Turkeys Can Be a Profitable Sideline
(Page 2 of 8)
Most breeders specialize in Broad Breasted Bronzes - they
give more meat per pound of frame. This is a good breed to
start with, unless you want one of the smaller breeds. If,
for your family use, you'd like to wind up with eight or
ten fully grown turkeys, you'd best order 15 poults. Poults
sell for from $.50 to $.75 apiece. These 15 will probably
narrow down to twelve for the cage and eight or ten for
your family and friends. You may, of course, do much better
than this, in which case you can easily sell your surplus
at a nice little profit.
RELATED CONTENT
Poor sanitation and dampness, huddling caused by improper
heat control, and failure to start eating are the greatest
causes of death in young poults. Because a battery brooder
provides a maximum of sanitation and dryness, practically
eliminates huddling, and its confined quarters are a big
help in starting poults eating, we believe a battery is the
easiest and safest way to raise your turkeys for the first
four weeks. Equally important, a battery brooder reduces
labor to a minimum.
Here are Tyler Long's week-by-week instructions. Don't let
their seemingly lengthy detail discourage you. It's really
easier than it sounds, and, besides, Ty is more of a
"perfectionist" than most of us are likely to be.
Week-By-Week Instructions
These instructions are not intended to be absolute. We feel
that reasonable appli cation of them plus common sense
circumstances not discussed in this short article will
result in your successfully raising your turkeys.
From First Day To Fourth Week
At least 2 days before the poults come, completely
scrub battery, inside and out, feeders and waterers with
hot soapy water. Rinse with hot water. Spray with a warm 4%
solution of any reliable coal-tar disinfectant. Only then
will your poults be reasonably safe from germs left by the
battery's former inmates. Be sure all surfaces are
thoroughly dry before the poults come in contact with them.
Cover dropping board with newspaper to facilitate
daily removal of droppings.
At least 4 hours before poults' arrival regulate
temperature under hover (using brooder thermometer or
thermostat) to between 95° and 105°. Reduce to
90° the third day. Thereafter a drop of 5° per week
is usually advisable. However, behaviour of birds
themselves is best barometer of their comfort. Cold poults
usually huddle (their most dangerous habit), peep loudly
and protestingly. Overheated poults act drugged and
listless. Comfortable poults either sleep quietly or peep
in a low, contented voice. Above all guard against
huddling. More poults die in the first four weeks from
smothering caused by huddling than from any other single
cause.
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