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Oddly enough, but so far the descendants of the wild North American turkey are not very different from their progenitor either in appearance or in weight. A wild male weighs 8 kg, an ordinary domestic turkey weighs almost the same: 8-10 kg. And then, rather, due to fat reserves. All the differences between them are the shorter legs of the domestic turkey and the very long stiff brush on the chest of the wild one.
Until now, wild turkeys in America are interbred with domesticated relatives. The offspring in this case is of better quality than the original parent material.
Breeds of domesticated turkeys often differ only in plumage color and a couple of kilograms of live weight.
The relatively recently bred broiler breeds of turkeys stand apart, the weight of which often exceeds 20 kg in adulthood.
At the same time, “by eye” broiler turkeys are not much larger than ordinary turkeys. Large weight and high slaughter meat yield (80%) in broilers is achieved due to significant muscle mass and very small thin bones.
Those who butchered ordinary turkeys and broilers must have noticed that after cutting the meat, the remaining skeleton of a broiler weighing about 15 kg is the size of an ordinary turkey weighing 5 kg. The skeleton of an ordinary male turkey is much larger.
With this feature of broiler turkeys, the very problems that have created their reputation as a pampered bird that requires special food and prevent their mass breeding are associated.
It is impossible to have such a thin skeleton and strong thick leg bones. Because of this, in broiler turkeys, the growth of bones and ligaments does not keep pace with muscle mass. Under the weight of the body, the paws of the turkey begin to move apart. So the belief about special feeds is justified.
Feed for broiler turkeys should be rich in protein for muscle gain, as well as calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D for bone strength.
Broiler turkeys are divided into three groups by weight:
- light group up to 9 kg:
- medium – up to 18:
- heavy – up to 25.
The most popular in the world is the heavy cross, bred by the British company British United Turkeys (BUT) and marked as Big-6.
Characteristics of the Big-6 cross
Broiler turkeys of this cross can reach a weight of 40 kg. But this is a record weight in adulthood, when the meat is already becoming harsh. In addition, keeping a broiler bird for too long is only torturing her.
Turkeys are usually quickly slaughtered, since their maintenance becomes unprofitable after six months, therefore, such facts are unknown with turkeys. With broiler roosters, there have been cases when they were tried to be left “for later”. As a result, the rooster became so heavy that he could no longer move and only crawled along the floor. As a result, his relatives – chickens pecked at his belly and pecked out his intestines for profit. So if a bird is bred for quick weight gain and the same quick slaughter, you should not feel sorry for it.
White plumage in broilers is preferable, since in this case there are no dark dots unpleasant to the eye on the skin of the carcass.
It is unlikely that it will be possible to breed this cross on its own, since, firstly, the cross in the second generation will split into parental forms. Secondly, only males are usually on sale. And most often, males are sterile, so they will not even be able to hybridize with home-grown turkeys.
Two other crosses, bred by the same company, are marked as Big-8 and Big-9. Outwardly, there are no differences between them.
Crosses are created by crossing “light” turkeys and “heavy” turkeys. These crosses are slaughtered at 3-4 months.
In addition to British crosses for breeding in Our Country on private farmsteads, Moscow bronze, white broad-breasted and Canadian broad-breasted are also recommended.
Canadian broad-breasted turkey
It was bred by selection in Canada, which was reflected in the name of the breed. Turkeys of this breed grow very quickly. Already in a month and a half, turkey poults weigh 5 kg. By the time of slaughter, 3 months after leaving the egg, they already weigh 9 kg. It is very convenient to sell a breed of this type by order in whole carcasses. Someone needs a medium-sized carcass and a turkey can be slaughtered as early as six weeks, someone needs a larger one and such buyers can sell a three-month-old turkey.
There was no selection for color in this breed, so the Canadian broad-chested have the color of a wild turkey, that is, a black feather with a bronze sheen. From the photo, the Canadian broad-breasted is almost impossible to distinguish from the Moscow bronze and from ordinary non-broiler turkeys.
Canadian broad-breasted turkeys are characterized by precocity, starting to lay eggs as early as 9 months.
