Beginners guide to raising turkeys in your backyard for meat and profit. Hi, i have a high school daughter that has raised turkeys for three years for her school show. They are extremely interactive as poults turkey name for babies, they will think of you as their mother and want to be with you all of the time. Domesticated turkeys, bred to be eaten, are about twice as heavy as wild turkeys and, because they are built to offer significantly more breast meat, cannot fly, and are poor runners. Farhan sheikh march, 20 backyard poultry, brooding and rearing guide, poultry farming, turkeys 0 most of the private and home based farmers widely consider raising turkeys for meat. Temperature and brooder setup for raising poults is similar to baby chicks. Are you ready to begin your raising turkeys project. Raising meat turkeys in small or backyard flocks ohio 4h youth. While turkeys are best known for the role they play as the main course in thanksgiving dinners, they have been involved in human life in another way for centuries as affectionate domestic pets. Review the raising turkeys project and record book. Whether you are raising turkeys for meat or for pets, there are many wonderful turkey breeds. Raising meattype chickens from the hatchery to the freezer da. Raising birds requires an extra commitment of time, patience, dedication and concern for the animals involved.
Or maybe youre a small farmer with a business plan that involves raising, butchering and selling animals for meat. Quick facts about raising turkeys the road to a mature tom male turkey or hen female turkey begins with a baby turkey, or turkey poult. Raising turkeys for beginners homegrown self reliance. But before your consignment of turkeys arrives, you should prefer to set up an area for the brooding process. Tips on raising turkey poults turkeys are lots of fun to keep. When raising backyard turkeys, the secret is to keep the turkeys in cages raised off the ground, on sunporches. You have seen the majestic tom turkeys display themselves. Basics for raising junior market turkeys for junior turkey. Turkey farming how to raise turkey birds for meat introduction. Turkeys are an excellent source of succulent meat, rich eggs, and nutrientdense manure, and raising them is a rewarding and profitable activity for many farmers. Raising turkeys msu college of agriculture and natural resources. You have experienced success, overcome challenges and now are looking for a new project. Thinking of raising up a turkey for thanksgiving or any other holiday or for any day really.
Broad breasted bronze turkeys are commonly raised in small flocks and for niche markets. Turkeys accepts no liability for the consequences of using this turkey management information. For further information on raising nicholas turkeys, contact your local technical service representative or an aviagen turkeys sales office. Raising meat turkeys in small or backyard flocks small. Best turkey to raise for meat backyard chickens learn. Chickens and turkeys are the most common sources of poultry meat 87% and 6. Youll need to have about six square feet of indoor space per bird. Beginners guide to raising turkey from poults in your. For those turkeys that are going to lay eggs, allow large nests at least 2024 inch square so that they dont damage their tails.
Poultry raising projects members may take a poultry project to raise poultry for meat or egg production, fancy or exhibition, or just as pets. Many people want to raise turkeys to have fresh, home raised meat in time for the holidays. Poultry meat represents about 33% of global meat production. Management guidelines for growing commercial turkeys.
And, with the ease of popularity of bird, the grower had begun raising or. Just a few short years ago the choices for the average person to have a fresh turkey were as follows. Department of agriculture responsible for ensuring that the nations commercial supply of meat, poultry, and egg products is safe, wholefood safety. Your easy guide to raising turkeys in your backyard. The 1930 census was the first to record the number of turkeys raised rather than the number on farms on january 1. Don schrider brings his handson experience to this onestop reference for humanely raising healthy turkeys. Keeping the housing dry and clean will minimize this risk. There are a few things to take into consideration before you order baby turkeys, or poults. Raising turkeys for homestead beginners top 5 questions. Raising turkeys in an area that leads to overcrowding will bring disease, sick turkeys and ultimately death to your flock.
Raising turkeys as a 4h or ffa project extension dodge county. Ive always thought turkey was a rather bland meat, especially the white meat. Raising backyard turkeys for meat backyard poultry. In this particular setting, im going to refer to it as a poult. Raising turkeys unh extension university of new hampshire. Persons who cannot put forth the effort required should probably not begin the process. Raising turkeys housing if you choose to raise turkeys indoors on floors that are cleanable, it will be easier to control predators and parasites. Raising winning broilers and turkeys involves four general steps. Turkey meleagris galloparo is a bird which is most popular on the american continent and the europe continent. If you choose to raise turkeys indoors on floors that are cleanable, it will be easier to control predators and parasites.
Dont let them out in the rain, theyll stare up into it and drown our experience with turkeys has been completely the opposite. Practical knowledge of raising turkeys is obviously important to the turkey grower, and to help supply that knowledge is the purpose of. Not only are turkeys an excellent source of succulent meat, rich eggs, and nutrientdense manure, but they are curious, social, and friendly as well. Ive had very good results raising my own turkeys for meat and so can you. Raising and marketing pastured turkeys nebraska sustainable ag society html sale of locally home or farm raised poultry minnesota dept of ag and university of minnesota extension pdf html sale of shell eggs to grocery stores and restaurants in minnesota minnesota department of ag html. Grow your own thanksgiving turkey 4 simple phases youtube. These projects also support many of the contest offered in the poultry project area. Raising a few friendly, handsome turkeys for your familys use is both fun and worthwhile.
