Turkeys are simple. Home breeding of turkeys

Every day, organic products are becoming more and more popular - vegetables grown in the garden, homemade milk, eggs and meat. For this reason, there is a growing interest in breeding poultry, which is able to provide a family with healthy meat, eggs, and also generate income from the sale of young animals, fluff and fertilizer.

In more detail we will talk about breeding turkeys. Consider the positive, negative sides and difficulties that you may encounter.

Having decided to breed turkeys, you need to understand that this activity requires a lot of time and effort. But it can also bring good income. After all, an adult individual reaches a weight of 5 to 35 kilograms. And this significantly exceeds the weight of other poultry.

Breeding turkeys at home for beginners can be a very profitable business. After all, competition in the sales market is still small.

The bird quickly gains weight, so it is ideal for slaughter. But in egg production, they lose to chickens.

Breeding, keeping and caring for turkeys at home, which we will consider in this article, have valuable meat. It is in great demand for the following reasons:

• Low cholesterol.
• High content of amino acids, vitamins and microelements necessary for the body.
• Easily digestible, does not contain harmful fats and is considered dietary. It is recommended to use it for gastrointestinal dysfunctions.

Regular consumption of turkey meat can enrich the body with vitamins of group K and folic acid. It is recommended to use it for insomnia, problems with the nervous system.

As for turkey eggs, they are also much healthier than chicken eggs. Also, they are larger.
Breeding turkeys for meat or for eggs has another positive side - this is that they are not whimsical to living conditions. But do not assume that the bird will live in a dirty, poorly ventilated area.

Negative sides and possible difficulties

Adult turkeys are quite large, resistant to many diseases, and do not require special attention. But with newborn turkeys, everything is much more complicated. Quite often you can face their death. And the reason, as a rule, lies in the fact that they are grown under the wrong conditions.


In order for the cultivation of turkeys at home to be effective, it is necessary to pay attention to the following issues:

• Correct temperature. During the first 5 days of the life of the young, it should be at a temperature of 33 degrees. In the next 5 days, the temperature drops to 27 degrees. And starting from the 11th day, the temperature regime is maintained at 23 degrees. Sharp fluctuations in temperature negatively affect their health.
• No contact with moisture and dampness. This rule should be followed at least until the bird reaches 5 weeks of age. It is during this period that skin growths form on their necks.
• Security. Very often, the cause of the death of a bird can be damage to the beak. To avoid this, it is recommended to cover the place where the food is poured with soft material (cardboard is suitable).

Features of keeping and breeding turkeys at home include finding them separately from other poultry.

This is due to the fact that the young are very painful. In addition, it develops more slowly than other bird species, and therefore it adapts to the conditions in which it lives, much more difficult.

It is also necessary to control that the turkey poults do not get wet. At the same time, clean and moderately warm water should always be in the cage or room.

Another disadvantage is the obesity of the bird. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor what she eats (offer more greens, minimize grain intake) and how much she moves during the day.

Conditions for keeping

Breeding turkeys should begin with the preparation of the premises where the bird will be. And in order for turkey poults and adults to be healthy, not to disappear, to develop correctly and grow quickly, it is necessary to provide them the necessary conditions. We will talk about them in more detail.

Indoor microclimate

The poultry house should be spacious and clean. The bird should not be cramped, cold or hot in it. Therefore, you need to take care of the following nuances:

• Temperature regime.

In what mode should the young animals be, it was mentioned above. As for adults, they are not so susceptible to temperature fluctuations. But this does not mean that this issue should not be given attention.

AT winter time the allowable temperature in the house is +10 degrees. If the temperature is below the permissible norm, you should think about warming the room with heaters or improvised materials (straw).

AT summer time on the contrary, it is recommended to make minimal flooring in the house so that the bird does not overheat. After all, this can cause her pain.

• Humidity level.

Too dry or wet air can lead to respiratory problems. It can also cause loss of plumage. Therefore, the humidity level in the house should be within 65%.

• Ventilation.

Regular airing of the poultry house, supply fresh air helps prevent dampness. This procedure is especially important in the summer or when keeping a large number of birds in a small area.

You need to take this into account at the stage of building the house, equipping it with windows. Their placement must be correct. Otherwise, such ventilation can provoke a draft. And he is able to shake the health of the bird, especially the fragile young.

• Lighting.

The poultry house should be lit for 14 hours a day. Therefore, it must be equipped with additional lighting fixtures. This will speed up the achievement of puberty by the young and will have a positive effect on the egg production of the bird.

Territory for the female

In the poultry house should be allocated separate place for females. In order for them to lay eggs, it should be equipped with comfortable nests. Moreover, the convenience should be both for the bird and for you, in order to easily reach the laid eggs.

It is best to make the nest in a remote corner of the house, where there is a minimum amount of light. So the female will feel comfortable. As practice shows, one nest is enough for 5 females.

You need to think about nests in advance. They are recommended to be done at a distance of 30 centimeters from the floor. If the area of ​​​​the house is small, nests can be made in several tiers.

poultry house requirements

Breeding and raising turkeys provides another requirement for the poultry house. It should be quite spacious. The bird should not be crowded.

It must be equipped with perches, manholes and containers filled with ash and sand. The condition of the material used should be checked regularly and should always be dry. Do not forget about the presence of feeders and drinkers, which we will talk about a little later.

paddock

Breeding turkeys for meat at home involves not only the construction of a poultry house, but also the availability of space where they could walk. After all, this poultry is very fond of walking. It should be noted that they tend to run fast and even take off, overcoming obstacles.


Walking brings living creatures benefit. This is a great opportunity to diversify their diet while reducing financial costs. After all, the bird independently obtains its own food in the form of greenery.

In order to protect the living creatures, it is necessary to take a place where she could walk.

But it should be noted that this bird loves a lot of space. And in order for her not to leave the territory allotted to her, it would be good to enclose her with a net.

The walking area can be dotted with grass and various plants. This will become a shelter on hot summer days, because in the shade the bird can hide. Also on the territory you can install a container with sand. In this case, it will be possible to refuse to install it in the house.

Nutrition

For home breeding turkeys (for slaughter), receiving eggs or selling young animals, it is important to know how to properly feed them. Improper nutrition, lack of essential trace elements and vitamins in the diet will lead to soreness of the bird.

The main food consumed by newborn turkey poults and adult birds is compound feed. In addition to it, sour-milk products and boiled eggs should be present in the diet.

• Wheat and corn grains.
• Feed yeast.
• Cooking salt.
• Limestone, shells.
• Flour (herbal, fish, bone).

Having touched on the topic of nutrition, a related question immediately arises - how to equip a poultry house with feeders and drinkers? This is not difficult to do, especially if you have previously dealt with breeding chickens.

Feeders and drinkers for turkeys are no different from chicken ones. They can be made from a gutter or trough. The only thing to consider is convenience. Birds must have access to a feeder.

In addition to feeders, there should be drinkers in the house. It is better to fix them to one of the walls at the level of the neck of the turkeys. This is necessary so that they can reach the water at any time without turning the container over. After all, dampness and moisture up to 5 months of age are not recommended for them.

Regularly you need to make sure that the water in the drinkers is clean. If we are talking about small turkeys, then it should be slightly warmed up.

What breed to choose

Having equipped the poultry house and creating the necessary conditions for keeping living creatures, you can proceed to the next stage - choosing the breed and method of breeding turkeys. As you know, breeding poultry can be done in two ways:

• Incubator.
• Mother hen.

