Rising animals for different purposes is not a very new idea. People have been raising various kinds of animals and birds for multiple purposes. It is ultimately a magic of science that has given us different techniques to raise and use different organisms for mankind.
Turkey is commercially very profitable and excellent to raise birds. These birds are very easy to raise and don’t require a lot of specific care. Even the numbers can be very good at a time and same as broiler chicken people do love to have turkey for an excellent evening.
They are famous for basically two reasons, eggs and the meat they produce. If you talk of poultry business and if you are a newcomer, Turkey can be the best one to start with.
How to start Turkey Farming?
If you think that Turkey will need a specific environment or some tough handling, then you completely have got wrong. These birds are very friendly and like to interact with humans. They are very similar to chickens and ducks, and hence one can find it very easy to maintain them. Tukey likes to be social, and the interaction often is great.
One should keep in mind that Turkey needs easy care, and hence we have some basic steps you should follow before raising them.
- Choosing the best breed, you need to raise-
Turkey is a very diverse genus, and hence you need to select properly the breed you want to go for. Many breeds of Turkey are hard to raise, and they don’t have that much profit commercially. The time is taken to raise, and the amount of care and feeding one has to provide the bird really does matter. You should keep in mind that in Turkey Farming you will have to be selective and will have to go with the one that can bring profit to your Business.
There are many breeds that are not that efficient in meat to price ratio. Many of these birds don’t have a lot of edible meat, and hence the profit margin comes down. Even the gestation period or the period in which these birds lay eggs is an important fact to have a note upon.
Some of the breeds lay a good amount of eggs at a time while the others don’t. You need to study all the Tukey’s well for a good selection. Even the amount of the feed you are going to provide you becomes important as it can be an economic factor for the businessman.
- Economic stability-
Another very important point to take care of is the Economic stability of the farmer. It completely depends on you and your financial status of how big and complicated your farm can be.
Everything which the Tukey’s do need can vary a lot depending on how you are approaching. It is a fact that the more you invest in a business, the bigger it is, but we will suggest going with a simple approach at first. Try doing it and managing it on a small scale and hence get an experience of how to approach Turkey farming.
Also Read: A Complete Business Guide to start Emu Farming
- You will have to house them well- this means that the fencing and area where you will be keeping and growing birds should have good facilities. The fencing even matters a lot of Turkeys as these are very strong and big birds. They will require constant care to raise and hence the birds to require good housing facilities.
Even to get your Business on the road of commercialization, you will need to provide the birds with good facilities. You can have some points in your mind before going with anything to house them. New technologies such as electric fencing for poultry and wooden houses with good facilities are important in raising the bird. You must have good predator resistance as they are very prone with their strong smell to them.
On the other side, the birds are larger than the usual chickens and commercial birds so you will need even better protection and arrangements. Space and ventilation are very important to promote fast growth. Keeping the number of birds in your mind, you will have to pre-plan everything.
Cleaning the area of raising these birds is very necessary for a hygienic environment. Try keeping the fence as strong as possible and high above the ground, because once they are grown up they are strong birds and you don’t want to lose them because of such reasons.
- Feeding and watering
Another aspect of poultry farming is feeding your bird. Turkey is a very big bird, and it needs a good amount of diet. Even the protein content is to be taken care of in the feed you will be providing. The least amount of protein which these birds need is 28 % of their daily intake, which gives you a lot to take care of. Even the quantity does increase with turkey.
The water needs to be good and pure. These birds easily catch diseases with water as an agent. You will have to provide them with gallons of water to make them stay hydrated and then also make sure there is no presence of any harmful pathogen in the water. Good food and water can make them grow faster and give you better results both with meats and eggs.
- A good caring environment
It really does not matter if you’re opting for such a farming technique just for Business. The bird does need very good care. It will have to be in the good management of you and your team. You will have to take care of any type of contamination, space and other such factors. Even you will have to maintain hygiene with your veterinary doctor. All you need is to love them and raise them.
If we are talking about Business, we can’t forget the profit. So the next question up here will be-
How much turkey farmers make?
On average, a farmer with Turkey farming deals with more than $30,000. It completely depends on your way, and the meat you get that will make your profit. Mostly Turkey gives you 7-12 kg of meat. Eggs are also an important commercial factor. In India, Turkey is not a very common bird so the prices are high whereas in many countries, Turkey is very common and hence the consumption rate will give immense profit. Moreover, $15 in an hour is the most common price people get with this farming. It is a very good earning rate for a common farmer, and hence it’s great to have such a business.
