| Modern Turkeys:
Broad-breasted White - nurtured in the1960s in the USA through cross breeding the Holland Whites with broad-breasted bronzes; feathering is white and a bunch of feathers on the breast; lay around 90 - 120 eggs, weight of cocks is 14 - 17 kg while the hens weighed around 8-10 kg; demanding with regard to feed and maintenance conditions.
Beltsville Small White;
English Mini;
Large White;
In modern turkey production, turkeys with white feathers are mainly used to obtain a sellable carcass.
Feeding:
In the past, private turkey farm turkeys fed them with buckwheat, oats and barley, black bread, soaked in water, boiled potatoes and various greens. Turkeys willingly eat raw and cooked meat and being in the field and pastures, turkeys destroy a lot of worms, caterpillars, beetles, pupae of insects and even field mice and frogs which can be useful for gardens (without berry bushes) and vegetable gardens.
If there is no forest near the pasture, where the turkey could find shelter during bad weather, then it is necessary to erect a special shelter for turkeys. Turkeys were not allowed to graze on places where the orchis and Digitalis purpurea grow.
Presently, turkeys are fed, mainly, with mixed fodder in the form of granules, crumbs or loose.
Reproduction:
In private farms, turkeys attain sexual maturity at 8-9 months. Turkeys lay eggs in spring and fall, every day before noon or on alternate days. Eggs are a dark cream color and each egg weighs on an average of 75 - 90 gm. Turkeys lay 10 - 30 eggs. Eggs, laid in spring, are rarely used for hatching since it is very difficult to raise the late hatched turkeys.
On completion of egg laying, around 12 - 17 eggs are kept under each turkey for hatching. The turkey is one of the best brooding birds amongst domesticated birds distinguished by considerable patience. The brooding passion of turkeys is well exploited by the owners (especially, the brooding passion has been exploited by the French in the past), making the turkeys hatch 2-3 times a year not only their eggs but also the eggs of chickens, ducks, geese, and of course, turkey eggs, which lay around 20 or more eggs. Turkey poults start emerging from eggs after 28 - 30 days.
In modern turkey production conditions, which take measures for round-the-year production, turkeys start laying eggs at a very early age - at 28 - 34 weeks of age and also independent of the season. Egg laying intensity quickly increases and gradually decreases after 8 - 10 weeks. In one cycle, stretching up to 18 - 21 weeks, turkey hens lay 80 - 100 eggs and sometimes 150 eggs, after which the turkeys are given for slaughter and replaced by young turkey hens. During round the year production and with multiple flock raising, around 200 eggs are laid on average.
Insemination, predominantly, is artificial, in this case, around 25 turkey hens are inseminated by the sperm of a single turkey cock. The incubation period is 28 days.
Turkey poult raising:
In the past, in private farms, turkey poults are kept inside the box, which has soft straw, and kept in warm places (no less than +19 °C). Young turkey birds are fed from the second day with finely minced over boiled eggs, then with boiled rice or white bread, soaked in milk, with a mixture of finely cut young nettles, poured over by boiling water etc. Young turkey birds are allowed to drink water only from the fifth day.
The young turkey birds grow and develop better according to the variety of feed given to them. From the three week age, the birds are given more coarse grain feed (prosome is better) with small quantities of hemp seeds and ant eggs. At the same time, one can start releasing them into yards for a stroll, but measures should be taken to protect the young birds from strong summer heat and especially rainy and damp weather, because turkeys are highly susceptible to cold, of which the entire hatch often die. At the age of two months, the turkey poults develop feathering and characteristic naked, verrucous skin on the head and neck also form on them. Later on, they become much more tolerant and stronger and can already be sent into the yard for grazing along with the adult birds. At the age of 6 months, the turkey poults are fully grown.
On modern industrial turkey farms, young turkeys are grown in specially designed bird houses - heating brooder houses and then in acclimatizers, conditions in which are very similar to the conditions meant for adult birds. |
Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Statistics show that the United States produces about 270 million turkeys a year, 30% of these turkeys are consumed by Americans during Thanksgiving. Turkeys have a sharp 270 degree vision, and are quite "sporty" birds - they run up to 20 miles per hour and fly up to 55 miles per hour. Turkeys are related to pheasants.
Benjamin Franklin wanted the national bird to be a turkey, instead of the bald eagle. Let's pay a tribute to this bird today.