If you plan to breed a bird in a small amount, especially for your family, then it is better to get 2-3 females. Each of them will be able to incubate about 15 eggs at a time.

This method has one advantage - after the appearance of the young, the hen will look after him. But in the case of using an incubator, you will have to do this. But even here there are advantages - high hatchability. At one time, many more eggs can be laid in the incubator chamber than in the case of a hen. But this option is more suitable for mass breeding of turkeys.

What breed of turkeys is optimal for home breeding:

• North Caucasian bronze - individuals gain weight from 7 to 18 kilograms (depending on gender). They are adapted to independently search for food. One turkey can lay about 100 eggs in a year.
• White broad-breasted - females begin to lay eggs from 9 months of age. Annual egg production can reach 125 eggs.
• Bronze broad-breasted - characterized by high egg production. Live weight can reach 18 kilograms.
• Moscow white, bronze - these breeds begin to lay eggs from the age of 6 months. In a year, the number of eggs laid by one female can reach 100 pieces. Live weight ranges from 7 to 13 kilograms.

Which breeds are the best for a beginner poultry breeder can decide for himself, given the original purpose of breeding this bird.

Important care points

Each poultry farmer has his own secrets that he uses in the process of breeding turkeys and growing them. But they are based, as a rule, on the fact that the bird needs to be looked after, to provide it with the necessary nutrition. What else to consider:

• Before settling turkey poults in the poultry house, it must be disinfected. This will help eliminate the appearance and spread of bacteria or viruses that can interfere with raising a healthy bird. From time to time, this procedure must be repeated.
• Every day you need to set aside time and observe the living creatures. If any deviations in the behavior of at least one individual are detected, you should contact your veterinarian as soon as possible.
• The poultry house must maintain all the conditions mentioned earlier. Special attention given to cleanliness. Regular cleaning of the poultry house, especially feeders and drinkers, as well as areas where individuals are walking, should be carried out.

Among all domestic turkeys, it is the turkeys that gain weight the fastest, and their eggs and meat are valued for their high palatability. That is why raising turkeys at home is considered economically profitable direction Agriculture.

Features of breeding adult birds and young at home for beginners are described in this article. You will learn how to properly maintain and feed livestock, as well as what breeds are best to choose for breeding for meat.

To grow turkeys at home, a novice poultry farmer needs to take into account several important points: conditions of detention, rules of care and feeding features.

In general, turkeys are considered unpretentious birds. They are kept in conventional insulated poultry houses with ventilation, and green grass, grain mixtures and compound feed can be used for feeding.

Peculiarities

Growing turkeys at home for beginners has some features. Firstly, a poultry house with windows, perches and nests is equipped for birds. If the birds will be in it in the winter, the room is insulated. Summer shelter can be made not so reliable. The main thing is that there are no drafts inside (Figure 1).

Secondly, you need to provide for a paddock where the turkeys will be during the day. The paddock is fenced with a net and feeders and drinkers are placed on its territory.

Figure 1. Keeping turkeys in summer and winter

Third, care must be taken interior arrangement poultry house. Perches are installed in it at a height of 50-60 cm from the floor, and nests for laying hens are placed in the corners. Separately, a small corral is equipped for keeping females with young animals.

Conditions

Growing turkeys requires compliance with certain conditions, which mainly relate to the microclimate inside the house.

Among the conditions for growing turkeys at home for beginners, there are(picture 2):

• Temperature in winter should not fall below zero, and in summer - rise above 22 degrees. To do this, arrange supply and exhaust ventilation, insulate the building and equip it with supply and exhaust ventilation.
• Poultry floor covered with a layer of straw or sawdust. The bedding is changed two or three times a week, as it is damp. flooring can cause colds in birds.
• The herd contains both females and males.. As a rule, there should be 5-8 females per male. In the case of keeping several families with males, they equip separate poultry houses with paddocks.

Figure 2. The content of turkeys in cages and on the range

The forage base also plays an important role. Turkeys willingly eat grain mixtures with bran, wet mixers and fresh greens. The diet must include mineral supplements (chalk, shell, limestone and table salt) and feed of animal origin (fish and meat and bone meal, dairy products and meat waste).

Staged cultivation of turkeys

There are several stages in the cultivation of turkeys. First of all, you need to breed or buy young animals.

Note: Novice poultry farmers are recommended to buy already grown young at the age of 3-4 months. Such chicks are already prepared for the diet of adult birds and quickly gain weight.

Previously purchased young animals can be raised and kept for further replenishment of the herd. To do this, collect eggs and lay them under a layer or in an incubator. Turkey poults will hatch in 27-28 days. In the first few days they are kept in a special brooder, where they maintain a stable temperature. For feeding use a boiled egg with chopped herbs.

Gradually, the chicks are transferred to an adult diet, giving out wet mash and crushed grain. Starting from the age of four months, the birds actively increase their live weight and after about a year they can be sent for slaughter. This condition applies mainly to females, since their egg production significantly decreases over the year. Males are sent for slaughter 5-6 years after hatching or if there are serious external defects.

Growing methods

Turkeys can be raised outdoors or in cages. Both methods have both advantages and some disadvantages.

Possible difficulties

The main difficulties in growing turkeys are associated with breeding young animals. Adults tolerate cold well and are unpretentious in feed. But turkey poults are very sensitive to temperature and feed quality.

Note: It often happens that newborn turkeys die from cold or poisoning. Therefore, they are kept in special brooders, and the quality of feed is strictly controlled.

Due to the high risk of death of the young, many poultry farmers prefer to buy already grown 4-month-old young. Such birds are already quite strong and accustomed to adult food, so their cultivation is not a problem.

Growing turkeys at home: video

To better understand the features of growing turkeys, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the video. In it you will find all the necessary information about the maintenance, care and feeding of birds.

Growing turkeys at home for beginners

Turkeys have a well-developed incubation instinct, therefore, in household plots it is advisable to use this natural method of breeding young animals. In addition, adult turkeys not only hatch chicks, but also teach them to drink, eat, take care of them during walks and protect them from enemies.

Peculiarities

The room in which the young animals will be kept must be dry, with good ventilation and optimal temperature conditions.

Since turkey poults are very sensitive to temperature, it is necessary to keep the house warm at all times, and the temperature depends on the age of the chicks:

• From the first to the fourth day after hatching - 35-37 degrees;
• Up to 10 days - 30-35 degrees;
• From 11 to 15 - no more than 29 degrees;
• At the age of 16-20 days in the room for turkeys, the temperature should reach 25-27 degrees;
• On the 21-25th day, the optimal temperature regime should be kept at an indicator of 24-25 degrees;
• Until the 30th day, turkeys are transferred to a temperature of no more than 23 degrees.

If it is impossible to provide the required temperature in a natural way (for example, in cool weather), household heaters or electric lamps are used for heating. Figure 3 shows a drawing for making a cage for turkeys with your own hands.

Figure 3. Drawing and photo of a cage for keeping turkeys. Designations in the drawing: 1 - perch, 2 - litter box, 3 - feeder, 4 - drinker, 5 - nest, 6 - gravel feeder, 7 - vestibule, 8 - paddock

All inventory must be treated with blowtorches and disinfectant solutions to prevent diseases. Near the house, you should also equip a special fenced area for walking - a solarium.

