Most the great unwashed think of “ turkey ” only in terms of a yearly vacation chief trend and small else . For many domestic fowl enthusiast , a bomb represents much more . A small turkey flock can add a true sentiency of awe and majesty to a backyard . There ’s such an air of elegance to a tom ’s ( male turkey ’s ) powerful prance with his foreland pucker in , suspended snood and fag end feathering displayed in a lofty rooter . Of naturally , there is no holiday meal quite like the savoury homegrown flavor of a bird you bring up yourself from poult to tummy .
The fine artistry of raise turkeys has its differences and parallels with that of other farm birds . If you are conscious with their aid and management , they take in nicely alongside other poultry endeavors . Able to beseem a mixed bag of lifestyles and end goals , bomb are full of chance for fun , intellectual nourishment and even a petty profit .
Thinking Ahead
Turkeys , train approximately 16 to 22 weeks to reach want market weight and very seasonal in need , make a perfect fountain or summer project . count on your clime and housing availableness , they can also be bring up year - round .
When getting start raising turkeys , take some clock time to observe the resources you have available . take a few end goal and study what it will take to accomplish them . Do you need just a Thanksgiving chief dish with a few extra leftovers for later ? Do you require leftover to endow to friends and family ? Would you like to deal a joker to the neighbors for their vacation feast ?
infinite requisite for raise turkeys to due date are just about 3 to 4 straightforward understructure per individual when confine . If you need to integrate a strict pasture or free - reach flair system , you need at minimum a full 100 square feet per bird . Of course , if you utilize confinement and supplement with some out-of-door access , you wo n’t need quite so much external blank .
Another thing to consider is the approximate feed consumption of so many turkeys . Unless you have dense grazing land and the right space requirement , your birds need a complete feed ration .
A Bit About Brooding
Brooding poults ( young turkeys ) is much like brooding chicks or duckling . incubator space should be around 1 square foot per poult . You want just enough air circulation so that their litter — large Sir Henry Wood shavings incline to be substantially — is kept dry with no draft . The minimal debris from these shaving lose weight jeopardy of respiratory infection and soak up moisture well enough to avoid slipping risk .
If you have ever constructed a incubator , you hump it ’s somewhat simple . All you need is something with solid wall ; a cardboard boxful , empty body of water armored combat vehicle or plastic tote can all do the job just fine . verify there is a piazza to firmly hang your heat energy lamp above the brooder that preserve it at least 18 inch off the priming . observe that you might need to raise this as the poults raise to avoid burns and pecking at the shabu .
As with chicks , you should start your poults ’ first calendar week at a balmy 95 degree F. you could decrease the temperature by 5 degrees weekly until the raspberry are fully square , typically from 6 to 8 workweek . Once they ’ve reach this full stop , it is secure to move them to their larger permanent housing . If your incubator gets too crowded before the birds are ready to move out , an expansion might be necessary .
Turkey poults are a bit raspy and more fast-growing with each other than broiler chicks . If you remark a few “ bullies ” overly pecking the decrepit ones in your flock , you could use a red heat bulb . The red firing can help prevent pecking and is less riotous to the wench ’ sleep .
When you bring your poults home , it can be advantageous to souse their beak in their water so they are familiar with its location . A few marbles position in the bottom of the water generator is a small measure of cheap prevention against accidental drowning . Poults should also be offer a gratuitous - choice starter feed during the incubation stage . For provender and water , make indisputable each poult has one inch of personal outer space .
Regularly check on the poults during their first few days . Aim for even statistical distribution around the incubator and regularly observe them eating and boozing . This ensures that the temperature is ideal and the youthful birdie are in good wellness .
turkey are tight - growing birds that demand a high woodworking plane of nutrition and protein to fill their ontogeny and development needs right from the start . An initial secure crank is at least 28 percent protein and , if possible , medicated againstcoccidiosis — particularly if you intend to conjure up your birds out of doors at any decimal point . This is a minor step of insurance to prevent deadly coccidiosis . This disease , triggered by protozoa , can pass over out young animals fast and is stubborn to plow .
Another cheap insurance step : Include water - soluble electrolytes in drinking weewee . While this is n’t a medication , the supererogatory vitamin and nutrients can avail jump start young animals ’ unsusceptibility .
Housing Options
You have a few housing and direction pick for your growing birds . turkey can be raised anywhere from a transferrable cage on a pasture , fully innocent - range or in a coop or a barn or shed . The most important thing across all living accommodations styles are public discussion , protection from the elements and safety from piranha .
As with any poultry , spare - mountain chain Turkey number with the risk of predators in spite of bombastic more intimidating stature . A portable electric fence is one option for a pasture - based troop . If you’re able to watch your flock during the day , you might not want any fencing , but you still will need a shelter to put them awayat Nox . If you prefer the confinement routebut still want to comprise some low - sustentation outdoor outer space , build an inexpensive conducting wire fence run .
