A Detailed Guide to Turkey Farming Techniques: Scientific Breeding and Management Methods
Although the turkey is called a "chicken", it actually belongs to the bird family, and its appearance is completely different from that of ordinary domestic chickens, with obvious differences. Moreover, the nutritional value of turkey is far higher than that of domestic chickens, and it is now gradually becoming available on the market in our country. Its farming area is also constantly expanding, with relatively high farming returns. So how should turkey farming be done? Below, the editor brings you the turkey farming techniques. Let's take a look!
1. Building the Coop
The construction of the turkey coop is very important. First, we must choose a good environment. Because turkey feathers are very dense, in order to prevent turkeys from suffering from diseases and pests, the coop should be built in a dry place with good drainage and irrigation capacity that is warm in winter and cool in summer. When building the coop, prevent direct sunlight from shining into the coop, but also ensure that there is a certain amount of scattered light. The interior of the coop should have a reasonable layout for a rest room, exercise yard, incubation room, brooding room and manual office, etc. Try to keep some green trees around the coop to improve air quality and promote the growth of the turkeys.
2. Selection of Breeding Turkeys
The selection of breeding turkeys plays a key role in the sustainable development of turkey farming. First, male turkeys should be selected for strong growth ability, freedom from disease, high vitality and shiny feather color. The selection of female turkeys is similar to that of male turkeys, but they must be guaranteed to have good reproductive capacity. Also, breeding turkeys cannot be used for a long time and must be replaced regularly to avoid a decline in reproductive capacity, and inferior breeds should be eliminated in time. The utilization period of female breeding turkeys must not exceed two years, while that of male turkeys can be appropriately extended. After selection, mating work should be done well to improve the quality of breeding eggs and ensure farming returns.
3. Mating Management
Female turkeys lay their first eggs at about 8 months of age. Their egg-laying period is around April to August each year, and generally about 12 eggs are laid before incubation can begin. Turkey mating is generally mainly natural mating, but inbreeding must be prevented during mating. Moreover, during natural mating of turkeys, because of the differences in size between male and female turkeys, the injury rate of female turkeys is relatively high, which will affect their reproductive capacity and economic returns. Therefore, we should appropriately carry out artificial mating work and increase the mating ratio to about 1:20, which can not only improve the reproduction rate but also effectively reduce feeding costs.
4. Incubation Management
Turkeys have a relatively strong brooding instinct. When female turkeys are brooding, attention should be paid to controlling light well and avoiding an environment that is too noisy, which would affect turkey incubation. During the incubation period of female turkeys, male turkeys should be raised separately, the proportion of dry feed should be increased, and wet feed should be minimized. After incubation, egg candling and egg inspection work must be carried out once every week to promptly discover dead eggs and eggs that cannot hatch. After female turkeys finish brooding, they become relatively weak due to insufficient feed, so they should be raised separately to restore their strength as soon as possible.
The above is a brief introduction to turkey farming techniques. When raising turkeys, be sure to do a good job in epidemic prevention work, enhance the disease resistance of turkeys, and avoid the occurrence of diseases that affect the growth of turkeys. That is all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only. Thank you for reading and supporting.