The floor of the house is sprinkled with sawdust, straw or peat, but in the first few days after the transfer of young animals, the litter should be covered with paper so that the turkeys do not eat it. Sheets of paper are removed only after the chicks learn to eat from the feeder on their own.

Methodology

Turkey poults, unlike adults, are very demanding on feed. In order to grow healthy and productive young animals, it is necessary to form a varied diet rich in fiber. Figure 4 shows brooder options for keeping turkeys.

Figure 4. Brooder options for keeping turkeys

This feature is explained by the fact that turkeys and adult turkeys have a different structure of the digestive tract. In particular, chicks have longer intestines, and therefore food in the digestive organs lingers longer.

That is why the use of low-quality, contaminated or sour feed by young animals leads to blockage of the intestines. Later, pathogenic microorganisms begin to develop in the digestive organs, which can lead to the death of the bird. However, in the first few weeks of growing (up to a month of age), it is also not recommended to abuse supersaturated diets with fiber (straw, hay, overgrown grass), since such products lead to intestinal blockage.

Feeding frequency also plays an important role.:

• Up to 10 days, turkeys are fed up to 9 times a day, gradually reducing the frequency;
• Already at the age of one month, the chicks eat six times a day;
• When turkeys are two months old, the frequency of feeding is 4 times a day.

It is necessary to distribute food with a strict time interval for the full growth and development of young animals. The largest part of the diet should be protein and fortified food. Various dairy products also serve as good food for turkey poults: skimmed cottage cheese, high-quality yogurt, buttermilk and powdered milk (Figure 5).

In the first days after hatching, turkeys are fed with boiled eggs mixed with finely ground corn, oatmeal or wheat groats (the ratio is 1: 4). After that, the proportion of cereals and eggs is made uniform.

From the third to the tenth day of life, turkeys are recommended to be fed with the following product ratio in:

• 68 percent wheat or corn flour;
• 10 percent wheat bran;
• 10 percent boiled eggs(hard boiled);
• 10 percent fresh cottage cheese;
• Two percent chalk or shells.

All of these ingredients should be evenly mixed in a wet mixer. Supplement feeding should be high quality yogurt, which is poured into a drinking bowl.

Figure 5. The main types of feed for turkeys

then fresh chopped greens are introduced into the mash, first half of the mass, gradually increasing the proportion. You can use nettle, clover, alfalfa and green onions. However, onions should only be given during the daytime. Despite the fact that this product helps prevent many diseases, it makes turkeys thirsty.

When the chicks reach the age of ten, their diet changes and becomes the following (figures are given as a percentage):

• Corn and oatmeal - 30 each;
• Wheat bran - 20;
• Cottage cheese - 16;
• Ground chalk - 2;
• Bone meal - 1;
• Table salt - 0.5.

Oatmeal must be sifted before being added to a wet mash. Also, fresh chopped greens are added to the feed (the mass should be half the weight of the mash). The basis for a wet mash should be high-quality milk or yogurt.

A special role in the development of young animals is played by mineral feed (chalk, shells, bone meal). They are included in the diet from the age of four. Mineral feeds can be mixed into flour or given in separate feeders (Figure 6).

Note: Important! Do not give turkey poults stale feed or products with mold, especially those of animal origin. It should also be borne in mind that turkey poults are very demanding on the conditions of keeping and feeding: they do not tolerate low temperatures and change of feed. Therefore, in the first days of life, the chicks must be attracted to the feeders, sprinkling the food and water with chopped herbs, and the feeders should be placed so that the young can freely approach them.

Figure 6 Important elements diet for turkeys: 1 - chopped cereals, 2 - green fodder, 3 - bone meal

Water should only be fresh and at room temperature, and the design of the drinker should be designed so that the chicks freely reach the water, but cannot climb into it (Figure 7).

Wet mash should always be fresh, so it is recommended to prepare them immediately before feeding, and after it, carefully remove all food residues. In order not to provoke illness and death of young animals, feeders and drinkers must be periodically cleaned of food residues.

Figure 7. Drinker options for turkey poults

Figure 8 shows several options for young feeders that can be made at home from improvised materials. It is not allowed to keep turkeys together with other birds, as this can cause enterohepatitis.

Growing turkeys at home: video

Young animals immediately after hatching are best kept in special closed brooders, since it is easier to create an optimal microclimate for turkey poults in them. Recommendations for keeping turkeys at home are given in the video.

Growing turkeys for meat at home

Turkeys are large birds, and with the right selection of breed, up to 30 kg of meat can be obtained from one individual. But in order for the cultivation of turkeys for meat at home to be successful, some features of the process must be taken into account.

First of all, you need to choose the right breed.

Figure 8. Types of homemade turkey feeders

It is better to give preference to large crosses (for example, Big-6), which are distinguished by low egg production, but quickly gain weight.

What is needed for this

Growing turkeys for meat at home for beginners involves the correct selection of individuals. To do this, strong and healthy individuals are selected, which are placed in a brooder with a stable temperature and humidity.

It is necessary to take care of the optimal microclimate of the poultry house. It should be warm, but there should be a constant supply of fresh air. Turkey poults are very sensitive to poisonous gases, and at an increased content they can die.

Figure 9. An example diet for fattening turkeys for meat

In addition, it is necessary to ensure the correct lighting regime by extending the lighting regime with lamps. You also need to take care of the quality of feed (Figure 9). This requirement applies to both young and adults. For fattening for meat, it is better to use special feed industrial production. They are balanced in nutrients and vitamins. You can make compound feed yourself, using several types of crushed grain and mineral supplements for this.

What breeds are best suited

Suitable for fattening meat breeds turkeys or big crosses. These breeds include the white broad-breasted and the Big-6 cross.

These breeds were bred by breeders specifically for fattening for meat. Birds quickly gain weight, and the slaughter yield is several tens of kilograms.

Rules and features

Growing meat breeds of turkeys does not have significant differences from other species. Birds also require walking and a balanced diet.

Figure 10. Features of keeping turkey poults and turkeys of the Big-6 cross

Since birds gain weight quickly, wet mash and grain feeds are most often used to feed them (Figure 10). Many poultry farmers prefer industrial feed. But this feeding option has a significant drawback - high cost and high consumption of ready-made feed. Therefore, compound feeds are often prepared with their own hands, using crushed grain with mineral supplements.

Big-6 turkeys: growing at home

Growing Big-6 turkeys at home is considered one of the most profitable, as the birds quickly gain a lot of weight and do not require special conditions.

At the same time, you should know some of the rules and features of breeding this heavy cross, so that the slaughter yield is high with minimal labor.

Technology of growing turkeys of heavy cross-country Big-6

The technology of growing these birds is in many ways similar to breeding chickens. For them, you need to build a poultry house with a range and equip it in accordance with the physiology of birds.

Breeding Big-6 turkeys includes the following steps:

• In winter, the house should be warm: at least 15 degrees. For this purpose, the room is insulated and heating devices are installed.
• Sharp fluctuations in temperature should not be allowed, as individuals catch cold easily. Therefore, both in summer and in winter, the temperature in the room should be approximately the same.
• Lamps are installed in the poultry house to extend daylight hours and increase the productivity of birds.
• The floor is covered with a thick layer of bedding, which is changed twice a week.

