Turkey farming is a fun and obviously lucrative business these days. Most people raise turkeys for meat production.
Although some people like to keep a few turkeys as pets or to spruce up their home or backyard.
How to Start Raising Turkeys
If you want to raise turkeys for pets or for commercial purposes, follow this step-by-step guide on how to start raising turkeys.
Decide on the purpose of growing turkeys
Before you begin, determine the purpose of raising turkeys. You can raise turkeys as pets or for commercial purposes. Ask yourself if turkeys should be kept or why should they be? This is a very important question and certainly the first to be asked.
Do you have enough space to grow turkeys? Can you easily sell your products in the local market. And there are plenty of other questions to think about before you start. Turkeys are suitable for your farm if you have enough space for growing and marketing.
However, if you keep a few turkeys as a pet, there is nothing to worry about. If you have experience raising chickens, ducks, guinea fowl, etc. for eggs or meat, you can also raise turkeys.
Raising turkeys is similar to raising chickens, but turkeys require slightly more childcare (especially young turkeys) than chickens. Turkeys are also good as pets. They are very social with people. In fact, there are many more people than chickens. Young turkeys are called turkeys and mature turkeys are called tomatoes.
Turkey breeds
There are many breeds of turkeys in the world. Broad-breasted white turkeys are the most common herding breed.
The turkey meat we eat is mostly broad-breasted white chicken (although pasture-raised or free-range turkey is tastier than meat produced on a commercial farm).
White Holland and Standard Bronze turkeys are also popular turkey breeds for meat production. Broad-breasted whites and tans are not true breeds.
It is simply a non-standard commercial strain used on farms for commercial meat production. But Standard Bronzes and White Dutch are recognized and original breeds.
Narragansett and Bourbon Red are historic turkey breeds. They are striking, medium-sized birds that excel in foraging and pest control. The Royal Palm is a small breed of turkey with a body weight of 10 to 16 pounds.
They are very beautiful and different birds. Broad-breasted whites, standard tans and whites, Dutch whites, etc. suitable for industrial turkey farming.
chick care
Daily or young turkeys are called turkeys. Poultry care is a very important part of raising turkeys. Usually, the growth and maintenance of chicks should begin in the spring.
Set up a brooding area for chicks (similar to a chick brooder). There are a lot of activities involved here. Your previous experience in poultry farming will help you a lot.
Temperature control is also very important for chickens. During the first week, the chick brooder should be kept at a temperature between 90° and 100° Fahrenheit.
Then gradually lower the temperature by 5° Fahrenheit each week. You can easily lower the temperature in the coop by raising the lambs. You can feed your chicks commercial chick starter foods.
Housing and fencing of turkeys
In order to raise turkeys on an industrial scale, you need to build a good housing system with all the conveniences. A turkey bird requires 5 to 8 square feet of living space. Keep the house dry and clean at all times and ensure that fresh air circulates inside the house.
Some people like to raise turkeys in an outdoor environment where they can live and roam outdoors. You can also grow them in a large, fenced-in enclosure with a movable perch (like a movable chicken coop). Short grass 4 to 6 inches long is the best choice for growing turkeys.
Although the assortment may include Kentucky and Red Clover. Because they are good herbs for turkeys. Build a sturdy fence around your enclosure to protect your birds from predators like coyotes, raccoons, foxes, etc. The wicker wire fence is strong enough to protect your birds from these predators. An electrified bird net is also an excellent choice.
Feed and water the turkeys
Adequate and high-quality feed is very important for the growth of turkeys. Turkeys need more protein in the regular diet than chickens. For good growth and best performance, chicks need around 28% protein in their diet, and adult birds need around 20% protein in their regular diet.
A mature turkey consumes about 1 pound of food per day. You can buy ready-to-use commercial turkey feed from the market. In addition to a quality feed, make sure there is enough clean, fresh water available. 100 turkeys need about 65 liters of water per day.
An automatic waterer and bird feeder are a good choice for feeding and watering turkeys. Regularly clean the feeder and drinker.
Prevention of turkey diseases and other health problems
Diseases and other health problems are as common in turkeys as in other poultry. Sometimes problems arise and you need to learn how to prevent the appearance of birds. So educate yourself on preventing illnesses and health problems before they arise.
As we know, “prevention is better than cure”. So take care of your birds. Good facilities, adequate ventilation, a system of fresh air circulation and the supply of fresh, clean water and feed are the easiest ways to raise turkeys and keep them healthy.
Do not raise turkeys and chickens together. Make sure they are raised separately from chickens and other poultry. Give the birds plenty of roosting space and, if possible, pasture/pasture. Also protect turkeys from predators.
Raising turkeys is both fun and rewarding. Before starting a commercial turkey business, we recommend that you visit some farms for more hands-on learning. For breeding, keep 1 tom (male turkey) for 10 hens.
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