Roosts should be built in the sheltered end of the cage, using 2by4s. Raising turkeys everything you need to know to get started. Basics for raising junior market turkeys for junior turkey show allan sulser, county extension faculty,wasatch county jim jensen, 4h faculty, utah county this fact sheet is constructed to be used by 4h and ffa youth for training or as a tool to aid in the growing of market turkeys for the utah junior turkey show or for local turkey shows. Before you decide to add turkeys to your farm, here are the basics on raising them the right way. Remember, north america is home base for the wild turkey, which is the notsodistant ancestor of the barnyard turkey. Brooding poults is the most sensitive and critical part of raising turkeys. When raising chickens, you usually place them in a brooder under a heat lamp and let them do their thing until their adult feathers come in turkeys are different. Twelve or turkeys should have a cage at least 10 feet by 12 feet with 12 feet of feed hoppers running along the outside. Weve put together the top 5 questions we see about raising turkeys and answer them with our knowledge of raising turkeys over the last 8 years. Maybe youve raised chickens already and are now thinking about plump, juicy turkeys for thanksgiving and christmas. The simple, four phase outline that makes turkeys doable.
When you place turkeys in a brooder, you must make sure the brooder is large enough to accommodate their size and needs. It pulls together the best of the historic production information appropriate for heritage turkeys and the best of modern health management. If youve already started growing your own food, youve likely already started raising chickens. Originally published in backyard poultry june july 20 and regularly vetted for accuracy. Turkeys are gentle and incredibly loyal, which can make processing them an emotional task. Even the large breeding companies are into providing producers with a variety of. While often the meat of choice on thanksgiving and christmas, turkey is a versatile meat that can be eaten any time of the year. Steve of sands poultry is the pro on heritage turks. Many people are starting to raise their own turkeys. Raising turkeys on the homestead is an easy way to provide meat for your family. Raising turkeys as a 4h or ffa project can be a very educational experience and can grow into a wide variety of career opportunities. A separate building or a spare room in a barn or garage will work equally as well see housing and space guidelines. Keeping turkeys is fun, and after teotwawk you will be able to gift your family with the comfort and remembrance of thanksgiving, thus heightening morale and making the adjusting process easier. Thanksgiving and christmas, turkey is a versatile meat that can be eaten any time of the year.
Compared to other meats, turkey is relatively lean and nutritious. For the beginner, whatever pasture is available may be perfectly sufficient for the birds. Whilst every attempt has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information presented, aviagen turkeys accepts no liability for the consequences of using this turkey management. If you raise them to eat, youll have a much more wholesome and. How to breed turkeys and hatch turkey eggs at home june 7, 2017 admin 0. Smart homesteaders raise a variety of poultry and animals on their farms.
Broadbreasted turkeys will reach harvest size in about 1622 weeks. But after raising our own, i realized that turkey can be delicious. The ultimate guide to raising turkeys survival sullivan. If you wish to raise turkeys for meat, it will take 6 months to grow them to a.
Most of the private and home based farmers widely consider raising turkeys for meat. For further information on raising turkeys, contact your local customer support manager or aviagen turkeys directly. The notes from this video, so you can easily apply the concepts yourself. Here are a few bits of advice and knowledge ive picked up in my experiences with turkeys. Turkeys are not as difficult to raise as many people think.
They are usually raised for meat, although some people like to keep a tom a mature male turkey around as a pet. The best and most affordable manner in which the goal can be achieved is by making use of the day old turkeys. While its true that scientific turkey raising requires certain precautions not always necessary in chicken raising, if a few general principles are followed with care. When abraham lincoln was president, his pet turkey was a familiar sight on the lawns of the white house. Keep feed clean and free from shavings, debris and manure. There are some excellent benefits to keeping a mixed flock, but there are some serious bird health hazards associated with it as well. Brooding baby turkey chicks at home june 7, 2017 admin 0.
Animal welfare aviagen turkeys is committed to the proper care of our animals. Turkeys can be a fun, profitable addition to a small farm or homestead. Whatever your reason, youre considering raising turkeys, and wondering if theyre a good fit for your small farm or homestead. Turkeys can use many types of ranges and pastures to flourish. One of our neighbors customarily raises 6 to 12 turkeys a year right next to the hen house, in a pen about 5 feet wide, 12 feet long and about 2 feet high. The protein, fat, and energy contents of turkey meat are 24%, 6. Raising broilers and turkeys for competition fsa8004. Do you want to raise your own holiday turkeys or sell them for profits.
According to this census, there were 16,794,485 turkeys raised in the united states, most of them as a side line to other farm enterprises. Raising turkeys download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi. Raising turkeys with chickens has been discouraged for years, but despite that, many homesteaders are going back to a mixed flock approach. Domesticated birds are also noisier than wild turkeys and generally considered less intelligent than heritage breeds. Although raising turkeys for market is the largest phase of the industry, the breeding of turkeys, the production of hatching eggs, and the operation of hatcheries and processing plants are large, essential phases. Now you know all you need to start raising your own turkeys and ensure your access to meat in the future. United states department of agriculture food safety and. While raising turkeys does not require a lot of time each day, turkeys do require daily care. Rearing of turkeys at your backyard the poultry guide.
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