Turkeys - breeding, maintenance, care at home, the basic nuances of cultivation

To grow strong and healthy turkeys, breeding, maintenance, care at home should be conducted according to certain rules. It is important to choose good breeds so that birds grow up in a short time. It is not superfluous to know about the main diseases.

The contents of turkeys at home for beginners

That the birds are not sick, when arranging a dwelling for them, certain requirements should be taken into account:

  1. The peculiarities of growing turkeys require maintaining the temperature at a certain level, so, it should not drop below 10 ° C. If it is cold, the livestock will begin to ache.
  2. In the summer in the place where the birds are kept, it should not be very hot. If there is no good ventilation, the risk of disease will increase.
  3. For proper maintenance, please note that the humidity should not exceed 70% and be below 65%.
  4. Care includes setting up artificial lighting for the rhythm of livestock. Lamps should burn for 14 hours.

Breeds of turkeys for breeding at home

It is important to choose the right kind of bird, because the speed of growth depends on it. The elite varieties proved to be the best ones. Popular breeds of turkeys for domestic breeding:

  1. Bronze broad-chested. On a pasture, such a breed will not grow, as it is bred for cages and poultry. Female grow to 7-9 kg, and males - 9-15 kg. In a year the breed yields up to 120 eggs.
  2. North Caucasian bronze. Well adapts to green food. Female grow to 7 kg, and males - up to 14 kg. For the period you can get up to 80 eggs.
  3. White broad-chested. The breed for domestic conditions has good meat indicators, so, males can grow up to 25 kg, and females - up to 10 kg. The maintenance of birds is not difficult, as they adapt well to different conditions. For a year give up to 120 eggs.
  4. Cross BIG-6. Rapidly growing and giving a lot of meat of high quality, so males grow to 25 kg, and females - up to 11 kg. Breeding is complicated by the fact that it will have to produce artificial insemination.

Where to grow turkeys?

For breeding in advance, take care of the organization of suitable conditions for the content. Conditions for turkey breeding require space for physical activity. In most cases, cages are built for this purpose for the summer. That the birds do not fly away, they need to prune their wings. The bird or cages should be in a quiet place so that extraneous sounds do not interfere with the turkeys. When walking, it is important to take care of creating an artificial shade by installing a canopy.

Cellular content of turkeys

Use for breeding cells helps to save, since there is no need to lay the litter, in addition, this option increases the growth of meat and helps to rationalize the use of the room. Cultivation of turkeys in cells implies the following nuances:

  1. Males are kept in cages one by one, as this will increase their fertility and reduce the risk of injury. It is recommended to keep no more than two individuals in a cage.
  2. Keep birds should be in two-tier structures, as they are convenient for maintenance.
  3. In order not to suffer from turkeys, breeding, maintenance, home care means the use of heating, lighting, feeding tanks and water in cages. The best option for drinkers is micro-caterers, since they are the most convenient.
  4. Cellular equipment for turkeys is practically not produced, therefore they are made independently.
  5. The most popular cell sizes: length - 1 m, width - 50 cm and height - 45 cm.

Premises for keeping turkeys

Bird for breeding at home should be light and spacious, so for one bird should have a minimum of 1.5-2 m 2 . The premise for turkeys should be organized taking into account such features:

  1. To ensure sufficient lighting for each square meter should be a power of 5 watts.
  2. The house must be warm and well ventilated.
  3. Nases are placed at a height of 50-70 cm from the floor. The length should be calculated from the stock, so each head should have 50 cm.
  4. To live well turkeys, breeding, maintenance, care at home, imply the use of a large layer of litter. For this, you can choose sawdust, straw or old hay.
  5. In dark places, place the nests for laying hens. One nest should be designed for five birds.
  6. In addition, to care, you need to put in the poultry bath for a bath, filling it with ash and sand. Be sure to install feeders and drinkers.

How to care for turkeys?

The main difficulties in growing arise when looking after the young:

  1. Keep the chicks in a dry and warm place. Lighting should be round the clock, and the temperature is close to 36 ° C.
  2. Care for turkeys means eating up to eight times a day. First use a dry rump mixed with a boiled egg. In a few days you can enter in the menu chopped greens.
  3. Food is important until five times a day.