Turkeys , like chickens , have a natural inherent aptitude to rest . But when you are raising Meleagris gallopavo for market use , this is not recommended in your housing layout because it can cause white meat blisters and bruising — not to mention that commercial-grade marketplace breeds are too heavy to do this safely . Instead , provide ironical litter at all times , deep enough so they can nestle into it . This keeps birds comfortable . Adequate litter also prevents damage or injury to the salutary cutting of meat .
Feeding Through the Needs
As your turkeys grow and spring up , so should their dieting . Be disposed for each gobbler to go through as much as 100 lb of feed ( hens , 60 pounds ) by the meter they are ready formarket . According to the USDA , to sufficiently put on weight , large turkey breeds exhaust about11⁄2 pound of feed a 24-hour interval for toms and 0.8 poundsfor hens . For medium breed , that is 11⁄4 pounds per tom and 0.6 pounds per hen , and for the smallest breeds , it’s3⁄4 pound per tom and1⁄2 pound per hen . Keep this in creative thinker as you put together your feeding bit .
course a turkey - specific feed ration , too . A generic poultry mix or broiler chicken feeddoes not connect with the urge protein requirements . However , you may gradually decrease protein immersion as your birds arise . Pennsylvania State University Extensionrecommends that poults be fed around 22 percentage protein when they are between 4 and 6 week old . After that , the protein necessary continue to decrease .
For doll around 10 hebdomad of age , 19 percent protein is appropriate . At 12 hebdomad and beyond , the net microscope stage of feeding or the “ finishing ” period , protein can be as low as 16 percent . keep birds on the high protein entrant for longer is an option if you need to put weight on faster . Just recollect to use only nonmedicated provender as your raspberry near marketplace exercising weight .
If you need your fowl to consume some roughage in an outside or pasture context , also provide a turkey - sized gritstone with their provender . This is necessary for their gizzard , an intragroup reed organ of mechanical digestion , to do its work properly .
Flock Management
The importance of raising turkeys away from other birds , risky and domestic , ca n’t be stressed enough . There are several share poultry disease of concern , but for those who already raise poultry , a filthy protozoon disease calledblackheadis especially important to spotlight . This disease is damaging to Meleagris gallopavo and can be acquired via physical contact with infected chicken peck .
Because crybaby are passably resistant to blackhead , they could be undetected carriers . For this reasonableness , it ’s always recommended that turkey be raise severally from chickens and other poultry . They can be upraise on the same property successfully , but make certain their equipment and housing are disjoined .
The ideal free weight for harvesting your birds look on you and the strain you have take . The Broad Breasted White produce to between 25 to 35 pound or more for tomcat and 15 to 20 pounds or more for hen . This is why it ’s important to put some thought and consideration intobreed selectionwhen raising turkeys .
commercial-grade kind reach heavier weights with the best feed - to - meat changeover . or else , traditional or heritage varieties are smaller and take longer to hand their optimal size . That does n’t , however , diminish the varying advantages in expanse such as flavor , hardiness or forage abilities that these breeds possess over their commercial-grade counterparts .
A nice thing about raising turkeys ? They have a very eminent dressing share . With some disagreement , on fair these birds get dressed at around 75 per centum of their physical structure weight . you’re able to utilize this knowledge in advance to determine the idealistic live weight unit goal for your deal .
Further Opportunities
Well before harvest home time , find a CPU or learn how to do it yourself . If you have extra birds and you require to make money from your labour , you may also use this fourth dimension to find some buyers . topically raise Meleagris gallopavo is a high-pitched - value merchandise , so take vantage and expend it as a promotional slant . crop turkey are peculiarly in demand with many vendee willing to pay more . Such hiss are known to fetch as much as $ 4 to $ 6 a pound , depending on the area and local demands .
There ’s no toll tag , of course of action , that can be placed at the end of four or more months of strong piece of work . The biggest satisfaction you ’re guaranteed to get from raising turkeys is ride down to your next holiday meal with a main course you raise by hand .
Sidebar: Breeds of Note
Here are a handful of breeds to regard for pop out your poultry slew .
Bourbon Red
These attractive blood-red - and - white birds sum up a dad of color to the slew . They are medium size in the turkey worldly concern and are acknowledge for their flavorful meat .
Broad Breasted White
This is today ’s commercial strain of choice . These bird are the largest and fastest growing stock .
Bronze
This was the original market bird forgo the Broad Breasted White . These birds ’ coppery color give them the very “ traditional ” Thanksgiving look . This stock has two strains : the heritage variety and the commercial-grade ( Broad Breasted Bronze ) miscellany . Their strong suit and hardiness make them a various backyard alternative .
Royal Palm
This breed adds a touch of elegance to any backyard . These birds are well small and irksome maturing than the other breeds but are excellent at foraging . These birds are abstemious enough to vanish and rest .
Slate
This is another medium breed of distinct colour that comes in a variety of shades from gray to blue . The Slate is also get it on for its robust immunity , oecumenical hardiness and smell .
This report originally seem in the January / February 2019 publication ofChickensmagazine .
