Early stage (starting) of brooding is of crucible importance for poults as they are reluctant to eat and drink, hence have more tendency to perish than chicks or ducklings for unknown reason. Therefore, they should be provided with ample facilities for feeding, drinking, and lighting.
Intensive rearing has made turkey more susceptible to various infections and control measures through preventive Managing Health of Turkey is the best principle to minimise disease risk. Turkeys must be immunised against diseases like RD, turkey rhinotracheitis, pox, pasteurellosis and erysipelas. The necessity for full or partial immunisation depends on disease prevalence in the area of turkey raising as well as on their population. In case of isolated rearing units little protection can suffice the purpose, while in thickly populated areas complete preventive vaccination protection may be essential.
In recent years, the main ailment affecting turkey badly is turkey rhinotracheitis, which is latest viral entity causing losses in turkeys all over the world. It leads to serious deleterious effects on birds of all ages predisposing them to secondary invaders like viruses, bacteria, etc. to cause severe trouble.
Mortality upto 25-30 per cent is common with heavy loss of production in survivals. Fruitfulness of treatment is uncertain. Management improvement by supplying increased floor space, adequate ventilation, fresh litter, better sanitation and hygiene along with toxic principles free enriched diets is of greater help to control the ailment.
Most of the private and home based farmers widely consider raising turkeys for meat. The best and most affordable manner in which the goal can be achieved is by making use of the day old turkeys. But before your consignment of turkeys arrives, you should prefer to set up an area for the brooding process. The same is done at the Locust Grove Farm, which is a top notch professional poultry producer. Moreover, it is also crucial for making arrangements for keeping the birds and other domesticated animals warm at all times. In lines to this, the temperature should be maintained in the range of 90 to 100 degree F. After keeping the birds in this temperature for a week, next you should make use of the lamps for lowering down the floor temperature.
At the same time, you also need to make use of some sufficient number of feeders and water kits for the birds. For example, if you have 25 birds to look after, 1 or 2 kits would be more than enough. For the second week, you would need to increase the roaming area of the birds. As the birds grow at an agile pace, their need for more open areas is notched. Very soon the birds start to climb the water kits and feeders which is a clear indicator that the birds need to roost. These facets hold a great deal of significance in terms of raising baby turkeys or raising turkey poults. The birds should only be confined after this time period if you feel the temperatures outside can get aversive and dangerous for them.
Pre-requisite Field Operations
Making use of a more developed roost assembly and allowing the birds with some more pen area is imperative for the normal growth of the animals. Now here, by growth, I mean the development in physical and psychological dimensions. The turkeys must be allowed to live outside in the range. Range is used to refer to the grazing or the area for pasture. For optimal results always make use of the area that has no sort of trees. The same applies for farm raised turkeys. Medium red clover together with the Kentucky bluegrass should be used for the pasture area. The idea here is to offer the birds with a humane treatment. The area which is allocated to the birds should be large enough for the needs of all the birds that are being domesticated in it. Nearly a dozen turkeys can be allowed to roam in an area which is about 1/8th of an acre.
Fresh Supplies-Food and Water
For the free range turkeys, the feeders and water kits should be in access to the birds. Moreover, you are also required to ensure some fresh supplies of poultry feeds and water all around the day. For this reason, you can also make use of the automatic water kits which are going to cut down the time required to do the process manually. In case if you have a number of mature organic turkeys, then you should use at least 2 gallons of water for their needs. The feeders and turkey growers used should be able to load 100 pounds of feed. The mature turkeys demand the consumption of some large amounts of feed.
Visiting the Flocks
Rearing of turkeys also demands that you make regular visits to the animals, as they love to be in the company of some people. Moreover, backyard turkeys raising need company of human beings also happen to be well suited and adapted to all environments. At the same time, the strategy also ensures that no sort of violent behaviors are initiated in the mature turkeys.
Raising the Entire Roost
You should make use of a moveable turkey roost. In addition to ensuring the manure deposits do not get accumulated in a single area, the moveable roosts also come in handy for other purposes. For this reason, you will need to use a number of materials for raising the roost including frame supports, side frames, front and back end footers. In terms of the roof you can make use of the fiber glassed panels. The kind of roost you will need depends on the number of turkeys you plan to keep in the shelter.
Hunting Wild Turkeys is a game that has always attracted a number of hunters from all corners of the world. Have you ever imagined going on a turkey hunt in order to find that there are no turkeys left? It would indeed be shocking to see something like this happen. In the 1930’s there did came a time where the wild turkeys had been pushed to the verge of extinction. But thanks to the collaborative efforts of a number of wild lives restoration programs that now the turkeys are present in abundance. Hunting Turkeys is like no other game, but you need to well aware about the policies and regulations in some areas before you plan to go for it. Below you are going to find some sound levels of information about turkeys.
Facts about Wild Turkeys
The wild turkeys are considered to be native to the regions of North America. They have been classified into 5 sub species including Rio Grande, Gould’s, Merriam’s, Osceola and the Eastern. All of these species are distributed across different regions of the continent. The most common among them is the Eastern which now ranges in more than half regions of the United States. On the other hand, the Osceola (Florida) ranges in the regions of the Florida Peninsula with Rio Grande that is concentrated in the Texas and Oklahoma regions.
