Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
want to start them until the first week of July. If you can process well before Thanks-
giving and freeze the birds, you can be more flexible. We process the Sunday before
Thanksgiving, not before and not after. If you can order the poults for the date you
want them, make sure they actually come. More than once we have called to confirm
an order only to find there is a shortage and the hatchery wasn't planning to send us
any turkeys at all. This leaves us scrambling to find another hatchery on very short
notice. Once we had to supplement our order from another hatchery that also ran
short of poults and didn't send them for another two weeks. When the poults finally
arrived they were debeaked and toe-clipped! Fortunately the poor little guys man-
aged to forage on pasture and actually caught up to the older birds we had received
with our original order.
Develop an excellent feed ration
. Young turkeys cannot be started simply on broiler
feed with much success. Most broiler feed is too low in protein for poults. We ini-
tially used only broiler feed, supplementing with hard-boiled eggs and beef liver, but
this was very inconsistent and had varied results. We now provide them with a 23
percent turkey starter while in the brooder. Once they are fully feathered and out on
pasture we switch to the 21 percent broiler feed. Depending on growth rate, we may
later cut this feed with whole oats and corn as a finisher. It is also important to
provide turkeys with age-appropriate grit and free-choice sod/greens when in the
brooder. Turkeys are nutritionally sensitive when young, and it is critical to get them
through this period with a well-balanced, complete ration.
Establish separate facilities
. For years, seasoned turkey growers told us some day
we would have our turkeys wiped out by a chicken disease. They were right. It is dif-
ficult to raise turkeys and chickens on the same farm. We were just lucky for five
years. It finally hit us hard.
1. Build a completely separate brooder space for the turkeys that is as far from
the barn as possible and still has access to water and power (approximately
300 feet from the nearest chickens).
2. Establish and maintain completely separate range housing and pasture (we
built a 12 × 12 ft. roost shed with two acres of rotating pasture around it).
3. Maintain separate feed storage (the turkey feed goes directly from the truck to
the turkey house).
4. Assign a single chore person who will tend the turkeys first thing in the morn-
ing before going to the barn.
5. Maintain a boot bath outside the turkey housing.
6. Do everything possible to boost health and immunity.