Turkey Farming Facts
So in this section, we will take you into some of the most amazing facts about Turkey Farming. This will help you in raising a successful business.
- They are not all vegetarian animals- there are not pure veg eating birds. It’s really great to notice that they are omnivores. They like to eat worms and other meats too. Isn’t it great as the bird can be fed on a good amount of protein in no time and even at very reasonable prices? It has both merits and demerits with this point, and hence you can have the edge over other types of birds.
- Turkey is a very sensitive animal. Though these birds don’t need lots of demands, you will have to take care of them every day. You just can’t skip vacation for a few days from your farm as this might lead you in big trouble. Your birds can even die if left alone. A good survey and regular reports should be there to keep the check. The farmer needs to be very specific with these conditions before going for such a farm. Even the maintenance is sometimes high, so be ready to face the conditions.
- Turkey is very different with hormones- if you contact a doctor for your flock of Turkey, you will get to know how different these birds are. One cannot store antibiotics and other tablets for future use with Turkey. They need new prescriptions every time. The animal is sensitive, and these birds easily get influence from others.
- The young turkey can look sick- don’t worry and panic up if you see that the young turkeys in your farm have spots on their body that lack features. They’re very normal and can be due to the changes these birds go through. These birds do lose all their features during the development, and eventually, new features come up on the grown bird. It is just like humans losing the first set of deciduous teeth and further getting the permanent one.
- They are best friends- Unlike any other bird, Turkey is very beautiful in colonizing. They really love each other a lot and hence are often seen in groups. They like to share their food, keep care of other mates and their babies and a lot more. They do like to be in a group just like a group of best friends do hang out.
How long will it take to raise a Turkey?
Talking on the point that what will be the time in which a Turkey can grow up fully so that one can use it commercially then this really depends on the selection and care. A Turkey on average does have a life span of 10 years and hence needs time to gain maturity enough to be profitable.
On the other side, a Turkey just needs 4-5 months to grow up and acquire the maximum size, so don’t be in the wrong thought that you will have to wait for years. Above 16 weeks it will get fully grown up, and hence a farmer can use it for his own commercial purpose. Six months can be enough to sell these birds in the market with meat aspects.
Turkey weight gain chart
This is a very important chart to maintain as you can get a very accurate data of how your birds are doing. The chart contains important data as the food intake, the medication that the bird ate and other such details. Everything gets a good measure of how the management is going which helps you to keep track of all your Turkeys. Isn’t it great to have such a chart? It really can help you to go swiftly with your farming.
Turkey Growth stages
Like any other bird, a turkey needs different nutritional requirements at different stages of their life cycles. In the beginning, when Turkey is just a small bird, it needs the most care. Even the heat which one has to provide in such a stage is very much specific. You can not provide more or less in this case. In the beginning, it does look the same as a small chick. Soon the features will start coming on the main body. This leads to ease in your work. The bird in this age starts taking care of itself and is well mature enough to be left in a more open environment.
The main point which makes a turkey different from all the other in the growth stages is the amazing size change the bird goes through. Just in 6-7 weeks, it grows up to a big strong bird, and this is not seen in any other such poultry animal.
Turkey farming profit
Sometimes the profit depends on the area of raising. In many countries, people don’t consume this bird a lot, and hence the sales get down. Also, it’s seen that the market gets boosts in different seasons or occasions. American do consume the normal amount of turkey during Thanksgiving thrice. The meat of turkey is very rich in lots of vitamins and is a portion of complete party food. The bird on an average expenditure of Rs200-300 gives a profit of more than Rs500. It might differ on size and the sex of the bird.
Conclusion
Turkey Farming doesn’t need a lot of complication. It is very swift and makes a good profit. The article was our effort to help people with Turkey Farming, and we hope it helps you out. Just keep stick up to the basics, and things are done.
Refrences:
https://vikaspedia.in/agriculture/poultry/turkey-farming#:~:text=A%20market%20study%20shows%20that,give%20a%20profit%20of%20Rs.
Turkey Farming: Profitable Business Starting Plan For Beginners
https://study.com/academy/lesson/life-cycle-of-a-turkey-lesson-for-kids.html
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Turkey-Feed-Consumption-per-1kg-of-Body-Weight-Gain_tbl1_228667995
