Turkeys - Raising Poultry - page 169

Treading is the mating action of the male on the back of the female. He works
his feet back and forth, pedaling until he can match his cloacal opening with that of
the female and transfer his semen. The commercial, breast-heavy male finds it almost
impossible to adjust his unnatural weight to lean backward to match the cloacae. The
large mass in the breast area — sometimes resulting in a bird that weighs 60 pounds
(27 kg) or more — is very hard on the female. Because a turkey's lungs are located
under the back ribs, and the male is on the female's back quite a long time trying to
assume the proper position, his weight seriously hampers her breathing. Sometimes
the female dies from suffocation.
If you want to try to maintain your own breeder flock of these birds you'll have
to learn to artificially inseminate. Although it's not a difficult process, some find it
a bit repulsive. You have to stroke the male on the belly to get him ready and then
collect the semen in a small container. To ready the female, you must apply gentle,
then somewhat forceful pressure to the back until her cloaca pulsates some and she
becomes receptive. Using a strawlike structure, you insert the semen into the female.
Comparing Turkey Breed Feeds and Needs
All turkey poults, no matter what breed, must be treated the same way: with much
care and caution to maintain a constant high temperature and protect them from drafts.
However, different breeds require different practices.
The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy conducted a study comparing heritage
and commercial turkeys in 2002 at several farms across the United States. Our Iowa
farm participated. Although we make it our practice to try to conserve traditional breeds
of poultry, to make the study more equitable we didn't use any stock hatched at our farm,
but instead used only stock available from commercial sources.
We started out with three heritage breeds — 30 Bourbon Red, 30 Black Spanish, and
30 Blue Slate — plus 30 commercial white turkeys.
We cared for all the birds identically from day one. The feed and water for each of
the four groups was measured and calculated. This was a simple task when they were
babies but became increasingly difficult as they grew.
HERITAGE TURKEY TALES
Although commercial turkeys grow fast and boast an easy-to-control sedentary
nature, heritage turkeys have all the charisma. They are colorful, can become easily
attached to people, and have that sustainability factor that just can't be ignored. They