Secrets of growing turkeys at home

Big-6 turkey poults are raised in the same way as other chicks. In the first week they are kept in a special box, a brooder, in which they maintain a stable temperature and light regime. The floor is covered with a soft cloth, and the food is poured onto a cardboard box.

Note: Newborn turkey poults have soft beaks and can be easily injured by the hard material of the feeder. Therefore, soft and dense cardboard is used for feeding.

Clean water is poured into a separate container and changed regularly. On the first day, a boiled egg with chopped herbs is used for feeding, and then special compound feeds are gradually introduced.

Growing conditions for turkeys

The main condition for growing turkeys at home, which beginner poultry farmers should take into account, is to maintain a stable temperature and humidity regime.

Turkeys are very sensitive to sudden changes in temperature. This condition is especially true for the Big-6 breed. Even adults can catch a cold in winter or overheat in summer, and turkey poults die if the growing conditions are not observed.

Turkey poults Big-6: growing at home

Growing Big-6 poults at home is not difficult if you know the main features of their maintenance and feeding.

In terms of feed, the chicks of this cross do not differ from the chicks of other breeds, but are more sensitive to the regime of keeping. Therefore, it is recommended to build strong and reliable poultry houses, or to purchase already grown chicks in specialized farms.

Peculiarities

Big-6 poults grow quickly, and since they are most often bred for slaughter for meat, it makes sense to use industrial-scale compound feed for feeding.

Ready-made feeds are more expensive than homemade ones, and their consumption is quite high. Therefore, many poultry farmers prepare feed on their own. To do this, it is enough to place several types of grain (corn, wheat, oats, barley, etc.) into the crusher, combine the resulting mixture with a small amount of table salt and meat and bone meal and give to birds in dry form or as wet mash prepared with milk or yogurt.

Technology

Technologically, the process of growing Big-6 turkeys does not differ from other breeds. For them, poultry houses with perches and nests are also built, and a fenced paddock is equipped on the street.

More attention should be paid to feeding. Since the birds grow quickly and are heavy, their feed intake is quite high. Turkey poults begin to be transferred to feeding with compound feed within a few weeks after hatching.

Adults must be released for walking. So they get the opportunity to independently find fortified food and insects, which will be an excellent addition to the diet and help the birds gain weight faster. At the same time, obesity should not be allowed, and 7-10 days before slaughter, fishmeal and similar products are excluded from the diet so that the meat does not acquire an unpleasant aftertaste.

Growing conditions

The main condition for growing is to ensure stable temperature regime. To reduce the temperature in summer, supply and exhaust ventilation and active ventilation are used, and in winter, heaters are turned on.

The productivity of birds is also seriously affected by the length of daylight hours. In winter, lamps are turned on in the house to extend daylight hours to 16 hours.

Broiler turkeys: growing at home

Broiler turkeys are beneficial in that they gain much more weight with a standard feeding ration. These breeds appeared relatively recently, and were bred by crossing various local breeds.

Despite the fact that birds practically do not require special conditions for keeping and feeding, there are still some nuances in their breeding.

Conditions for keeping broiler turkeys

Features of the conditions for growing broiler turkeys at home primarily relate to young animals. In the first three weeks of life, the chicks are kept on a deep litter. For feeding use special feed.

Note: Since turkeys quickly gain weight, a period in which chicks can catch a cold and die.

At the same time, even adults are considered quite sensitive to the conditions of detention. The advantage should be given to cage culture, since in this case the birds get more free space and quickly gain the desired weight.

The best breeds (characteristics and distinctive qualities)

There are a lot of broiler turkeys. The Big-6 large cross is considered the most popular, but there are other breeds that are less whimsical to growing conditions.

Among the popular types of broiler turkeys, there are(picture 11):

1. Canadian broad-breasted was bred by breeders. Birds are characterized by high productivity and precocity. The weight of turkeys already in a month and a half can reach 5 kg, and after 3 months they are completely ready for slaughter.
2. White broad-breasted was also selectively bred. Slaughter weight can reach 25 kg. At the same time, females are distinguished by high egg production. The breed is demanding on the quality of feed.
3. Moscow bronze differs not only in high meat productivity, but also in beautiful plumage. The weight of one-year-old males exceeds 12 kg, and females are distinguished by high egg productivity.

Peculiarities

The most common mistake when fattening broiler turkeys is to include too fatty feed in the diet. In this case, turkeys not only gain weight, but also quickly get fat. This negatively affects the health of birds and the quality of their meat.

Figure 11. The main breeds of broiler turkeys: 1 - Canadian broad-breasted, 2 - white broad-breasted, 3 - Moscow bronze

The diet of broiler turkeys should be balanced in terms of key indicators. Birds are given wet mash and dry grain mixtures, pouring them into different feeders. Mixers are given out several times a day, after cleaning them of food residues. Grain mixtures are poured constantly, as they are eaten by birds. Green fodder is given in limited quantities. The diet must be supplemented with mineral supplements, however, fish waste, fish oil or meal is completely excluded from the diet a week before slaughter so that the meat does not acquire an unpleasant aftertaste.

Pros and cons of growing

Since turkey poults are very sensitive to the conditions of feeding and keeping, the possibility of developing all kinds of diseases should be foreseen in advance and appropriate precautions should be taken. Figure 12 shows the signs of the most common diseases in young turkeys.

The propensity of young animals to the disease is considered the main disadvantage of raising birds.:

• Pullorosis (white diarrhea) develops if the young were obtained from a sick bird or kept with adult turkeys. In the presence of the first signs of the disease, a sick bird, regardless of age, is sent for slaughter.
• Pasteurellosis (cholera) represents infection, which develops in an acute form and leads to significant losses among birds. In order to prevent the development of cholera, it is required to strictly observe sanitary and hygienic standards and regularly disinfect premises for keeping birds.
• Paratyphoid affects mainly turkeys in the first three months of life. For prevention, it is necessary to keep the premises clean and give turkey poults 3-4 mg of furazolidone per head.
• Infectious sinusitis (runny nose) characterized by an inflammatory process in the subocular cavities with the accumulation of purulent contents. A lack of vitamins A and D in the diet, as well as keeping too many turkeys in one room, can provoke the disease. Antibiotics (furazolidone, streptomycin) are used for treatment. For prevention, it is necessary to fully feed the young, keep the birds at the optimum temperature and regularly walk in the fresh air.
• Histaminosis(the disease is also called "black head"). This disease affects the liver and caecum. Mostly young individuals from two weeks to three months are ill. As a preventive measure, young animals are fed furazolidone from the third day of life.
• Candidiasis characterized by liquid stools with an admixture of blood.
• Trichomoniasis- disease of the liver and intestines in turkeys. For prevention, chicks are given a solution of Trichopolum (20 mg per liter of water) once every two weeks from the third to the eighth day of life.
• Aspergillosis caused by fungal microflora and affects the respiratory tract. To prevent the development of the disease, young animals should be kept in warm and dry rooms and should not be fed moldy feed.

Figure 12. Diseases of turkeys: 1 - pullorosis, 2 - pasteurellosis, 3 - infectious sinusitis, 4 - histaminosis

In addition, turkeys are prone to pecking (cannibalism), which indicates an insufficient content of vitamins, minerals and protein in the diet. That is why young animals need to be fed with complete, balanced and protein-rich feeds, beak trimmed for turkey poults at an early age and too aggressive individuals sent for slaughter.

