Hybrid converter turkeys: breed description and characteristics, maintenance and cultivation

Turkeys are the largest poultry, but among them there are breeds whose representatives are very heavy. These can be called turkeys cross hybrid converter. Consider the features of the breed, characteristics, productivity. Novice poultry farmers will be interested to learn about the technology of keeping, feeding and breeding poultry in households.

Origin and characteristics of the breed

Hybrid converter - broiler hybrids. Bred by crossing 2 breeds: bronze broad-chested and Dutch white. Hybrid turkeys are intended for breeding in industrial poultry farms and in private backyards.Turkey Hybrid Converter is manufactured by Hendrix Genetics Company, which has breeding plants in the USA, Canada, and Europe.

Canadian cross turkeys are characterized by the usual body type for broilers. They have a massive, strong body with developed muscles. The legs are straight, strong, the head is small. The plumage of the Hybrid Converter hybrids is white.

Dimensions and weights

Hybrid converter - heavy cross, when grown for poultry meat, they are slaughtered at the age of 5 months. The monthly table shows how weight changes depending on the age and sex of the bird.

7.3414.39517.8 11.8

Age in month.	Male weight	Female weight
1	1,5	1,2
2	4, 8	3.7
3	9.8

For the first month, hybrid converter chicks grow up to 1.2-1.5 kg. By day and by week, this can be expressed as follows:

Female weight First 3 days5650 1 week160 140 2 weeks390340 4 weeks14001100

Productivity

Hybrid converter has a productive characteristic that corresponds to other breeds and meat crosses. When slaughtering a 5-month-old turkey, the slaughter yield of meat is 80-85%. Almost a third of the total volume falls on the sternum. The meat is juicy, not greasy.

One turkey can get 8 dozen eggs per season, with enhanced nutrition - up to 15 dozen. All eggs are used for food, it is not advisable to leave them for breeding, since the birds are hybrid and when crossing with each other, the offspring do not inherit all the valuable qualities.

Main pros and cons

Pros and consprecocity;big weight;low feed conversion;high slaughter yield of meat.the he alth of turkeys must be regularly maintained by preventive measures against diseases;Hybrids give the greatest gains on industrial compound feeds.

Comparing the pros and cons of hybrid converter hybrids, it can be seen that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

Subtleties of maintenance and care

Cultivation of hybrid turkeys hybrid converter can be carried out in a normal utility room. It is recommended to keep them separate from other poultry. When growing from the first days, it is necessary to keep the house clean and tidy, maintain the temperature (20 ˚С) and humidity (60%).Lighting of 14 hours should be maintained in winter, using artificial lighting.

Ventilate the room daily, it is convenient to do this when the birds go out for a walk. Livestock can also be walked in winter, if there are no severe frosts. Change the litter as it gets dirty, not only in the poultry house itself, but also on the walking area. Bedding material - straw, peat, sawdust or shavings.

The walking yard must be fenced with a net at least 2 m high, as the bird can fly over it. The area of the corral should be chosen at the rate of at least 1 sq. m. for 1 bird. The area of \u200b\u200bthe room in which turkeys live can be 2 times less. It is impossible to save on space; with crowded content, turkeys often get sick or become aggressive, attack each other, peck and fight. This leads to a decrease in productivity, both meat and egg.

Diet

To feed hybrid converter turkeys to the weight promised by breeders, you need to feed them plenty and complete food. Then by 5 months you can send them for slaughter. By this time, the weight of males can exceed 15 kg, females - 10 kg.

For adults

Adult hybrid converters are fed complete feed. Commercial mixtures contain all the nutrients that birds need for development and growth. In addition to high-quality feed and water, turkeys do not need anything. They can live on this diet for life.

If you want to feed livestock with self-composed mixtures, you need to prepare feed for them from various types of grain, for example, from corn, barley, wheat. Add meal, cake, crushed peas, herbal flour, bran to the main ingredients.

As a vitamin and mineral component, add yeast, meat and bone meal, shell, s alt to the mixture. The consistency of the mash should be such that the birds swallow it without problems, that is, not dry, but not too wet.Serving size is calculated based on the amount that turkeys can eat in 30 minutes.

Feed adult turkeys 2-3 times a day. The duration of fattening for meat is 5 months. During this period, the birds grow intensively, after 5 months, the gains decrease. Growing becomes less profitable.

For chicks

The first month of life of turkeys is important because during this period the further potential of the livestock is laid. Turkey poults can be fed immediately with compound feed, special mixtures are produced for chicks of different ages. Compound feed can also feed turkeys to slaughter age.

In addition to compound feed, you can use grain mixtures. They are made up of ground grain of various agricultural crops.Chopped grass, grated vegetables, root crops are added to the grain. To replenish the body of turkeys with mineral elements, premixes, chalk, and s alt are mixed into the mixture. Feed newly hatched turkeys at first 5-6 times a day, by the age of one month, the number of feedings is adjusted to 3-4 times.

How to breed a hybrid breed at home

Because it is a cross and not a breed, home breeding from your stock will not produce pure hybrid converters. With each generation, the offspring will increasingly lose characteristic features, such as large weight gain. Therefore, getting eggs from your turkeys and putting them in an incubator does not make sense.

You will either have to buy young animals and grow them, and then acquire a new one, or buy incubation material and get turkeys from it. You need to buy broiler turkeys at breeding poultry farms, which guarantee the purity of the cross.

Diseases and their prevention

To grow hybrid converter poults separately from any other poultry. Turkeys can suffer from infectious diseases - colibacillosis, mycoplasmosis, coccidiosis, histomonosis. Infections can take the lives of both young and adult birds. Therefore, at the slightest sign of malaise, it is necessary to diagnose and begin treatment.

As a preventive measure, you need to vaccinate the livestock, solder it with antibiotics, vitamin preparations. And, of course, do not forget about cleaning the room, change the bedding more often, wash the feeders, and clean up leftover food.

Sick or with suspicious signs of birds should be immediately placed in a separate pen so that they do not infect the rest. New turkeys should be quarantined for 2 weeks first and if they are he althy, put in a flock.

Diarrhea is considered a particularly serious sign of gastrointestinal disorders or a symptom of infectious diseases.It can lead to a slowdown in the development and death of young animals. Diarrhea can be caused by food poisoning or infection. It is necessary to correctly determine the cause of the disorder before starting treatment.

Like other turkeys, cross hybrids can be attacked by helminths and external parasites. Antihelminthic agents are used against them, turkeys are soldered with them, even if there are no signs of infection. Birds are treated with powders and sprays against feathers and fleas, and a bowl with ash and sand is placed in the house.

Hybrid converter cross-country turkeys are distinguished by their large size and weight. This is an ideal hybrid for growing for meat. Therefore, it is popular on industrial farms and with private breeders. The only significant disadvantage of cross-country is the impossibility of reproduction at home.