Breeding turkeys

Turkeys are very striking animals that typically have a bald, red head and drooping red and blue wattles. The males are heavier and more colourful than the females, and have a beard growing from their breasts and spurs. They’re tough cookies.

Turkeys are bred as much for their meat as they are for decoration. Turkey meat is very nutritious. It’s low in calories, high in unsaturated fats, high-quality proteins, amino acids, iron, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium and vitamin B.

The ideal living environment for turkeys

Turkeys need a sufficiently large cage to sleep and shelter in bad weather. Provide dry bedding such as wood shavings or beech wood chips as ground covering and remove faeces regularly to prevent infections. Also provide a sturdy plank or tire, because turkeys like to sit on a platform. Deworm your turkeys, especially if they’re among chickens. Contact your vet for this.

Food for turkeys

During the first few weeks, it’s best to give a crumbled starter food for turkey chicks that is rich in protein. This food contains a preventive coccidiostat because young turkeys are very sensitive to coccidiosis. Added herbs and plants reduce the risk of parasites. After a few weeks you can switch to granular feed. In addition, provide plenty of fresh water and stomach grit or grit to aid digestion. The hens use the lime in it to produce eggshells.