Turkey raising gains popularity

Turkey raising is growing in popularity as its cash rewards become generally appreciated among farmers – and famers’ wives. E. L. Hayes give pointers to beginners in the Poultry Journal.

Let us suppose that we are just going into the turkey business. We have bought a small pen of breeders, say a tom and five hens, and right now we must be sure that these breeders are vigorous, strong and have not been sick during the winter months, for if we are to be successful, we must start right.

From our experience we have learned that the breeders should be fed a good laying mash; by so doing, the production can be increased and in place of an average of about 30 eggs being laid in the two layings, we can increase that to about 40 eggs, or 33 have the same number of eggs with one less turkey out of every four can be cut down. Then be sure that all the hens have a long breast bone or keel, as this character is transmissible and the flock next fall will be more uniform in type and more uniform as a market product.

Mating the turkeys

One tom can be mated with ten to fifteen hens. Where the stock is vigorous, we have known one tom to mate with over fifty hens and the hatchability was over 80 per cent. However, one tom to not more than fifteen hens are safer.  When a larger number of hens are kept, it is advisable to keep toms that are friendly to each other or that have been together several weeks before the breeding season. Even so, at mating time, there may be a battle for supremacy. It is better where two toms are used, to separate the flocks, starting each flock off in different directions. If this is impossible, alternate the tom every other day. One service is usually enough to fertilize one clutch of eggs, though hens usually mate two or three times before starting to lay.

Soon after mating the hens usually begin to look for a nest, and in a week or ten days, will lay the first egg. The time hens start to lay will depend on the location and season, but generally occurs, in the northwest states, the latter part of March and the first part of April; in the South and West, about a month earlier. The number of eggs a hen will lay depends on the individual: when turkeys are well fed and properly selected, the number will be larger than when poor feeding and no selection are practiced. Pullets usually start to lay first and will lay from 15 to 20 eggs each in the first clutch. When they go broody, they can be broken up and made to lay a second or even third clutch of them 10 to 15 eggs each. Hens should be allowed to mate with the tom each time after going broody.

Before the eggs are set

When turkeys start to lay the eggs should be gathered so they will not become chilled. If turkey hens are allowed to select their own nest, it will be generally in some secluded place and the eggs will not be found. Successful breeders now yard up the hens during the mating season and arrange nests in the yards. In this way many a step is saved by not having to chase over several acres looking for the nest, and a greater percentage of the eggs are saved. Try yarding the breeders this spring. All nest barrels or boxes should be covered with brush, as the turkeys are more easily attracted to them. Yarding the breeders is one of the first principles of success in turkey raising.

Turkeys usually lay in the morning, so you can gather the eggs then. Leave a china egg in the nest, as a turkey becomes very nervous if no nest egg is left, and the fertility may be cut down. Eggs should be carefully wrapped with clean cotton and paper, when kept for any length of time, to prevent evaporation. The quicker they can be set, the better. The temperature at which they are held while saving for hatching should be between 50 and 60 degrees. Turn them every day, taking care not to jar them.

Artificial hatching proves best

Artificial hatching is the second principle of success in turkey raising. From reports of those who have hatched both in the natural way and artificially, the incubator is more successful. Hatching artificially is the first step to prevent blackhead in the flock, for where we avoid contract of poults and old turkeys, blackhead is less liable to appear. Also, poults should be kept away from chickens, as the latter are a source of infection in spreading the disease. Then too, the time of the turkey hen is valuable from a laying standpoint and should not be wasted by hatching, as we can keep her laying and thereby lower our egg production cost.

Artificial hatching and brooding of turkeys has been carried on with more than marked success. During the past three years, many turkey raisers in the Northwest have successfully done their hatching with incubators.

Any good make incubator can be used, but moisture will have to be supplied. It take 28 days for turkey eggs to hatch. The most suitable temperature for hatching turkey eggs is 102 degrees for the first week, 103 degrees for the second and third weeks and 103 to 104 for the fourth week.

The eggs are turned twice daily and allowed to cool to about 70 degrees; the turning and cooling should be done until the eggs start to pip. Carful handling of the eggs at all times is essential to success. The directions for operating the incubators should be followed closely, and it is necessary to watch the moisture. During most of the hatching season, moisture must be supplied.