The Canadian broad-chested breed is a heat-loving breed, therefore it is not suitable for growing in the northern regions of Our Country.
Moscow bronze turkey
Bred in the Moscow region by crossing three breeds. When breeding, the North Caucasian, bronze broad-breasted and local bronze breeds of turkeys were used. Being better adapted to the cold climate and not requiring special conditions of detention, the Moscow bronze is successfully bred in the central regions of Our Country and in the north of Ukraine.
Breed description
Called bronze, this breed of turkey actually has black plumage. The whole “bronze” in her color is a bronze tint of the feather.
Moscow bronze turkeys are much smaller than meat crosses and weigh 11-13 kg, turkeys – 6-7 kg. Turkey poults at four months of age manage to gain 4 kg.
A turkey lays up to 100 eggs a year. The advantage of this breed is the high fertility of eggs and the hatchability of turkeys over 80%. The official survival rate is 70-75%, but much depends on the content of turkeys.
White broad-breasted turkey
It is easy to see that visually in the photo the white broad-breasted turkey, bred in America, is no different from the British meat crosses, of which it is one of the parent breeds. True, there are turkeys in the picture, since it is unprofitable to grow turkeys for the production of meat. During the same time, they gain half the weight than males.
In the USSR, the white broad-breasted was brought in the 70s of the last century and, on its basis, heavy, light and medium crosses were obtained.
A white broad-breasted turkey grows up to 100 days. After that, it can be sent to slaughter.
When breeding it, it is necessary to maintain a certain temperature regime, air humidity and lighting regime. The white broad-breasted dampness and cold are especially afraid. In this case, turkeys of this breed get a runny nose.
The white broad-breasted turkey begins to rush at 9 months. She can produce more than a hundred eggs per year with a fertility rate of 90%. But in the incubator, only 75% of fertilized eggs are hatched.
Given that the breed is used for a wide variety of crosses, turkeys of this breed also have a wide variety of sizes. The lightest turkey weighs 9 kg, the turkey is half as much. Sexual dimorphism is observed in all groups, so there is no need to dwell on turkeys.
The average type of turkeys weighs 18-17 kg, heavy up to 25.
Features of keeping and feeding broiler turkeys
It should be noted that against the background of the crowded content of broiler turkeys, not only a change in their behavior is noted, but also the extinction of the incubation instinct.
To include normal natural instincts, each individual must have at least 20 m². With a crowded content in a bird, not only the incubation instinct fades away, but all mental activity is also disrupted, which is clearly seen in the video.
Content of turkeys. Farm Volozhanin:
In general, the conditions of detention are not the worst, but there is not enough space for turkeys. Skinned tails show that turkeys are fighting among themselves and pecking at the feathers of their neighbors. On industrial farms, to solve this problem, turkeys are cut off their beaks.
Insufficient space for walking also leads to disorders of the musculoskeletal system, due to which some of the turkeys cannot move.
Feeding
It is better to feed broiler turkeys 5-6 times a day, as broilers eat a lot.
When compiling the diet of broiler turkeys, it is necessary to adhere to a strict balance of vitamins and minerals. The ideal solution would be to feed broiler turkeys with special compound feed, but for small farmers it will be more expensive due to the difference in the size of supplies for a large complex and a private backyard. As you know, large wholesale lots are always cheaper.
A private trader can get out of the situation by making a wet mash for turkeys from crushed grain, kitchen waste, herbs and mineral and vitamin premixes. But since it is unlikely that he will be able to accurately observe the required chemical composition, the efficiency of fattening will be lower than in industrial complexes.
It should be remembered that all broilers of any kind of poultry are very sensitive to the conditions of keeping and the composition of the feed. If the necessary conditions are not met, broilers do not gain full weight, giving rise to myths about pumping factory birds with steroids.
The basis of foreign feed for broilers is soy, due to its high protein content, in which the broiler gains weight very quickly. In addition, soy is cheaper than any other grain. Hence the low cost of foreign poultry meat.
Conclusion
But in the wake of the general movement for “organic products”, a private trader can make a good income from the sale of broiler turkeys under the brand of an ecological product. This brand costs two to three times more than usual, which, by the way, is used by some enterprising villagers.