The breed of white broad-chested turkeys was bred in North America in the mid-60s of the last century, by crossing white Dutch turkey and bronze wide-chested turkeys. After some time, it was brought to the territory of Russia and began to grow as an industrial poultry to obtain valuable dietary meat.
In this article we will look at the care and feeding of white-breasted turkeys. Learn what they look like, learn about the characteristics of the breed and learn about their breeding.
Table of contents
White Stavropol turkeys: breed description
Appearance
White wide-breasted turkey differs from other breeds of birds in an oval, vertically set torso, broad massive breasts and powerful pink legs. The color of the turkey feather is crystal white. On the chest of some birds there is a patch of dark feathers.
The head and neck of the bird is long and bare. The skin color on the head and neck is bright red. On the head of birds there are fleshy warty growths resembling earrings. The same growth is also under the beak.
Temperament
Stavropol wide-breasted turkeys are distinguished by their appeasable temper. Perfect chickens come out of turkeys, including when ducks, chickens and even goslings are placed under them. Birds love long walks in the fresh air, growing this breed of turkeys, you need to take care of walking. Cellular maintenance is also possible, but again, only with free access to fresh air and walking.
An adult turkey is in the pen for at least 1 hour, the young - at least 2-3 hours.
Turkeys and turkeys of this breed are distinguished by extensive dimensions, large weight and thick plumage, in conditions of lack of space and space for movement, they can be hot.
Birds wither, get sick. In order for the birds to feel worse, it is necessary to provide at least 1 meter of free space to each of them. This rule should be observed both in the case of walking and cell keeping.
Industrial farms or homestead
The breed of white broad-chested turkeys is bred most often on an industrial scale, but on the backyards these birds feel no less comfortable, being remarkable for their amazing ability to adapt quickly to any conditions.
For breeding white wide-chested turkeys, an ordinary barn is suitable, where other birds can also be found. The only thing worth taking care of in advance is to provide a separate room for the males during this period. At this time, turkeys become extremely aggressive and can even attack humans, the rest of the birds should be kept from them as far as possible.
Breed characteristics
The weight of turkeys and turkeys depends on their belonging to one of the three groups into which the breed is divided.
- Easy The weight of turkeys does not exceed 9 kilograms, turkeys - 5 kilograms. Grown mainly for industrial purposes, contained in cells.
- Medium. The weight of turkeys reaches 17 kilograms, turkeys - 7 kilograms. It is cultivated both in household plots and on an industrial scale mainly on the driven stock.
- Heavy The weight of an adult male can exceed 26 kilograms, females - 11 kilograms. Young individuals reach a weight of 11 kilograms already at the age of six months.
Egg production. This breed of turkeys is not famous for its high egg production rates. On average, the egg-bearing period lasts from six months to 9 months. During this time, the female manages to carry a little more than 100 eggs covered with a dense shell. Egg color - beige, there are specks.
A lot of eggs. Turkey eggs are large, their weight is much more than chicken and is at least 85 grams. Eggshell is dense, the egg is difficult to break or crush. Sometimes in large eggs two yolks can be found simultaneously.
Consumption of feed per day. Feed adult turkeys should be at least 3 times a day.At the same time one bird should consume at least 500-800 grams of feed. During the period of breeding mating, the need for food increases, because the number of feedings at this time is adjusted to 5, with the calculation of at least 1 kilogram of food per 1 head.
In the morning and in the afternoon the birds are fed wet food, in the evening - dry. Benefit to the birds bring juicy food, guaranteeing a large number of juicy meat in the future.
How much feed on 1 egg?During the laying period one female should eat at least half a pound of food per day. To create a complete feed base in the winter, it is advisable to stock up on some hay. In summer, birds are advised to feed chopped grass.
Cultivation of white wide-chested turkeys
Food: chickens, adult turkeys, layers. For a large number of eggs and meat turkeys need full feeding. The daily feed ration should consist of wet and dry feed, vegetables, fruits and all sorts of vitamin supplements. The diet of white wide-chested turkey poults without fail includes:
- dry and germinated grain;
- dry and wet mash
- greenery;
- carrots, cabbage, beets.
