One of the varieties of poultry is broiler turkeys. Their breeding is popular among farmers and in large agricultural enterprises. This is due to their valuable properties and unpretentious care.

Breed characteristics

Broiler turkeys were developed in North America. They are also known as "Indian chickens". Their distinctive features are tasty dietary meat, large meat yield and fast weight gain.

On a note! America is the leader in the number of cultivated hearts of all countries. Most turkey meat is consumed in Israel.

To get broiler turkeys, breeders carefully selected the best breeds, when they were crossed, they managed to get hybrid offspring. In addition to excellent and healthy meat, broiler turkeys also provide meat, down and feathers. These poultry became especially popular after the breeders brought out a new series of big crosses.

Description of the species

Bronze turkeys

Breeding of broiler turkeys is considered a new direction in poultry farming. The live weight of one individual reaches 6 kg or more. For breeding, poultry farmers choose such well-known crosses as Khidon, Universal, Big 6, Big 9, which can gain up to 25 kg of live weight in a month. The birds have a rather massive body, a strong and large beak, which has a red fleshy appendage.

Turkey on the grass

Important! Despite their heavy weight, broiler turkeys can run at a fairly high speed (up to 50 km / h), flying over fences up to 3 m high.

Broiler turkey breeds require careful handling, compliance with certain conditions of detention, special nutrition and certain preventive measures aimed at preventing diseases.

Broiler turkeys: growing at home

The key to healthy growth and rapid weight gain is bird care and feeding of broiler chicks. Turkeys are considered very loyal and caring mothers. They treat their chicks with reverence, raise them and selflessly protect them.

Wide-breasted white turkeys

Newly hatched turkeys can be fed on the second day. The diet consists of barley or oat flour, which is part of all sorts of mash. This food can be given to turkeys every 2 hours. When the chicks are 10 days old, they need to be fed at least 9 times a day. The diet includes peas, chalk, sunflower cake and grain.

Monthly broiler turkey poults need 5 feeding times.

Important! At this age, chicks need food that contains proteins. To do this, you need to add cottage cheese, fish and meat leftovers, yogurt to the mash.

When chicks are 30 days old, they can be fed whole grains. The possibility of purchasing a special combined feed for feeding chickens is not excluded.

When to start giving Finish to broilers

When can turkey poults be released outside?

This can be done from week 28. It is during this period that the bird is actively developing muscle mass. The final result of their breeding depends on how the broiler feeds at this time. At this time, the bird needs the maximum amount of nutrients.

Important! With too active introduction of compound feed into the diet, the possibility of developing obesity in them is not excluded. Such meat is not in demand among buyers.

Upon reaching 4 months of age, the chicks can be transferred to food intended for adult birds.For broiler turkeys, use a specially formulated feed combination. The larger the serving size, the better for the birds.

Bird feeding

Grown-up young animals and adults need to be supplemented with green forages, grain, bone meal, boiled potatoes or specialized combined feeds. This will help the birds gain weight rapidly.

An equally important criterion for raising healthy broiler turkeys as soon as possible is the conditions in which they are kept. After hatching, chicks should be kept in cardboard boxes, and not in a common chicken coop. Within a week they can be placed in cages. It is better to cover their bottom with cardboard. This is necessary so that their legs do not fall into the mesh cells. From 3 weeks onwards, poults can be completely outdoor kept.

Important! After hatching for the first 7 days, the box in which the chicks are kept must be illuminated for 24 hours. For this you can use fluorescent lamps.

The air temperature in the room where the turkey poults are kept should be within 23 - 25 degrees. In winter, the room temperature should be at least -5 degrees. For this, it must be additionally heated. The poultry farm room needs to be ventilated periodically, but without the formation of drafts.

Emergence of chicks

The litter must be kept completely clean. If this condition is not observed, the possibility of contracting diseases is not excluded.

Important! Change the bedding at least once every 6 months. When changing the litter, it is recommended to sprinkle the floor with limestone and then place the litter on this layer.

To create the most comfortable conditions for keeping broiler turkeys, it is recommended to use insulated floors. It would be nice to equip the chicken coop with large windows. This will add additional lighting to the room. For a comfortable stay of the bird in the room, it must be equipped with perches. Their width should be at least 40 cm. The strength of the perch should be such that it can withstand a fairly large weight of the bird.

In no case can you do without arranging an enclosure for walking. For the equipment, it is necessary to use herbs seeds. The area should be dry and spacious with a shaded area. If there is no grass cover, the bottom of the walking enclosure can be covered with straw or hay. Drinking bowls and feeders can be placed around the perimeter of the enclosure.

In order to get healthy offspring in a short time, it is necessary to take into account that only a turkey and a turkey should be kept in one enclosure. The family must be completely isolated from other individuals.

Compliance with the simple rules of keeping and feeding broiler turkeys makes it possible to obtain a high yield of products at minimal cost, which will quickly pay off.