Turkey eggs can, of course, be hatched under either the turkey hens or under chicken hens. When setting hens of either kind, care must be used not to put too many eggs under one hen. Good nests should be made. The best success should be had when they are made on the ground or a sod is put in the nest; this will supply the needed moisture. Dust the hens well and keep them free from lice. Be sure to put hens and poults on clean ground to assist in preventing blackhead. An advance step, however, is to hatch them in incubators and success is more assured.

Patience necessary in brooding poults

After hatching, the poults allowed to remain in the incubator for 24 hours to dry off and to harden off, the length of time they are left here depending on their activity. They are then removed to the brooder house where the brooder stove has been in operation for some time, the same as for the chicks. The temperature under the canopy should range from 95 to 100 degrees, depending on weather conditions.

While most any number can be brooded under the hoover, it is advisable to brood them in flocks of from 100 to 150 under a 500 chick size hover. However, as poults grow very fast, a 1,000 chick hover is better. The poults are held under and near the hover by one inch mesh wire netting made in a circle around the hover. This circle is gradually enlarged until the poults occupy the entire brooder house. Then let them run outside. Here, again, the change should be made gradually. Give a very small run at the start and increase it every few days until they have a fairly large range, and they learn to locate the brooder house and the heat.

It requires more patience and care for a few days with poults than with chicks as poults do not seem to have the intelligence of chicks. This is especially true in artificial brooding, as the poults will wander away from the source of heat, and if not carefully watched, will become chilled or crowded in some corner. However, after a few days of driving them back to the hover, they will become accustomed to where the heat is and will then return of their own accord. The small yard used in connection with the brooder house should be arranged so that it can be easily enlarged every few days and will require only a short time to enlarge it.

How the poults are fed

So much has been written on feeding that it seems almost impossible to say anything that would be new. However, a few things might be on value to those just starting. We have often been told not to feed too much; while this is correct, my observations have been that some of the loss during the first two months is due to lack of feed rather than to everfeeding. Little poults can be handled as successfully as little chicks, with one exception, and that is we have to educate the poults to eat, as well as to locate the heat under the hovers; chicks will do that themselves. In other words, we must not blame the poults if they do wrong, but blame ourselves, as we must be the eyes and brains for them.

Turkeys are raised for market. We should, therefore, feed them for quick growth and development in order to have them ready for market at the earliest possible time. The following schedule has been successful, but each grower will have to apply his own common sense to his own case.

Give no feed during the first 48 hours, but don’t let them go so long that they die from starvation. No one is able to tell the length of time after hatching when to start feeding except yourself; watch, observe the poults. I am fully convinced that more baby chicks die the first few week because they were let go too long before feeding then not long enough, in feeding either chicks or poults we must use our own judgment when to start feeding.

Do you give the poults any water. Skim milk can be given to them in crocks, however, after the poults are placed in the brooder house or with the hens. The second day after starting to feed, one hardboiled egg can be given for every 25 poults. Crumble this up fine and feed it on clean feeding boards. These boards should be picked up after each feeding, cleaned and hung up after until the next feeding, for sanitation is the one big thin for success in turkey raising and the feeding must be watched if trouble is to be avoided later on. Eggs can be fed threes time daily for the first few days; poults do not take to eating mash, a little dry mash is sprinkled over the finely chopped egg.

Alfalfa is the one big thing for success with turkeys. Go out in your alfalfa field and clip enough so that they will have all they want. This must be very finely cut and must be green, not dried. Start feeding this the third day and give it three times a day until the poults have free range. If they are not on range, supply alfalfa every day, for it furnishes vitamin A, which is one of the essentials of quick growth and development. We have found that where alfalfa has been supplied very few crooked breasts were found in the flock; it seems to furnish the lime to develop the large breastbone.

Any of the prepared mashes are all right to use, except that most of them do not contain enough animal matter. However, if one is feeding skim milk that will supply the animal protein, which should be 30 per cent, or more of the mash. Some growers have found that their poults do fairly well on just grins the first few weeks and then are put on mashes. All turkeys, old and young, should be fed from hoppers that are covered to prevent rain or dirt from getting in the fed. While we are sure that good success can be obtained from feeding any of the standard feeds now on the market, as well as a few home- made ones, we feel that a feed formula can be worked out that will be just the thing for turkeys.

After six weeks of age, an abundant supply of clean, fresh water is necessary. Remember, sanitation is your watchword from start to finish in turkey raising. Alfalfa runs are deal if you have them. Use clean ground for every new blood of poults.