However, despite certain difficulties, raising turkeys is considered economically viable. Firstly, this is due to the benefits of turkey meat. It contains practically no cholesterol, but contains many vitamins and nutrients.

Secondly, turkey eggs are also considered very tasty and healthy, and in terms of properties they are second only to quail eggs.

In addition, local breeds of turkeys are unpretentious to the conditions of keeping and feeding. Certain difficulties can arise only when breeding broiler hybrids.

Growing broiler turkeys at home: video

To grow broiler turkeys, some features of their content should be taken into account. Since these species require certain conditions in feeding and growing, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the video, which shows in detail how to feed broiler turkeys.

Raise turkeys in a cage

However, raising turkeys in cages has several important advantages. First, the birds do not need to change their litter frequently. Secondly, feed consumption is significantly reduced, while the birds are steadily gaining weight. However, it should be taken into account that given type content is only suitable for small breeds.

Peculiarities

The main nuances of the cellular content are(picture 13):

• Choose only light breeds of birds that will feel comfortable in the limited space of the cage;
• Males are kept separately, one at a time. This allows them to maintain their fertility and reduce the risk of injury;
• Mostly bunk cages are used. This significantly saves space and makes it easier to care for the birds.

In addition, with a cellular content, birds gain weight faster. But this feature applies only to adults, since young animals in cages grow much more slowly than when kept on a paddock.

Growing turkeys on the run

Figure 13. Drawing and photo of cages for turkeys

Feeders and drinkers are placed on the walking area, in which wet mixers, grain mixtures and mineral supplements are laid out during the day. Despite the fact that aviary maintenance requires a large space, it is considered beneficial, since birds can independently search for food for themselves, actively develop and multiply, and reach slaughter weight faster.

The turkey can be considered one of the most interesting views birds bred in households. Their meat is distinguished by simply magnificent high palatability and is considered dietary. at home can have its own nuances and difficulties.

For example, much easier. However, you can get much more meat from one turkey than from a rooster.

In order to breed turkeys, you can, of course, use an incubator. However, no one can cope with this task better than a hen. Growing turkeys at home begins with preparing a nest for her. Making it is easy enough. To do this, you need 2 bars 10 x 10 and hay. The nest is made in the corner of the shed. Bars are stuffed on the floor and the resulting niche is covered with hay.

It is better to lay eggs under the hen in the evening. At this time, when a person appears, she does not worry and does not jump off the nest. Turkeys are very caring mothers and do an excellent job of hatching, turning eggs when necessary for better heating.

The chicks hatch around day 28. They begin to come out from under the hen only on the second - third.

Growing turkeys at home is different in that the first 14 days of life they require increased attention. Feed them at this time you need at least seven times a day. To do this, use millet, eggs, mashed cottage cheese. It is very good to give babies finely chopped herbs, the taste of which is bitter. This will prevent bowel dysfunction. Water must be changed at least two to three times a day.

Preservation optimal temperature is very important point in such a difficult matter as raising turkeys at home. Directly at the floor, it should be at least 26 degrees Celsius. Also, you can not pour into drinkers cold water. Only water at room temperature can be used. In addition, the drinkers themselves should not be too deep. A wet turkey will definitely get sick, and curing these birds is very problematic.

As they grow older, the diet is made more varied and the number of feedings is reduced. For grown up turkeys, 3-4 meals a day will be enough. However, during this period, it is imperative to monitor the condition of the chicks. If one of them sits with closed eyes and drooping wings for a long time, this may mean that his stomach hurts. You can cure such a turkey by putting a small pea of ​​ordinary unscented black pepper in its beak deeper.

The process is quite responsible. Adult birds in the winter period 2 times a day impose a mash (greens, bran) and once a grain. During the breeding season, that is, in summer, the number of feedings is increased up to four times. At the same time, both grain and mash are given 2 times each. Particular attention must be paid to feeding turkeys. They are very sensitive to vitamin deficiencies. Therefore, appropriate preparations must be added to the feed.

Growing turkeys at home is not an easy task. However, by showing maximum attention to the chicks, especially in the first fourteen days, you can do absolutely without any losses.

Eating turkey, human body receives more protein than when eating another type of bird. Meat contains iron and useful minerals, which are sometimes not enough for a person.

The best quality is the meat of a six-month-old turkey. Only a fairly experienced poultry breeder can grow a young individual. If you have been breeding and keeping turkeys not so long ago, then after reading all the recommendations for care and feeding, you can gain skills in farming and realize your plans for raising poultry at home.

Turkey breeding rules

It is better for beginner poultry farmers to have middle-aged turkeys, the maintenance of such birds is easier. Having reached four months, the chicks become stronger and better take root in a new environment for them.

The probability of death at this age decreases. By purchasing a batch of turkeys that are four months old, the farmer will be able to grow them with little or no wastage.

In the presence of adults, farmers have a desire to grow a turkey from birth, from an egg. This will require females and males.

For every ten females, one adult male is enough. In such conditions, the turkey will be comfortable and he will feel his importance among the turkeys.

If available in one pen more females per male, he may not be able to cope with the task of high-quality fertilization, which brings the desired eggs to the poultry farmer.

A turkey sits on eggs for up to twenty-eight days. To do this, the eggs are placed in special perches or nests, where the female certain time incubates them.

Remove extra eggs!

If the turkey first laid a large number of eggs, then it is better to reduce their number, leaving a few pieces.

Define required amount the size of the female will help. She should sit on the eggs, completely capturing them under her body. Sticking out from under it is better to pick up and use as needed. On average, one turkey at home can hatch up to seventeen eggs.

Let's make a perch!

When equipping a perch with a nest, it is necessary to put a layer of earth on the bottom, not exceeding three centimeters. Next, a layer of well-dried straw is laid.

The nests are set up in a poultry house in a remote area. dark place. During incubation, the turkey should not be disturbed by other individuals nearby. The nest for the convenience of the bird is located on the ground.

Nearby it is necessary to put a feeder and a drinking bowl so that the female can get enough of it without leaving the eggs. Such content is sure to bring a positive effect.

rearing chicks

Do not rush to take the eggs from the female and try to keep them in the artificial conditions of the incubator. Turkeys are not stupid birds at all.

Females are excellent mothers, capable of achieving the birth of beautiful chicks by hatching. With special care and care, the females incubate the eggs, and then they do an excellent job of caring for the hatched chicks.

Often, while incubating eggs, the female forgets to eat, completely surrendering to the process of motherhood. If you notice that this is happening, don't wait for the bird to completely weaken and lose its strength, move food and water closer to it.

An experienced turkey, unlike a young one, can grow more turkey poults at a time at home.

If the perches of two individuals are nearby, then they can change places, or one of them will hatch all the eggs for two. After hatching, the female will accept foreign chicks in the first day of their life.

At the request of the poultry breeder, turkey chicks can be planted from the incubator to the hatched chicks, the further maintenance of the chicks will be no different.

Rules for keeping turkeys

Birds are practically unpretentious. They can live in conditions where the climate in winter reaches minus fifteen degrees Celsius. However, it is better to insulate their houses and give the turkeys a little more care so that they grow up healthy and large.

Dampness is unacceptable in the poultry house. In winter, it is necessary to keep the noses of turkeys warm. Having warmed the houses where they winter, do not forget to lay a warm bedding.