In terms of the physiological makeup, an adult turkey has around 5000 to 6000 feathers that cover its whole body in the forms of patterns which are known as feather tracts. In addition to providing a warmth and dryness to their skin, these feathers are also useful in terms of numerous other survival functions. Moreover, its head and various other regions of the neck are featherless, but on taking a closer look you are going to find a number of bumps on its skin. The metallic glittering which is exhibited by the feather is known as iridescence, which can be seen in a number of colors like copper, red, bronze and green.
Distinguishing between the Males and Females
The two prime characteristics that can help level out the males from the females include spurs and beards. Both of them happen to have pretty strong legs that are covered with scales all over. Furthermore, both of them also have a small sized button spur at the back of their legs. Very soon after the birth, the spur on the body of the turkey gobbler starts to grow curvy and pointed. It can grow for about 2 inches in an agile manner. The gobblers also have a beard which grows out from the areas of the chest and appear to be like modified feathers.
Visual and Running Abilities
In terms of their visual span, the turkeys are able to see clearly at the day time, but may not be able to do the same at night. Not to forget; their speeds of running which can reach to 25mph and about 55 mph while flying.
Patterns of Mating and Egg Laying
When the mating seasons approach ranging from the months of February and April, the turkeys are still flocked or grouped together in the areas where they were kept in winters. After the mating process has been carried out, the females start looking for the areas where they would be able to lay their eggs. Moreover, the hens are also able to lay around 10 to 12 eggs within a 2 week period. She would also incubate her eggs for a period of 28 days while turning and arranging them in a specific manner until they hatch out.
hunting the turkeys
The question about how to hunt turkeys can be better grappled by using the information elucidated below.
So, where do the wild turkeys live? Well, these birds are believed to be in excess in US and Canada. In addition to honing your tracing skills, you would also need a number of tools to hunt them down. You should begin with locating their food source. In times of the summer and spring seasons, the turkeys are more easily found on the forest edges and in the open meadows, primarily because of the abundance of insects in these areas. After finding the area where their hunting is allowed, you should begin hunting at the onset of evening. Try to use the sounds of their wings and cackling in order to know their current whereabouts. Once you have traced them out, remaining quiet and still is what you should do. At the same time, do not forget to bring some 10×50 binoculars with you.
The geese which are used for the poultry related purposes are known as domestic geese. They are used in the poultry industry for the purpose of eggs, meat and for their down feathers. Since the olden days, they have been used for a number of purposes. Some people used to keep as pets while others made use of them for their delicious meat. In the present times, the poultry industry does make use of the meat and eggs derived from this domesticated animal.Below are some facts about geese which will come to be useful for those who are planning to raise them at the farms or as pets
Origins and the Regions of Geese
It is widely accepted that the geese, which belong to the family of Anatidae and to the genus named as Anser, were indeed one of the first animals in the world that were used for the domestication purposes. The domestication had probably started nearly 3000 years ago in Egypt. Some of the researchers are of the view that it all had started much before that, but there is a general consensus among them in terms of Egypt. Despite of their ancient origins, they have never been used on a large commercial scale like the ducks and chickens have been used.
Features and Characteristics
The geese are found all over the world. In terms of their physiological makeup, they are well suited for all seasons. In other words, they are able to adapt themselves to warm as well as cold climates. Moreover, they also come in a number of different colors and sizes. In comparison to their wild ancestors, the domestic geese happen to be quite larger in size. The same applies to their egg laying capacity which is higher in comparison to the other breeds. In addition to having varying levels of feathers on their bodies, the male goose also happens to have a very strong neck. It is also said that these animals are quite hardy i.e. they are immune to a number of diseases due to which they fall sick less often. All the geese have a sharp edged beak in addition to having a pointy tongue. Their digestion mechanisms are also quite agile due to which they are able to digest their food in a matter of 20 to 30 minutes. The domestic geese can be of any color ranging from white to gray. The domestic geese are termed to be the descendants of the wild geese. Moreover, they also happen to have short legs and beaks. The desired features for which they had been bred was to obtain a number of features including heavier weight, white plumage, body posture, more egg laying capacity and much more.There is a lot of other information about geese which you should prefer to have, if you plan to raise them in a more effective manner.
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Production and Consumption of Geese
The production and the success in the domain of goose poultry rearing depend largely on the amount of attention that the young birds are given at the time of brooding. A slight decrease has been seen in the geese production since the year 2002. More of the geese are being raised in the major poultry production companies, but few of them are being sold. In the year 2007, nearly 339,000 geese had been raised in USA only. Geese production has also been rapid in Poland, Hungary and Eastern European regions. Moreover, in Asia the goose production is on the rise which makes it the only continent which is in the lead in terms of geese production and consumption. The total goose meat production had been nearly 2.5 million tons in the world as of the year 2010. In terms of the consumption, there is no substantial data which can offer a clear picture, but it is believed that the consumption is about 0.4 KG per person on an annual basis.
Geese Products and Marketing
The goose products are available in Europe, Asia, and in the United States. A number of goose products like the ones made from the legs and thighsoffer a complete presentation of the exports.The Geese feathers are one of the first feature which can help distinguish them.Some other special goose products include goose pelts, stripped skin of goose, goose tongue, goose fattened liver and many more. The costs for other poultry products have been increasing, but at the same time, the prices of the goose products have been seen to be showing a regressive tendency. It is a fact that these products have not been marketed on a large scale relative to the marketing of chicken and duck products. The countries which happen to be in the lead in terms of the geese farming and marketing include USA, Hungary, Poland, Canada, China and in many other countries.
