Big-6 turkeys: breed description, cultivation, breeding and care at home
Turkeys of the heavy line Big-6 weigh more than 25 kg in half a year. Birds have a calm nature, they do not require special conditions of detention and specific feed. This cross is recommended for home and industrial cultivation. The main feature of the Big-6 breed is precocity. Turkeys on regular feed recover quickly and can be slaughtered at the end of the warm season.
Description and characteristics of the cross
Big-6 turkeys (B.U.T. 6) were bred by British United Turkeys LTD. Cross is characterized by rapid weight gain and high taste characteristics of meat. Big-6 is the most popular breed among poultry farmers from different countries.
Appearance
Big-6 turkeys have white plumage. The light and soft fluff of these birds is of considerable value. Turkeys have a large body, large wings, a fan-shaped tail, a long neck, a convex and wide chest, straight light yellow legs. The head is small, unfeathered, the males have scarlet earrings and a hanging beard. Outwardly, the birds look like large white balls. Males are larger than females.
Meat yield
Big-6 cross males at 6 months of age weigh more than 25 kg, females - about 15 kg. At six months, turkeys are usually sent for slaughter. The slaughter yield of meat is almost 80 percent. Moreover, the share of the breast accounts for 30%, and the thighs - 14%. The Big-6 breed is characterized by intensive growth rates.
Weight and day weight table for Big-6:
| Months | WeeksDays | Weight | |
| 4 | 28 | 1,27 | |
| 8 | 56 | 4,81 | |
| 12 | 84 | 9.88 | 4 |
| 112 | 15,30 | 5 | |
| 140 | 20,39 | 6 | |
| 168 | 25,15
Egg production
Big-6 broiler females start laying at 8 months of age. One bird produces about 100 eggs per year. The largest egg production in young turkeys. The weight of one egg is 85 grams. They can be eaten. Only fertilized eggs should be used for laying.
Maternal Instinct
The Big-6 turkey sits on the masonry, usually in the spring. The breed has a well-developed maternal instinct. The bird does not leave the clutch during the entire period of incubation (28 days) and takes care of the offspring until the chicks reach 2 months of age. Nearly 95 percent of the young survive.
Good and bad sides
Maintenance and care requirements
Poultry farmers who want to raise birds from scratch should remember that Big-6 turkeys need a large poultry house and walking yard. In the warm season, birds can be outside all day. When keeping turkeys in a cramped and dark room, there is a decrease in the rate of weight gain and egg production. For 1 sq. two adult birds are placed on a square meter.
In the poultry house (with a hood and windows near the ceiling), perches and nests are installed. Big-6 turkeys do not like to sleep on the floor. These birds are sensitive to dampness and dirt.Bedding (straw) should be changed as it gets dirty. The house should be dry and warm (not higher than +22 and not lower than +10 degrees Celsius).
Perches are made of wooden beams and placed at a height of 80 cm from the floor at the same level. One bird should account for 40 centimeters. The distance between the bars should be at least 60 cm. Wooden boxes or wicker baskets can be used as nests. They are placed in a secluded corner on the floor or at a height (on a shelf).
Feeders and drinkers are recommended to be placed on the walking area. On the street there should be a sand-ash bath, shell rock, crushed chalk. It is advisable to enclose the walking area with a 2-meter-high net. Turkeys fly well. In winter, when it is cold, it is better not to let the birds out into the street. In the cold season, the air temperature in the poultry house should not fall below 10 degrees Celsius.
Feeding
Newly hatched Big-6 chicks are fed 5-7 times a day with chopped eggs, cottage cheese, millet and yogurt. Gradually, turkey poults are transferred to starter feed and crushed grain mixtures. Birds recover quickly and give good gains on boiled potatoes, crushed corn and wet mash. In the diet of broilers, there should be finely chopped vegetables (carrots, fodder beets, pumpkin) and greens. Do not give red beets to birds (pecking may begin).
Adult Big-6 turkeys are fed three times a day. Cereals should make up 65 percent of the bird's total diet. Turkeys are additionally given ground herbs, fodder yeast, limestone, fish and bone meal, chalk, sunflower cake, premixes, s alt. Whole grains can be given to adult birds. Wet mixers (compound feed and chopped vegetables) are usually placed in the feeders at lunchtime. The rest of the feed is recommended to be removed. Sour mash can cause intestinal diseases in turkeys.
