Some Secrets Of Growing Turkeys In Summer Cottages And In Gardening

2024 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:47

Indian chicken in the country

For the second year now, our family at their summer cottage not only works in the beds, rests, but also grows turkeys and other poultry. As it turned out, this business is not only interesting, but also profitable

As you know, turkeys originate from North America. They were domesticated by the aborigines - the Indians, but then there were a lot of turkeys in the wild. They built nests on the ground, although they could well take off and live in trees. When the first settlers arrived in America at the beginning of the 17th century, they were struck by the abundance of wild turkeys there, which greatly helped the British to survive the first winter. And now, on Thanksgiving Day, turkey is a constant dish on the festive table, however, it is already grown on the farm. The Spaniards brought this domesticated bird to Europe, and now it is widespread in many countries, including Russia, although not as much as we would like. Probably, our climate, which is not very favorable for this rather thermophilic bird, is holding back its breeding, especially in the North-West.

And yet, two years ago, we decided. This spring will be the third delivery of livestock. How does this happen? At the end of April we buy day-old chicks, and by November we "reap the harvest" - male turkeys weigh 30 kilograms, and turkeys weigh 15-16 kilograms! As a result, we store a lot of quality meat for the family.

Alas, it was not easy to get started, because the case is new, and there are conflicting recommendations in the literature on this topic. And every newbie fills his own cones here. The advice of Olga and Anatoly Lukoshkin, poultry farmers with extensive practical experience, helped me a lot.

The first summer I fed the purchased chicks with chopped boiled eggs, porridge, herbs. Such a diet is time-consuming, and you also need to make sure that the food does not spoil.

And in the past season, from the very first day of the appearance of chicks in the country, I used compound feed for young animals PK-5. Such feed is easier to feed, and birds grow better, because it contains all the necessary components. You only need to make sure that there is always water in the drinker.

It is often recommended to use newspapers, sometimes even rags, as bedding for keeping turkeys. I didn't like this method. Better to use sawdust. Sometimes bird owners fear that the chicks will bite into sawdust and die. They can, of course, peck if you don't feed them on time. And with regular feeding, the birds understand the difference between food and sawdust and practically do not peck them.

It is not easy to decide on a feeding regime either. For the first year, I fed the poults from 7:30 am to 11 pm. At first, the interval between feedings was two hours, then I gradually increased it, because with this regime you spin like a squirrel in a wheel all day. And I also met recommendations to leave food for the bird overnight.

This year, on the recommendation of Anatoly Lukoshkin, she fed the turkeys for the first time at 7: 30-8 in the morning, and in the evening - at 19 hours. Then there was a change of sawdust, and after 20 hours it was time for them to sleep. Just in case, I left them food in the box for the night.

Comparing now the initial stage of cultivation - both the last and the year before last, I can say that both times the bird gained its 30 kilograms per season, and at the same time, due to the change in the feeding regime, the labor intensity of cultivation has significantly decreased.

When growing turkey poults, you need to carefully monitor the temperature regime and not deviate from the recommendations. Even for a short time, non-observance of this regime leads to crowding of chicks, and they can suppress each other. In the first year because of this, I lost one chick. I definitely use a thermometer for control. I place the box with chicks by the stove, but in no case on the floor, but on thick bars so that the bottom of the box does not cool.

Turkey poults very early begin to fly out even from a rather high box. Therefore, it will not be superfluous to cover it with a net.

Poultry shed we built a non-insulated and therefore translate it poults could only in mid-June. Overexposed during the day, first in the greenhouse, then it became very hot there - and we transferred them to the waiting room. This is during the day, and the birds spent the night in the house, in a box.

Up to two months, turkey poults grow very slowly, then much faster. From about three weeks of age, they were transferred to compound feed for adult birds - PK-6. It is very important that chicks always receive fresh compound feed, especially when they are small. Already in the first week of maintenance, you can start giving greens - green onions, lettuce, dandelions. But very gradually, starting with a small amount. While the turkeys are small, we finely cut the grass for them, it is easier for them to peck it this way. And when they grow up, they themselves gladly peck the mown lawn grass, pea tops, lettuce leaves. They are very fond of woodlice, quinoa.

Last summer I had to weed all the "bear" corners of the garden, and more than once, because turkeys eat a lot of herbs. By autumn, the bird can already be fed apples, zucchini, pumpkins, but all this has to be crushed, since they pecked whole vegetables badly.

