Detailed Guide to Turkey Farming Techniques: Scientific Feeding and Management Methods

First of all, a chicken coop must be built, and it should be established in a place that is dry, has good drainage and irrigation capacity, and is warm in winter and cool in summer. Then comes the selection of breeding turkeys: choose those with strong growth capacity, no disease, great vitality, glossy feathers, and good reproductive capacity. Then comes mating, and artificial mating should be carried out appropriately. Finally comes incubation: candling and egg inspection should be carried out once a week to promptly discover dead eggs and eggs that cannot be hatched.

1. Building the Chicken Coop

Establish the chicken coop in a place that is dry, has good drainage and irrigation capacity, and is warm in winter and cool in summer. Prevent direct sunlight from shining into the chicken coop, but also ensure there is a certain amount of scattered light. Reasonably plan the rest room, exercise yard, incubation room, brooding room and manual office, etc. Try to keep a certain amount of green trees around the chicken coop to improve air quality.

2. Selecting Breeding Turkeys

For male turkeys, choose those with strong growth capacity, no disease, great vitality and glossy feathers. The selection of female turkeys is similar to that of male turkeys, but they must be guaranteed to have good reproductive capacity. Breeding turkeys cannot be used for a long time and must be replaced regularly, with inferior breeds culled in time. The utilization period of female turkeys must not exceed two years, while that of male turkeys can be appropriately extended.

3. Mating Management

Female turkeys first lay eggs at about 8 months of age, and generally about 12 eggs laid is enough for incubation. Turkey mating is generally mainly natural mating, but inbreeding must be prevented; and because the sizes of male and female turkeys differ somewhat, the injury rate of female turkeys is relatively high, which affects their reproductive capacity and economic returns, so artificial mating should be carried out appropriately, raising the mating ratio to about 1:20, which can not only increase the reproduction rate but also effectively reduce feeding costs.

4. Incubation Management

When female turkeys are brooding, pay attention to controlling light well and avoid an overly noisy environment. After incubation, candling and egg inspection must be carried out once a week to promptly discover dead eggs and eggs that cannot be hatched. Male turkeys should be raised separately, the proportion of dry feed should be increased, and wet feed should be used as little as possible.