbs and potatoes are used as food additives, which are added immediately before serving and in small quantities. small turkeys are fed 7 times a day, and older ones 4 times a day.
Adult turkeys are fed 3 times a day - in the morning or in the afternoon they are given herbal mixtures and herbs, at the end of the day, grain. The compound feed is mixed with herbs and given in a combined form. During the warmer months, turkey poults are grazed in the open, and greens are an excellent addition to the diet and a source of minerals and vitamins. Regular walks will help the bird to cope better and it will not grow fat. In the cold season, animal fats are added to the diet, which includes vitamins A and E, and to avoid vitamin deficiencies, farmers make brooms from branches and simply hang them in the house, or grind and add to feed. The diet includes green hay and occasionally the poults are fed sauerkraut.
The diet of turkey poults includes the following components
- Legumes and cereals.
- Soy branches and cake.
- Meat, bone, blood and fish flour.
- Fir or pine needles.
You should know that during the mating season, the appetite is disturbed in birds, and their cries are heard throughout the street. In order not to lose weight gain, males can be fed with cottage cheese, fresh herbs and grains can be added. turkeys are fed with yeast and sprouted grains to increase the number of eggs. birds are watered with water at a comfortable temperature, which is changed every five hours, several times a week they are watered with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Drinking bowls and feeders should be cleaned and wiped dry, they are not exposed to the sun, but only in the shade. turkey poults receive oat flakes, corn flour and milk powder as complementary foods - gravel is poured into a separate bowl for them.
How to raise young turkeys at home? It is better not to place chicks together with individuals of other species of birds and you always need to keep clean and tidy and regularly change the litter. To raise small turkey poults, there is a technology, when choosing chicks, they pay attention to their activity and well-groomed appearance.
It should be remembered, although there is a lot of trouble with small chicks, you just need to regularly feed and give clean water, which is why they provide rapid weight gain and care will be easier. Often, turkey breeding starts as a hobby, and then it becomes a source of stable income and even a whole industry appears - it is only important to know all the intricacies of turkey breeding in a backyard and how best to raise daily turkeys from the first day. Having useful information, you can correctly calculate whether it is profitable or not, what kind of breeding scheme is there. With the right calculations, you can make good money on breeding turkeys.