Feeding turkeys at home

The diet for birds should be selected depending on the purpose of cultivation, for example, if the turkeys go to the slaughter, then give them more grain and especially wheat. To make the meat juicy, the menu should have vegetables and greens. If you need eggs, then the diet should include many vitamins and minerals. The composition of the food for turkeys includes:

How to feed turkeys for rapid growth?

The rules of care indicate that for active weight gain, the feeding is carried out at least four times a day. The menu should consist of wet sticks and green plants. The diet for turkeys should include such products, giving a good increase in live weight: dairy products, eggs, curds, yeast food and wheat or oatmeal. On the day the bird eats about 80 g of combined fodder.

Ration of turkeys, gram per head per day
Feed (bird age) Yaytsenoskost for a month, pieces.
0 - 3 months. 6 months 9 months 15 months 18 months
Grain and grain wastes 90 96 105 115 120
Wheat bran thirty thirty thirty thirty thirty
Cottage cheese 3 5 5 10 10
Meat or fish waste 1 5 7th 14 16
Hay (herb flour) thirty thirty thirty 40 50
Potatoes cooked 150 150 150 130 120
Carrots, fresh greens 40 50 50 60 80
Shell, chalk 3 4 5 6th 7th
Bone flour 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5
Salt 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5
Total 351 374 386 409 437

Conditions for keeping turkeys in winter

For proper breeding in the cold season, you need to consider such requirements:

  1. Birds do not like dampness and drafts, so in winter, take care that they are not.
  2. The winter content of turkeys requires the observance of a suitable light regime, so for young animals it is important that the minimum of 5 hours is light, and for adults, it takes 14 hours.
  3. According to the existing information, turkeys can survive minor frosts (indoors up to -5 ° C), but not for long.
  4. Note that with floor maintenance, birds can frostbite their feet, so be sure to use a litter. To insulate the floor, a peat covering, straw or chips is suitable. Change litter should be a maximum of every two weeks.
  5. Feeding in winter is necessarily reinforced, so that the livestock will receive the necessary energy. You can add dried mushrooms, mushrooms and steamed pine needles. Add a little chalk, crushed cockleshells and other additives to the feeder.
  6. For health, turkeys need vitamin D , so, or on frost-free days, release the livestock to the street, or give them fish oil.

Diseases of turkeys

If you want to breed birds, then you need to know about the diseases of turkeys, symptoms, treatment and prevention. The most dangerous diseases of young animals are:

  1. Cholera is an acute infection that is life-threatening. For prevention, it is important to have the right content and adhere to sanitary norms, and also regular disinfection.
  2. Paratyphus in the first months of life can affect the chicks, and the symptoms include increased water intake, lack of appetite and minimal activity. For preventive maintenance in drink add "Furazolidon" or "Biomitsin".
  3. Infectious sinusitis. The disease is manifested by swelling and reddening of the eye and nasal sinuses. For the treatment of turkeys, dilution, maintenance and care at home implies the use of "furazolidone".
  4. A coccid. When breeding turkeys, the following symptoms are observed: the wings sag, the refusal of food, a sluggish state and a loose stool with blood. For treatment, "Koktsidiovit" and "Amprolium" are suitable.
  5. Conjunctivitis. Determine the disease of redness of the eyes. For preventive maintenance keep birds from drafts, observe at the maintenance a temperature mode, cleanliness and other rules of leaving.

Than to drink turkeys?

Due to the propionisation, it is possible to increase the survival rate of chicks by 60-65%, to strengthen immunity, to increase the growth, appetite and activity of poultry. Auxiliary drugs are administered from the first days of life. It is important to know what to do with turkeys:

  1. Mineral and vitamin complexes. They are necessary for growth and immunity. The course of admission is about a week.
  2. Antibiotics resist the development of pathogenic microflora. They reduce the risk of serious illness. It is necessary to give antibiotics according to a certain scheme, so as not to cause bacteriosis.
  3. Immunomodulators. The body's defenses increase and help to grow a strong livestock.
  4. Probiotics. Drugs are needed in order to prevent antibiotics from causing dysbacteriosis. They improve digestion.