When allocating space for walking and when building a poultry house at home, take into account the large size and heavy weight of the bird. For walks, overnight stays and full development, it needs sufficient space. For one bird, it is desirable to allocate one square meter outdoors in paddocks and buildings.

What are perches made of?

Perches are made of dry, strong wood. Their width is from seven centimeters, height up to ten centimeters.

Wooden blocks are located up to eighty centimeters from the floor of the house and at a distance of sixty centimeters from each other. For each individual, up to forty centimeters are allocated per perch.

Walking is good for the bird!

Turkeys are prone to obesity. Such meat is not of high quality. So that a lot of fat does not accumulate in the bird in the summer, it must be on a walk all day.

In winter, in dry weather, drive the bird out of the house twice a day. Walking in the cold season should not exceed one hour. Keeping in cold conditions is unacceptable!

Rules for caring for young individuals

It is difficult to raise a turkey at home from birth, but unlike other birds, turkeys are strong and have a higher survival rate than ducks, chickens and geese.

Enough to give the bird proper care and mortality at a young age will be minimized, and adults will delight farmers with their appearance and weight.

A warm, dry room is allocated for rearing chicks. After hatching from eggs, it is enough to place the babies in a cardboard box and try to keep it warm. In winter, the chicks are brought into the house and placed near the heaters, controlling them every hour. external state.

Temperature in the box should not be higher or lower than thirty-six degrees Celsius. This is the optimal indicator for the full growth and development of chicks, and most importantly for their survival. The box must have lighting. The light does not turn off twenty-four hours a day.

For the first few days, little turkeys are fed eight times a day so that they grow up healthy and strong. For proper nutrition of chicks in the first five days of their life, it is enough to boil hard-boiled chicken eggs, grind them to a homogeneous mass and mix with grated cereals.

Before reaching one month, the diet is transferred to small cereals with the addition of greens. Lettuce, nettle or clover are good for feeding.

AT locality you can purchase specialized compound feed, which is subdivided according to the months of life of the chicks and has in its composition a balanced complex of nutrients, vitamins and minerals that are necessary for proper development and growth of turkeys.

The chicks that were left to live with the female mother are under her care until they are six weeks old. Then they can be separated and transferred to a complete diet intended for adult birds. At this age, they begin to sell the chicks or leave them to grow at home.

The diet of adult turkeys

By choosing the right diet for the full development of the bird, you can achieve its rapid growth, good health and improve meat quality. For better digestion, turkeys are given combined food.

It consists of a dry daily ration, germinated seeds and grains, as well as dry and wet mashes. In the warm season, when grass sprouts, turkeys are released for walking, where they eat fresh herbs.

If there is a field nearby, then after the annual harvest, the bird can be released to graze there. In order for turkeys to grow properly and develop well at home in the winter, when there is no greenery at all, they need to introduce complementary foods in the form of chopped beets and carrots.

You can also give finely chopped cabbage. The daily diet of greens should not be less than two hundred grams per bird head.

Grain - the main feed:

The main elements of the daily diet of turkeys are grains. Experienced farmers and poultry farmers know that in order for the turkey to grow and receive the necessary vitamins and useful elements, it is better to give cereals sprouted for food.

During breeding and incubation of eggs, females are fed up to five times a day. The rest of the time, three meals a day is enough.

In order for turkey meat to be enriched necessary elements, and the bird did not gain much fat at home, it is better to feed it with wet food. For a late dinner, dry cereals can be given.

Poultry diseases and treatments

Any animal with the right content can be warned against diseases, it is enough just to take proper care of it.

Cleanliness is the key to health!

In turkeys, the immune system drops sharply if they are kept in unsanitary conditions. They are subject viral diseases and infectious diseases.

Prevention of poultry from disease at home

• When feeding a bird, watch the composition of the food. Moldy and old grains should not come across in food.
• The poultry house must be frequently ventilated, sprayed with specialized disinfectants while the turkeys are on the run. Hydrated lime can be used as an antiseptic.
• Perches should be clean, feeders and drinkers washed.
• Content in a draft is prohibited.
• The temperature should not fall below minus fifteen degrees.
• It is necessary to conduct scheduled inspections of the bird, assess its external condition and behavior. If necessary, novice poultry farmers call veterinarians-ornithologists to the house to carry out therapeutic and preventive measures.

Attention! Danger!

One sick bird can infect all neighbors, so it is necessary to follow disease prevention measures and carefully monitor the condition of turkeys.

The main diseases among turkeys are:

1. Respiratory mycoplasmosis. This disease begins during low temperatures. The bird develops a runny nose, which is transmitted from individual to individual. Symptoms include lacrimation and inflammation around the eyes and nose. Chicks are removed from the poultry house, and farmers try to cure adult birds. Turkeys are prescribed antibiotic therapy, the mucous membranes are smeared with tetracycline ointments.
2. Avian tuberculosis. This is one of the most severe and serious diseases among turkeys and other representatives of the bird family. It affects not only the upper respiratory tract, but also internal organs. The disease is caused by a tubercle bacillus that enters the body of a bird through contaminated drinking and water, as well as when hygiene is not observed while caring for a bird. Symptomatic features include apathy for food, deterioration in the appearance of the bird. The disease cannot be treated, therefore, in order to prevent the disease from spreading to other individuals, the sick bird is removed from the house, and the perches are processed.
3. Histomonosis. This disease affects a bird of any age, which was moved to the poultry house, after a long period of keeping chickens, geese and ducks in it. After that, they did not carry out sanitization. The disease progresses sharply in the internal organs. Affects the intestinal mucosa, liver and leads to inflammatory process in the rectum. Symptomatic features include diarrhea in the form of foam mixed with greenery. In appearance, the bird becomes apathetic, polluted from behind, and does not show interest in food. If symptoms are present, sick birds are removed. Sanitization is carried out in the poultry house. Sick and healthy birds are mixed with furazolidone, which helps to cope with the disease. After a full recovery, it is necessary to maintain cleanliness in the house.
4. Worm infestations. This disease affects not only turkeys, but also other types of birds. Worms appear frequently. Infection occurs through the soil. Pest damage comes from within. They make their way not only into the gastrointestinal tract, but also into the upper respiratory tract. The symptomatic picture shows the apathetic state of turkeys and a sharp loss in weight. On the basis of the decline immune system secondary infection may join. Treatment is difficult because initial stage The disease has no clinical manifestations. The best thing to do is to take preventive measures. It is also necessary to treat the poultry house, and give the animals phenothiazine with feed.

In Russia, no one is working on growing turkeys big number farmers. But, this business is quite profitable and relevant, and you can earn decent financial capital on it without any special costs and problems.

The most important advantages are the ability to quickly recoup your investment, as well as the huge demand for meat. Let's look at all the main aspects of such a business, analyze its intricacies, and find out how to start making money on breeding turkeys yourself.

How profitable is breeding turkeys at home

Turkeys are a fast growing breed. Therefore, already at the age of six months, they gain a lot of weight, and they can already be prepared for sale. The demand for the meat of this bird among the population of our country will only increase. The last factor is due to the fact that turkey meat is eaten by people leading healthy lifestyle life, and their number is constantly growing today. Turkey is recommended to eat by many reputable nutritionists and doctors.

The turkey itself is very juicy, but not greasy. This product is delicious, especially eggs. Turkey meat contains a lot of necessary substances for our body - iron, protein, amino acids, etc. Meat is especially useful for children, the elderly, and also for those who suffer from diseases of the digestive tract.