Young turkeys are fed with crushed eggs and small grains. Instead of water, you can give the turkeys milk, but only if the farm has its own cow and the milk will always be fresh. Starting from one month of age, turkeys begin to feed mashconsisting of wet cereals and greens, mixed with water.
For the preparation of mash, suitable young nettle, lightly dried alfalfa or cabbage leaves. In specialized stores, ready-made mixes for turkey poults are available for sale, saturated with all the essential minerals and vitamins. Adult birds also will not refuse from this diet.
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Features of growing and care
You should not be zealous with feed, since the maximum weight of a bird is reached at the age of 1.5 years.At the same time, the growth of turkeys and their weight gain ceases at about 6 months, which makes their further industrial maintenance unprofitable, because it is precisely the young bird that has not yet aged will enter the meat markets.
Diseases of poults and home treatment
Adult turkeys rarely get sick, but young animals suffer from rhinitis and various infectious diseases. Left untreated, the disease leads to serious consequences and even death of the livestock.Therefore, widespread vaccination of turkeys of this breed is recommended.
Birds are considered thermophilic, the air temperature in the room should not fall below 15 degrees. In addition, infectious diseases such as:
- brucellosis;
- tuberculosis;
- histomoniasis;
- smallpox.
These diseases are difficult to treat with antibiotics, provoke massive forced slaughter of birds, because the task of each poultry farmer is to create conditions that block their appearance.
Processing will destroy the existing insects and prevent their further occurrence. In addition, it is recommended to urgently seal up any holes that appeared in the floor and walls of the room, rodents penetrate through them, bringing with them diseases that are dangerous to birds. Turkeys often suffer from worms, affecting, in particular, and respiratory organs. For prophylaxis, it is recommended that you purchase appropriate medications at a veterinary pharmacy every month and give them to birds.
Incorrect feeding of turkeys leads to the development of their perverted appetite.. Symptoms of the disease is an increased interest in the ingestion of chips, dry leaves, stones and other foreign objects. You can fight the disease only by setting a strict diet and transferring the birds to a balanced diet.
The advantages and disadvantages of the breed
When breeding white wide-chested turkeys, the advantages are much greater than the disadvantages. So, for six months of intensive feeding, it is possible to get almost an adult, ready to slaughter birds weighing up to 11 kilograms. No other bird by this age weighs so much. In keeping turkeys unpretentious, like other birds, they need a lot of fresh air, lighted room and access to the paddock. Gentle and healthy poultry meat is very popular among buyers.
The only disadvantage of turkeys is their consumption of a large amount of feed.
Reviews
Tatyana Ivanovna: The breed is wonderful, there is a choice between light and heavy turkeys. I personally grow turkeys weighing up to 14 kilograms, but I know farmers who feed birds up to 30 kilograms.
Zinaida Leonidovna: Good birds, be sure to buy myself a couple. I only heard that they need to be artificially inseminated. I don’t know if it’s true or not, but I’ll still buy birds. I really liked their meat. A friend ordered such a turkey for his birthday, the meat was just in bulk, I want to raise one for myself.
Gennady Nikolaevich: I have been engaged in breeding turkeys for a long time and am constantly amazed at the complaints of the poultry farmers about the difficulties with raising young stock, namely the white wide-chested breed.I personally have no problems with this, most of the eggs turned out to be not only fertilized, but also with healthy tenacious turkeys inside. I advise this breed to beginners and experienced farmers.
As you can see, the cultivation of poultry white broad-breasted at home is extremely beneficial from an economic point of view. Birds suffer little, adapt well, are distinguished by good egg production and lack of a tendency to obesity. White females are good chicks, and males rarely show signs of aggression.
Can you tell me the exact volume for each adult bird, the inside and outside areas, which would be taken into account when building the house, indicating the desired height? Thank you in advance.
not less than 1 quad. meters and the height of the chicken coop as you will be comfortable to serve the main thing that the bird was not hot.