Broiler turkeys: top 4 large breeds and growing at home

One of the tasks of breeding work to develop new breeds of poultry is to improve meat productivity. Along with chickens, broiler breeds of turkeys appeared. Initially, heavy birds gain maximum weight in a short time. The cost of keeping broilers pays off faster, so it is profitable to grow them for private farmers and large farms.

General description and characteristics of broiler turkeys

Broilers are divided into three weight groups: heavy, medium and light. The largest turkeys belong to the heavyweight category and give up to 30 kilograms of meat per carcass.The maximum weight in the middle and light categories is 18 and 10 kilograms. The peculiarity of highly productive meat breeds of turkeys is that at four to six months they are ready for slaughter. Birds grow by weeks and months. The gain of week-old turkeys is more than one hundred percent of the weight gained in three days after hatching. In the second week, the chicks gain 105 percent of the previous weight.

The weight gain rate in kilograms is shown by the following monthly weight table:

TurkeysTurkeys3 days0.0550.0560.39030 days1.1 2 months 3 months 4 months 5 months 1116.96 months 11.817.8

Age
7 days	0.14	0.160
14 days	0.340
	1.4
3.7	4.8
7.3	9 ,8
9	14,3

Longer rearing is not beneficial as weight gain slows down and birds start to get sick. The brittle bones of broilers don't match their weight.

Varieties

Four breeds of broiler turkeys are common in large farms and private backyards.

Canadian Busty

The breed belongs to the middle weight category and is distinguished by beautiful black and bronze plumage. At 1.5 months, broilers weigh 5 kilograms and are actively gaining weight by three months. Later gain slows down.

Pros and consprecocity;low fat content in meat.weak maternal instinct of turkeys;Only closed content is suitable.

To breed offspring, you need to purchase an incubator and a brooder.

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White Broad Breasted

Turkeys are distinguished by white plumage and gain 11-20 kilograms.

Pros and conssuitable for free range;tasty meat.aggressiveness of males during the breeding period;high feed consumption.

Meat breeds do not have high egg production. But white broad-breasted turkeys can lay up to a hundred eggs a year.

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Big 9 and Big 6

Breeding breeds of turkeys belong to the heavyweight group and interbreed.

Pros and consa short period of mass building - 4-6 months;weight of carcasses 20 kilograms.reproduce by artificial insemination.

In private farms, Big broiler turkeys can only be grown seasonally, for meat.

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Moscow bronze medal

Domestic cross turkey weighs 22 kilograms.

Pros and conshigh survival rate of chicks;resistance to infectious diseases.plucked carcasses look unappetizing.

The skin of bronze breeds is mottled under dark plumage, while that of snow-white breeds has an attractive even color.

I like it I don't like itFinal ranking tableCanadian broad-breastedoneWhite broad-breastedMoscow bronzeBig 9 and Big 6-one

Pros and cons

General benefits of growing broiler turkeys for meat:

• heavy demand for a diet product;
• additional income from the sale of chicks and eggs;
• short holding period before slaughter;
• rapid growth in mass.

Broilers do not need to be kept on complex feed mixtures for a long time. Birds are gaining weight well on compound feed.

Problems when breeding turkeys:

• need to obtain veterinary approval to sell products;
• high chick mortality due to mishandling.

In general, growing broiler breeds is profitable, as the cost of acquiring and maintaining birds will pay off after the sale of the first batch of meat.

Maintenance and care requirements

Hatched chicks are kept in a brooder during the first month of life, as they are sensitive to conditions. The survival rate of chicks is 80 percent or more with proper care. In the second month of life, turkeys are placed in a poultry house. Broilers are suitable for cage content. But birds that move freely are less likely to suffer from foot problems. Basic requirements for broiler house conditions:

• area - one square meter per mature individual;
• temperature - stable +20 degrees;
• lighting - fluorescent lamps or natural;
• light day - 14 hours;
• litter - peat, sawdust, straw;
• perches - at a height of 70 centimeters from the floor, set in tiers, at a distance of 45 centimeters from each other;
• feeders - bunker type;
• drinkers - nipple, cup.

Zones are allocated in the poultry house: for feeding - in the bright part of the room, for rest with perches - in the dark part. The walking area is also being arranged separately.