You can also feed the turkeys with kitchen waste - potato peelings, all vegetable trimmings, but it is better to boil it all. In this mishmash, you can cut meat waste, chicken skin - when boiled, the bird eats everything willingly. The peculiarity of turkeys is that they have an increased need for protein feed, especially at an early age.

Last year we raised Canadian cross turkeys. This bird is very peaceful, calm, very mobile. They will always consider the clothes - what did the hostess wear today? Zippers, buttons - they will not disregard anything, they will try to peck. The observation of these birds is sometimes surprising. No matter how hungry they are, they will always see new food. You bring, for example, a soaked bun, and they have never eaten it before. Someone alone, seeing that this is new food, utters a wary cry, everyone is alert, and no one approaches the food. You have to resort to various tricks, mask the new food, mixing it a little with the usual. And it is not always possible to outsmart them.

For myself, I concluded that the new food should be introduced to them at a fairly young age, while they are not yet so careful.

It is difficult for the bird to get used to corn and wheat after the compound feed, stubbornly eats away the usual components from the mixture. You just need to have time and patience, and gradually transfer the turkeys to the new feed.

A separate topic is turkey fights. Closer to autumn - in late August - early September, males in the herd begin to sort things out. The battles are such that neither shouts, nor water from a hose, nor a mop, which you try to shove the "fighters" with - nothing helps. The only remedy here is to get the broken turkey out the door. Turkey fights are dangerous because that male, which one began to peck, is started to be pecked by everyone. As soon as a “victim” is identified, this bird must be isolated.

Last year I realized that warm weather provokes fights. A heat wave passed, and the fights became less widespread. But the warm weather last fall had another effect - a positive one: it caused early egg-laying. For a month, the birds laid about fifty eggs.

Turkey fights are a serious problem. In the first season, two pecked turkeys died after being removed from the common aviary. Some practitioners believe that they have a weak heart, and this is the reason for their death. I cannot say for sure, but I think that, apparently, everything is so, because these birds did not have visually large wounds. We tried to use the recommendation - to entangle the legs of the males, then their fighting spirit allegedly disappears. Perhaps we did something wrong, but the confused turkey did not walk, but fell. I had to abandon this idea.

One of the main problems of keeping is litter. The first season we worked with sand. To say that it is difficult is to say nothing. KAMAZ shoveled sand first into the enclosure, then back.

Last year they used shavings - it is easy to work, and the bird feels comfortable, practically "does not sit on its feet." Turkeys are cold on a sand bed, they "sit on their feet", move with difficulty.

For those who want to repeat our experience, I advise you to think carefully about the placement of the aviary on the site. Be sure to choose a high place, there should not be any squelching water under the feet of the bird after the rains. Chicks need a lot of warmth, so part of the walk should be sunny. And an older bird does not tolerate heat well and should be able to hide in the shade. Walking in our climate, in the North-West of Russia, it is good to at least partially do it with a roof. Otherwise, frequent rains can lead to diseases of the bird - turkeys do not tolerate cold and dampness well. And very small turkeys, as well as chickens, ducklings and goslings, must be protected from crows and cats. Here you will be helped by a net that tightens the walls and ceiling of the aviary.

Taking care of birds is very interesting. If you communicate with them often, then, despite their seeming similarity, you begin to distinguish between them. Each of them has its own character. For example, one very large turkey was distinguished by an unusually meek character. For which he was one of the first expelled from the herd by smaller but aggressive males. He couldn't hit them back. He also had an excellent appetite and ate everything that was given in large quantities.

And his neighbor in the pen, also expelled from the herd, was distinguished by a very combative character. He was dismissive of food, all the time he walked past his relatives, for which he was nicknamed "Soldier". He repeatedly flew over partitions to neighbors and arranged fights until he was expelled to his place.

Communication with a bird gives you many pleasant moments. You have to be observant. I noticed that a fox began to come to our site for the second autumn in a row. Most likely, she was attracted by our birds. But we had not only turkeys - last year I raised geese and ducks for the first time. In short, caring for them is much easier than for turkeys. And the duck, in my opinion, is the most cheerful bird. So, if you need positive emotions, start ducks at dachas.

I would be glad if my experience of growing turkeys is useful for beginners. It is known that the meat of poultry, and animals too, is much tastier than the purchased one. And the labor that is spent on caring for the living creatures pays off with the result. They say among the people: "Without labor you cannot get a fish out of labor." What can we say about turkeys, ducks and geese.

Lyudmila Golubkova, novice poultry farmer

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