In order to grow he althy Big-6 turkeys, you need to provide them with high-quality grain feed, vegetables (greens), compound feed. In winter, it is recommended to add pharmacy vitamins and minerals to the drink. As a preventive measure against diseases, birds are given chopped needles and green onions (feathers). Turkeys need to be provided with clean water. It is changed daily.
Home Breeding
Representatives of the Big-6 cross are recommended to be paired with lighter breeds of turkeys. Hybrid turkey poults gain weight faster, they have a more disease-resistant immunity. Those who want purebred turkeys can buy fertilized eggs for the incubator or fledglings that have not yet fledged. It is better to buy young animals in breeding farms engaged in breeding and growing the Big-6 cross.
Bird eggs hatch in 28 days. If a hen was sitting on the masonry, turkey poults can be left with the female. Big-6 chicks hatched in the incubator should be placed in a cardboard box and kept for the first week of life under heating lamps at a temperature of +27 … +30 degrees Celsius.
It is desirable for turkey poults to allocate a separate room. Juveniles should not be kept with older birds. In the poultry house, in the first weeks of life, turkey poults should maintain a temperature of at least 25 degrees Celsius.
Big-6 chicks usually hatch in the spring. When the temperature is above +20 degrees Celsius outside, the young can be released for a walk. Chicks are fed 5-7 times a day with millet, crushed corn grits, cottage cheese, chopped eggs, yogurt. You can give turkeys sweetened water. Gradually, the birds are transferred to adult food. To improve the he alth of the chicks on the 3rd day of life, they add Levomycetin in minimal doses once to food.
Diseases and treatment
Turkeys of the Big-6 cross have good immunity. With proper care and feeding with high-quality feed, birds almost do not get sick. As a prophylaxis against intestinal infections, on the 3rd day of life, turkeys can add an antibiotic with a wide spectrum of action (“Levomycetin”) in food or drink in minimal doses.
Big-6 turkeys are susceptible to the following diseases:
- coccidiosis (loss of appetite, decreased activity, diarrhea with foam and blood) - treated with antibiotics (Baykoks, Coccidine);
- pullorosis (heavy breathing, white diarrhea, impaired coordination of movement) - treated with antibiotics ("Levomycetin", "Furazolidone");
- invasive diseases, that is, giardiasis, histomonosis (greenish-brown diarrhea) - give antiparasitic drugs;
- trichomoniasis (lack of appetite, foamy diarrhea) - use "Brometronide", "Brovaseptol", antibiotic "Baytril";
- syngamosis (parasites accumulate in the bronchi, birds breathe heavily, mucus accumulates in the beak) - give anthelmintic drugs ("Fenbendazole", Levamisole");
- colibacillosis (refusal to eat, diarrhea) - treated with Enronit, Lexoflon;
- salmonellosis (nasal discharge, white-yellow diarrhea, lethargy) - vaccination is possible, treated with Baytril, Enromag, Enrofloxacin;
- cannibalism (pecking) - occurs when there is a deficiency of nutrients, it is recommended to give vitamin and mineral preparations as a preventive measure.
Course of antibiotic treatment - 5-7 days. As a preventive measure, Big-6 birds are fed with antibacterial agents for no longer than 3 days (sometimes 1 day). After antibiotic treatment, it is recommended to give turkeys probiotics (Colibacterin, Bifitrilak) or regular kefir, yogurt.
Recommended
Moscow bronze breed of turkeys: description, breeding and care
Moscow bronze breed: description of turkeys, characteristics, pros and cons. Maintenance, breeding of birds, feeding and care. Possible diseases and preventive measures.
Turkeys of the steppe breed: description and characteristics, diet and breeding
Description of the breed of steppe turkeys, features of keeping, feeding and breeding, advantages and disadvantages of the bird. The most common diseases and their treatment.
Turkeys heavy cross: breed description and characteristics, breeding
Growing turkeys of heavy crosses. Characteristics of productivity, difference from meat breeds, definition of inbreeding. Criteria for choosing heavy crosses.
