When you’re beginning your turkey flock with day-old poults (child turkeys), you could be questioning how to ensure they develop into wholesome, completely happy grownup turkeys. With some preparation and care, your child turkeys will thrive. Learn to arrange a turkey brooder, what to do whenever you carry them residence, methods to stop issues, methods to feed them correctly, and when to maneuver the turkeys exterior.
Set Up a Turkey Brooder
Identical to for child chicks, you will must arrange a brooder in your turkey poults. A turkey poult brooder is simply the identical as one for child chickens—a spot to maintain them heat, dry, and contained—so you should utilize these assets to design your brooder. Use pine shavings—by no means cedar—for the underside of the brooder. (As soon as poults are three weeks previous, some farmers like to make use of clear sand. It may be cleaned identical to cat litter and retains the brooder dry.) Along with creating the construction, you will want to control the temperature and arrange meals and water.
It is best to have the whole lot arrange and able to go earlier than you carry residence the turkey poults, together with having the brooder warmed to 95 to 98 levels Fahrenheit. The poults will huddle beneath the lamp in the event that they’re too chilly or keep on the edges of the warmth supply in the event that they’re too scorching. So whereas a thermometer could be a useful software, particularly earlier than the poults arrive, use their conduct as your information as soon as they’re residence. Increase the warmth lamp a couple of inches every week (and decrease the temperature roughly 5 levels Fahrenheit) till the temperature within the brooder is 70 levels. Preserve this degree of warmth till the poults are six weeks previous.
You additionally must have feeders and waterers crammed and positioned correctly. You do not need them proper beneath the lamp, however you additionally don’t desire them too removed from the middle. Place them in order that the poults can get to them simply with out getting both chilled or overheated. Hanging feeders can stop poults from standing—and pooping—within the feed or knocking it over.
As Quickly as They Get Dwelling
There are some things you are able to do as soon as your poults arrive residence to be sure to are beginning on the appropriate foot. First, examine each as you take away it from the transport field. Then dip its beak in water as quickly as you set them into the brooder so that they study the place the water is and methods to drink. Keep in mind that particularly for shipped poults, they are going to be pressured from the transport course of. Be certain that they eat and drink properly for the primary two weeks.
Stopping Issues
Turkey poults are notably susceptible to “ravenous out,” which implies that some poults will get pushed away from the feeder or grasp again, and can starve to loss of life regardless of the meals being out there. Maintain a detailed eye on poults whereas they’re feeding to ensure this does not occur.
Overcrowding also can contribute to ravenous out, so be sure to have loads of room in your poults. You will need at the very least a 10-by-10-foot house for a dozen day-old poults, and as they get larger they may want extra room. As your poults develop, you could must make the brooder larger so they don’t seem to be crowded.
Add a Roost
By three weeks of age, you’ll be able to add a roost to your brooder. Educating turkeys to roost early helps after they’re ultimately moved to roosts later. Plus, they may sleep hotter and extra comfortably. Be sure to have their roosts and pen prepared for them to maneuver to after they outgrow the necessity for the warmth lamp and are prepared to maneuver to pasture.
Feed Them Correctly
There are lots of totally different feeds for poultry—medicated, unmedicated, starter, grower—it might be difficult understanding what to decide on. Turkeys want excessive protein, extra so than chickens. A recreation chook or poultry starter that has round 28 p.c protein works for the primary 12 weeks. After 12 weeks, the feed may be lowered to twenty p.c, however any decrease and your turkeys will not develop as huge as they may. Whether or not you select medicated or not is your selection—many small growers like to make use of unmedicated feed.
Transfer Them Exterior
Very similar to greens, you will want to “harden off” your turkey poults by steadily exposing them to exterior temperatures. By three weeks, they will have entry to an enclosed “solar porch” on good days however hold them inside on wet or chilly days.
Be certain that they’re absolutely feathered and at the very least eight weeks previous earlier than transferring poults to their new out of doors housing. You can provide them entry to outdoor however nonetheless present the lamp at night time for every week or two, after which lastly transfer them to their new, grown-up turkey roosts and pen. Verify on them nightly for a couple of days after the transition and ensure they do not get damp or chilled.