Pros and cons of breeding turkeys

Like all businesses, turkey farming has its pros and cons.

Business Benefits

• everyone who breeds this bird for sale not only receives financial benefits, but can always eat healthy, dietary, and very tasty meat;
• turkey eggs are much tastier and healthier than chicken eggs;
• growing turkey is a profitable, very profitable, and quickly payback business that brings a stable high income;
• turkey is much more expensive than chicken;
• turkeys are unpretentious in care, and can eat almost all types of feed;
• in summer, a bird can even eat ordinary grass and some insects.

Business Disadvantages

• among young birds, a fairly high mortality is observed;
• turkeys must be vaccinated, hence the additional costs;
• turkeys incubate some eggs.

The most popular breeds for breeding

Most best option– purchase of young animals on farms that have proven themselves well. Of course, you can buy birds from individuals, but only from those who offer healthy, hardy individuals. The success of the business depends on the right choice of young animals.

There are both meat breeds and egg breeds on the market. Therefore, you first need to decide for what purpose you will grow these birds:

• breeding for meat for sale;
• sale of eggs;
• sale of young animals.

Meat breeds of turkeys

As a rule, farmers breed broiler turkeys for sale for meat. Here are the most popular ones:

1. White broad-breasted.
2. BIG-6.
3. BAT-8.

Egg breeds of turkeys

These individuals can also grow to be quite large sizes, therefore, they can also be sold for meat:

1. Virginskaya.
2. BIG-9.
3. Universal.
4. Hation.
5. Bronze broad-breasted.
6. White Moscow.

Egg-meat breeds of turkeys

This is the most profitable solution for farmers. Such birds have a high percentage of meat, and high egg production:

1. Black Tikhoretskaya.
2. Fawn.
3. Canadian bronze.

How to properly care for turkeys

The issue of caring for young animals should be approached very carefully. At the beginning of life, the bird needs to provide a warm, dry room. Normal will do cardboard box of the required size.

In this temporary dwelling, the temperature environment should be at a level of 35 degrees. Moreover, it must have good lighting. As soon as the chicks grow up a little, they can be “sent” to a common chicken coop. At first, the hens will need to be protected from the grown young.

Requirements for the premises

According to the experience of professional farmers, certain requirements are put forward for a turkey house. This will help increase the comfort of growing, and, as it should, increase the profitability of the business.

So, to make a comfortable home for turkeys, you need:

1. Decide on the size of the room. It is correct to count like this - at least 1 per 2 square meters. for 2 individuals. If possible, it is best to create such conditions that each turkey is allocated one "square";
2. After arranging the room, you need to check what temperature it is. In summer there should be at least 20 degrees, in winter - at least 5;
3. Set the lighting correctly. As a rule, a 60-watt light bulb will be enough for a comfortable stay for birds;
4. Do high-quality ventilation to minimize dampness;
5. Based on the number of birds, equip perches. One perch per bird. The distance between them must be at least half a meter;
6. Correctly adjust the height of the perches. It should be approximately 75-90 cm from the floor, width - 10 cm, height - 10 cm.

Good to know! If your pen contains all individuals at the same time, then such a flock should consist of no more than 5 hens per turkey. Otherwise, not all turkeys will be covered.

Walking turkeys - is it necessary?

Turkeys tend to be prone to obesity. Therefore, they need to be outside for quite a long time and walk. During the walk, the turkey will eat healthy food, look for worms, beetles, eat greens, seeds, nuts.

Most perfect place for walks in the summer - on dry land, with green grass, and shrubs. Also, it is very important that there is a shadow, so that the turkey can find it, hiding from the heat.

To organize turkey walks, they can create special enclosures. Feeders should be placed in them, filling them with oats and barley, and constantly monitoring the purity of the water.

It is very important to take turkeys outside during the winter. You can take them out for 4-5 hours, but not in very windy weather. The walking area can be covered with ordinary straw so that the bird does not frostbite its paws. In the same place, you need to scatter food to make it easier to lure the bird out into the street. If there are a lot of goals, then they should be divided into separate “subgroups”. Each of them should have one bird - a male.

Meat fattening of young animals at home

Starting from 4 months, birds begin to be fattened so that they gain as much body weight as possible. August-September are considered the months of enhanced feeding. It is carried out on the free range of birds, and consists of three meals a day. In the diet, basically, cereals should be present.

How to properly fatten turkeys

In the case of limited walks, meals are divided into 4-5 times. The “menu” should consist of a mixture of: cottage cheese, flour, greens, egg waste, boiled potatoes, beets, legumes, sprouted grains, meat waste.

Wet food is prepared from:

• 10 g of milk;
• 100 g flour.

In order for the bird to have a good appetite, it can be increased with the help of yeast and malted food, as well as from steamed grains.

Diet

Malted food should be prepared as follows: 1 kg. flour mixture is poured 2 l. boiled water, mixed, and after 3 hours all other ingredients are added, and mixed until loose.

Yeast food is prepared: 50 g of fresh baking yeast is taken, dissolved in boiling water. Then about 15 kg is added there. flour mixture. Then the mixture is sent to infuse throughout the day.

Feeding should continue more than an hour. Then all the remnants of food are removed, and greens and waste from plants are poured out for the birds. Chalk with shells is distributed into separate containers in the chicken coop.

Of the grains, farmers most often give turkeys barley or oats. Before feeding, the grain must be soaked, and then poured onto pre-equipped racks with a layer of 10 cm. If it is summer outside and the temperature exceeds 25 degrees, then the grain should germinate in a couple of days.

What if the birds don't get bigger? The next month, they are no longer allowed outside, and left in a room with poor lighting. They are fed with compound feed, protein supplements, and give a mash twice a day.

To achieve the maximum result, one turkey should eat at least a kilogram of compound feed per day, and if you count together with the mash, then about 1.5 kg for each healthy bird.

Forced fattening

It often happens that you need to resort to a measure of forced fattening of young animals. Pellets, dumplings, dumplings from various flour mixtures are forcibly introduced into the bird's beak. The dough, at the same time, should be kneaded with milk or a mixture of barley, oats, flour, bran.

Feeding is carried out twice a day in 3 doses. After the bird has eaten everything, they give her greens. The spools should be about 7 cm long and 2 cm thick.

To feed a bird, you need to pick it up, open its beak, and put food into it. Then you need to press a little on the lower part of the neck so that the food passes into the crop. It is important to ensure that the latter is not overcrowded.

How to breed turkeys at home

Turkeys are usually propagated by two methods:

1. Incubator.
2. Natural, with the help of turkeys.

Both methods show high performance. But, each has its own subtleties and nuances, which you definitely need to know about. Also, they have their pros and cons, based on which you should choose your own.

So, using the incubator method, you can simultaneously breed a huge number of chicks. If you approach the process correctly, then hatchability can reach all 100%. But, the farmer, at the same time, will have to personally take care of the young, since he will not have hens. And in order to achieve good results, you have to work hard.

Mother hens are excellent at hatching chicks. But, at a time, the female is not able to hatch more than 15-17 eggs. Moreover, it often happens that chicks simply do not hatch from some eggs. But, with this method, you do not have to constantly look after your flock, but it will not work to greatly increase the number of chicks.

