What grass can be given to turkeys: what they love and what not to feed, preparations for the winter

Turkeys are kept at home for meat and eggs. Quality products are the result of proper care and feeding of poultry. Novice farmers are interested in the question of what grass can be given to young and adult turkeys. Poultry farmers need to know how to feed birds so that meat and eggs contain a lot of nutrients. With a well-designed diet, turkeys grow up he althy, actively gain weight.

What grass can be given to turkeys?

In nutrition, poultry is picky, this becomes an advantage for its breeding. But not all herbs are good for turkeys. Nutritional characteristics also depend on the age of the individual. Wild and fodder herbs serve as a source of vitamins.

Forage grasses

Fresh greens grown in summer cottages and household plots are good for birds. The most useful of all is green onions. It contains a large amount of useful substances. Green onion acts as an excellent antiseptic, improves digestion. The garlic darts also kill harmful bacteria in the bird's stomach. Onions, garlic, dill are added to the diet in large quantities to gain bird weight.

In spring, turkeys are given nettle sprouts as a vitamin supplement. At this time, the grass contains the maximum amount of vitamins, acids. Nettle is absolutely harmless to the he alth of birds. For convenience, it is crushed and added to the feeder. Practically on any household plot grows garden thistle, which is so loved by turkeys.

Feeding turkey poults with greens from the garden begins from the 3rd day of life. Green spaces in the beds are the best delicacy for chicks.

Monthly turkeys are introduced into the diet of vegetables: pumpkin, zucchini, potatoes. In addition to vegetables, birds are given fruits and berries. The fruits contain vitamins, fructose, minerals.

Wild Herbs

Starting from the age of one month, young animals are released to pasture. Meadow grass is a storehouse of vitamins and nutrients necessary for the he alth and growth of birds. If possible, poultry farmers specially sow fields with clover and alfalfa. For the normal functioning of the digestive system, it is useful for a bird to consume dandelion leaves, nettle, and quinoa.

In order for turkeys to easily cope with eating wild plants, the grass is cut or finely chopped. At the age of two months, the young begin to eat grass from the meadows on their own. Turkeys actively eat aquatic vegetation. It is fed alone or added to various mashes.

Mugwort should also be included in the diet of turkeys. This medicinal plant is rich in flavonoids and phytoncides, which increase immunity, help to cope with pathogenic bacteria and microorganisms.

Farmers start feeding wild herbs to birds in early spring when young shoots appear. During the flowering period, poultry farmers carry out haymaking, preparing grass for the winter.

What not to give?

In the meadows and fields, not only useful types of grass grow, but also poisonous plants. Therefore, turkey grazing is carried out under the control of the farmer.

Plant species that can harm turkeys or even kill birds:

• whitehead;
• lily of the valley;
• buttercup;
• ledum;
• celandine;
• wolf bast and others.

These herbs are banned and must be completely absent from the diet of poultry. Before grazing in the fields, the farmer conducts a preliminary inspection of the territory, making sure that harmful vegetation does not grow in these areas.

Grazing organization

Turkeys spend daylight hours on the pasture, which significantly reduces the cost of buying feed. The farmer arranges daily walks for the bird. Young animals begin to walk for 2-4 hours a day. As the birds grow older, the grazing time increases. Adults spend all day grazing.

It is convenient to walk turkeys on lands intended for agriculture after harvest. The source of vitamins in the fields are the remains of grains after planting cereals, worms, greens.

The farmer must take care of the comfortable and safe stay of birds in the meadows in advance. The area must be cleared of debris, foreign objects, snags. In spring, the land is sown with alfalfa, clover, vetch. Such herbs grow quickly and are most useful for turkeys. It is advisable to choose a grazing place with a source of drinking water. The presence of shade in the territory is also important for birds in order to exclude heat stroke.

How to make preparations for the winter?

To provide poultry with vitamins and nutrients in winter, hay is made from fresh grass. The collected silage is dried, tied into bundles and hung in the poultry house. For brooms, only he althy vegetation is selected, without pests. Dried blanks in the shade to preserve nutritional value.

The following types of plants are used for silage:

• young cobs of corn;
• cabbage leaves;
• green grass during budding;
• nettle;
• cereals;
• carrot with tops;
• beets with tops.

The diet and diet of turkeys depend on age, time of year. Nutritional characteristics directly affect the intensity of growth and development of the bird. High-quality feed, the required amount of food contribute to the appearance of he althy offspring in turkeys, the farmer receives tasty and he althy meat and eggs.

Recommended