Place for walking

In order for broilers to stretch their legs, they leave free space in the center of the room. There they also put basins with ash, chalk and crushed shells. Taking ash baths, birds clean their feathers. Chalk and shells are mineral food supplements. For the summer, turkeys are released into a fenced enclosure in the fresh air. The site is sown with gentian, yarrow, alfalfa and peas, and fenced with a two-meter grid.In summer, ashes, chalk and shells are placed in an open paddock.

Cell Content

Individual cages for turkeys are set stepwise in 2-3 rows. Sizes:

• length - 2 meters;
• width - 1 meter;
• height - 60 centimeters.

The floor of the cages must be solid, plastic or wood. Cardboard can be placed on the slatted bottom. Straw bedding is also placed. A drinking bowl and a feeder are installed on the door.

When caged turkeys, broilers are also let out for a walk around the cage room or put in a corral in the fresh air.

Bruder

Closed cages with microclimate regulation are called brooders. They replace the mother turkey for hatchery-bred chicks. Broiler poults are slow to adapt to their environment.Therefore, in the first two days, the temperature in the brooder is maintained at the same level as in the incubator - 37 degrees. Then every 3 days the heating is reduced by 2 degrees. In a month, the chicks will get used to the normal temperature of +21 degrees. In the room with brooders, they also maintain a high temperature - they start at +27 and gradually lower it.

Food at home

Hatched turkey poults are fed for the first time during the day. Feeding mode:

• 1st week - 9 times a day;
• 2nd week - 6 times a day;
• 3rd and subsequent weeks - 3 times a day.

On the first day, the chicks are given finely chopped boiled eggs. On the second and third day, cottage cheese is added. From the fourth day, turkeys are fed pre-launch feed or wet mixtures are prepared in meat, fish broth or yogurt.Gradually add vegetables, cereals, meat and bone meal and herbs. Eggs stop producing at the age of one month.

The diet of broiler turkeys includes:

• milk powder;
• corn;
• millet;
• crushed oats, barley;
• soybean meal;
• sunflower meal;
• fish, bone meal;
• cut boiled potatoes, carrots;
• green onions;
• alfalfa.

To awaken the appetite, turkeys are given spices: pepper, ginger, garlic, anise.

Breeding for beginners

Broilers are bred using an incubator or laying eggs on hens.Embryos mature in 28 days. For hens in the house, a nesting area is allocated, in which cardboard boxes with sawdust or straw at the bottom are placed. One hen is allocated a plot of 60x60 centimeters. The following eggs are suitable for incubation development:

• with a whole smooth shell;
• correct form;
• yolk is closer to the blunt end;
• the air chamber is clearly visible through the ovoscope.

The incubator is heated to 38 degrees 12 hours before laying the eggs. Humidity is set at 60 percent. The temperature of the eggs when laying should be at room temperature. They are not washed, but wiped with hydrogen peroxide.

The necessary conditions in the incubator during the period are shown by the temperature and humidity table:

Temperature Humidity 604-1437,6-38 15-24 60-6525-28 37 70

Day	in degrees Celsius	Percentage
1-3	38.3
	40-45
38-37.5

In order for the eggs to warm up evenly, they need to be turned over: for the first time - 12 hours after laying in the incubator, in subsequent times - at regular intervals of 3-6 hours. For convenience, the incubators are equipped with an automatic turning system.

From the beginning of laying, the incubator is slightly opened for 15 minutes to air 2 times a day, and from the 15th day - 3 times.

Diseases and their treatment

Broilers get common turkey diseases:

• enteritis - inflammation of the digestive tract, manifested as diarrhea, treated with antibiotics and probiotics;
• mycoplasmosis - a fungal infection of the respiratory tract, develops in chicks and adult turkeys when fed moldy grain, is treated with the antibiotic "Chlortetracycline";
• histomoniasis - a bacterial infection transmitted from chickens and geese, causes foamy diarrhea and weight loss, "Furazolidone" is added to the feed of sick birds;
• worms - parasites are destroyed with anthelmintic drugs "Piperazine", "Phenotiazine" and a preventive run is carried out every six months;
• conjunctivitis - lacrimation and swollen eyes are treated with antibacterial drops;
• sinusitis - inflammation of the mucous membranes develops in turkeys with insufficient heating of the room, a course of antibiotics is prescribed for treatment and the temperature in the house is regulated.

To prevent disease, hatcheries, brooders and poultry houses are disinfected before new birds are introduced.It is also important to monitor the expiration date of feed and remove uneaten portions. Broilers should be purchased from reputable farms and self-bred offspring should be vaccinated.

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