So, based on all of the above, it is worth concluding that for home breeding of turkey, it is best to use the incubator method if you need to breed a large number of individuals. But, if you decide to breed these birds for personal use, then a couple of hens will be enough to constantly have tasty and healthy meat on your table.

More about methods

Turkeys have excellent maternal instincts. They hatch, and try to fully preserve their offspring. Moreover, sometimes it happens that they take care of their cubs so much that they even forget to eat. If this happens, then the farmers forcefully remove the mother from the nest and take her to the feeder.

While the turkey is eating, you need to carefully inspect the eggs for damage - dents, scratches, etc. After hatching, the turkeys should be immediately placed near the turkey and kept near it for 1.5-2 months.

On your farm, you can also use the incubator method. Eggs that will be used within its framework must be taken from under the brood hen and transferred to the incubator for storage.

Eggs are located on a special tray with a sharp top down - this way you can seriously save space. After placing the eggs in the incubator, the chicks should hatch around the 29-30th day. Until the 23rd day, each egg must be turned at least 12 times a day so that they warm up as evenly as possible.

How to feed turkeys for normal development

In order for turkey poults to grow normally on a farm, you need to take their diet seriously. As a rule, farmers use a combined menu to diversify their diet. Germinated grains, wet and dry mixers are used.

In spring and autumn, birds need to be walked so that they can eat greens. Vitamins are used as top dressings: beets and cabbage, chopped carrots are added to food. Food is also recommended to be given along with steamed greens.

The optimal diet for tasty meat

Turkeys are very fond of oats, a variety of grains, barley, which must first be germinated. In the breeding period, birds need to be fed 5-6 times a day, in other periods - only three times.

In the morning and daytime, turkeys need to be fed with wet food, in the evening - dry. To make turkey meat as tasty as possible, professional farmers advise planning the diet in such a way that it contains as much juicy food as possible, and gradually reduce the number of grains.

The smallest individuals need to be fed at least 8 times - this will allow them to grow strong, healthy, and tasty. As soon as the chicks hatch, for three days they need to be given dry cereal, which is mixed with eggs.

Until the age of one month, birds need cereals, which are mixed with all kinds of greens: salads, cabbage, clover, nettles. You can also use ready-made combined feeds that contain all the most important trace elements.

Feeding at puberty

Puberty occurs in turkeys after reaching 8-10 months of age. Females can already lay eggs from 10 months. During this period, you need to monitor your herd as closely as possible - give them food at least five times a day.

In the winter period of the year, they need to be fed with soaked grain-based food, finely chopped carrots, and also grass flour. On warm days, the emphasis in feeding should be placed on grain mixed with fresh herbs.

Birds that have matured for sexual relations must be fed with yeast mixtures mixed with carrots, cottage cheese, herbs, and grains. Adults should be given: 100 g of cottage cheese, 30 g of carrots, 90 g of greens, 10 g of yeast.

Good to know! On average, the weight of one turkey egg varies between 60-100 grams. This figure is much higher than that of laying hens. Moreover, the shell of turkey eggs is not light or brownish, but pockmarked.

Growing turkeys for meat

When growing these birds, in order to obtain meat for further sale, hybrid breeds are used - turkeys, which were specially bred by crossing. Chicks should be bought weighing at least 70-100 grams, and they must be taken from the incubator no more than 8 hours ago.

The best practice for rearing birds for slaughter, which is used by many of our farmers, means that the young should be constantly kept in cages, until the onset of eight weeks of age. Only then can they be taken out to the chicken coop.

Young growth must be constantly fed with various fortified supplements, compound feed. Feeding should be carried out approximately 9 times a day, but gradually it should be reduced to 3-4 times a day.

Regarding the rest of the care points, all the rules are completely similar to the methods and schemes described above. It is recommended to kill birds after they are 15 weeks old (females) and 23 weeks old (males).

Frequent diseases of farm turkeys

Turkeys have diseases that can be transmitted from individual to individual, as well as a number of diseases that they can “pick up” from other animals. To a greater extent, they are provoked by a variety of infections and viruses, and most often they can be prevented.

Farmers identify some of the most dangerous and common turkey diseases:

• respiratory mycoplasmosis. It is a runny nose, which is provoked by too much humidity in the chicken coop. Also, it can be caused by improper or insufficient nutrition;
• tuberculosis. One of the most dangerous. It affects the upper parts of the respiratory system, the lungs, and some other organs. Can be transmitted to birds through contaminated water or eggs, through excessively soiled bedding or farm equipment;
• damage to the caecum. The disease "operates" in the organs of the digestive tract. This disease affects those individuals who were placed in an uncleaned room where geese or chickens previously lived;
• histomonosis - defeat by worms. The most common disease that harms not only the digestive organs, but also respiratory system. Infection is made through water, soil, or from other sick birds;
• smallpox. Incurable disease. A bird that has died must be burned. Turkeys become infected with it from chickens, during contact with another sick individual, through water. Often, smallpox is transmitted to an animal through sick insects.

So that turkeys do not get sick, you need to constantly feed your pets with exclusively proven food. Also, they need to provide a favorable habitat in the flock, always clean the drinkers, and conduct a systematic inspection of living creatures. These precautions will help you avoid the major diseases described above.

Breeding turkeys as a business

Cash investments

If you are just a beginner entrepreneur, then at first you will need to purchase young animals. In the case when you want to build a "turkey" business, and you have a minimum capital, then it will be enough to buy 30 pieces of young stock in the spring. All together they will cost you about 5 thousand rubles.

If you competently approach the matter, and follow all the rules described above, then in your suburban mini-farm until the end of summer there will be a flock of individuals, 16-18 kg each. each. Half of them can be sent for meat. The demand for it will be guaranteed, as this product is very popular among our citizens.

The entire remaining brood should be left to form the parent flock. To save on fortified feed, you need to equip a platform where the bird will take walks.

The biggest expenses that you have to make are the purchase of materials, and the construction of a poultry house. For 40 pieces you will need a room of 80 square meters. m. If you build such a building from scratch, then the project will cost about 500 thousand rubles.

Profit and payback

You will feel the first profit six months after starting the business. It is at this age that the turkey will weigh about 15-20 kg. If you sell 10 pcs. 400 rubles per kilogram, then the net income will be 50 thousand rubles. (minus 10,000 rubles of expenses). Then you need to buy a new young stock (about 4 thousand), and the proceeds from the first sale will be 20 thousand rubles.

In the future, you will only have to spend money on buying new turkeys. One is able to consistently produce 15-20 chicks. Then you grow them and sell them - again you will get a good profit. Moreover, there will definitely be several females in the offspring, and in the future you will not have to buy them in addition.

When you see that the time has come to expand, you will have to build new premises for posterity. Therefore, it is worthwhile to purchase a large plot for your farm in advance. And then your markets will be buyers who purchase meat, eggs or chicks. These may include markets and shops, other private entrepreneurs.

If 1 kg. meat costs about 300 rubles, then such products can be supplied even to restaurants and catering establishments.

Eggs from incubators can be sold to novice farmers or individuals for 200-300 rubles. for 1 piece (depending on the breed of turkey), and daily young - 200-350 rubles each.

Tips and tricks for rearing turkeys from the pros

To ensure that the entire brood develops well and quickly gains mass, read these simple recommendations, and always follow them:

1. Purity. Always try to keep your birds in a clean environment. The poultry house should be cleaned regularly while the birds themselves are walking. The walking area must also be kept clean.