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A young turkey is a rather capricious bird, it is prone to various diseases, including colds. It must be maintained accordingly. If the offspring are bred in a natural way, the responsibility for rearing falls on the mother hen, but what about those who used the incubator? Everything is very simple: in these cases, a brooder is used.
Brooder design
The word “brood” from English is translated as “hen”. A brooder is a special box for keeping chickens, goslings, turkeys and other birds. What is convenient brooder? In general, it is ideal for rearing young animals, as it is equipped with:
- light source;
- feeding system;
- drinker for poultry;
- litter tray;
- heating elements.
Since a factory brooder is quite expensive, many farmers try to make it on their own, especially since it is not difficult. It is very convenient if the floor in the brooder for turkeys is mesh, which will allow you to clean up the droppings behind the turkeys with ease.
You need to take care of the availability of brooders for young turkeys in advance. To do this, you will need wooden slats, cardboard, plywood and other inexpensive materials that are easy to find on a personal plot. It is worth considering that in warm weather it will be possible to take the brooder out into the street so that the turkeys can take sunbaths. To do this, it is made partially mesh.
We will tell you how to make a brooder for turkeys with your own hands.
Necessary materials
Initially, work begins with transferring the drawings to paper and preparing the necessary tools and materials. For work you will need:
- wooden bars;
- durable mesh (usually metal is used);
- pliers;
- a hammer;
- hand saw (better if you have a jigsaw);
- fasteners (corners, screws, nails and others);
- pencil and ruler;
- light bulb, switch and cable;
- plywood is waterproof.
Some farmers use old wooden boxes for brooding. This is also appropriate, but you should not use very old copies. In the boards, pathogenic bacteria can also develop over time.
You can give preference to other materials that are at hand. For example, thick cardboard, remaining after the repair of fiberboard, chipboard and other materials, is widely used.
Drawing of the brooder
A drawing of a cage for turkeys can be done independently. To do this, it is necessary to determine the optimal size for placing the chicks. In a 40×40 brooder, 25 turkeys can be placed. It’s enough. If you need more space, you can make the drawer bigger.
The drawing is drawn schematically. The photo below shows an example of such a drawing. The height of each cell is very important. Turkey poults grow very quickly, so low brooders used for chickens will not work. The minimum height along the inner wall of the box should be 50 centimeters, and preferably 60.
A good video tutorial on making a brooder for turkeys is presented below. It has all the necessary drawings and manufacturing tips.
Manufacturing process
Work begins with the manufacture of the frame. To do this, use wooden blocks, moisture resistant plywood. Then the side walls are attached. You need to measure them carefully, and fix them very tightly. The better the turkey brooder is made, the longer it will last.
The floor of the structure is made mesh, through the holes the litter will settle into the pallet. To clean the brooder, the farmer will need a minimum of time: he simply removes the pallet and shakes off the turkey droppings and food debris from it. In addition, the mesh floor prevents the accumulation of moisture, which is detrimental to turkeys. The pallet is made of thick cardboard, plywood or galvanized sheet with a wooden rail.
As a standard, cages for young turkeys are equipped with two doors on the front side, but there may be several options. With this arrangement of doors, feeders and drinkers are fixed inside the box. Some farmers prefer to take them outside. We advise you to equip the doors a little higher on the front side, and place the feeders lower at floor level. This is shown in the photo below. Such a brooder is considered the most convenient for keeping turkeys.
When the box itself is ready, it’s time to move on to the lighting system and power system.
Functional features of the brooder
A brooder for turkeys should provide young animals not only with light, but also with warmth. The optimal constant temperature in the box should be +25 degrees Celsius, but in the first week of life of turkeys it should be 2 degrees higher. This is not always possible with lighting. Modern incandescent lamps emit practically no heat.
If the temperature in the room does not correspond to the declared one, you will have to use additional heat sources, such as heating pads. As a light source, you can use:
- incandescent lamps;
- mirror lamps;
- infrared lamps.
The light is installed from above, it is necessary for turkey poults around the clock. The best option would be to use infrared lighting in the brooder. It will become an additional source of heat. The length of the cable directly depends on the distance of the light source.
Feeding turkeys is of great importance for their health and rapid growth. This is why feeders and drinkers are so important. The better they are made, the more convenient it will be for the farmer to work with the brooder.
In the brooder itself, limiters are provided to prevent crushing of chicks and damage to the feeders. Feeders are made from:
- tinplate;
- tree.
As for drinkers, the main task in their construction is a metered supply of water. It is important that it does not spill, and the turkey chicks do not get wet. Wet turkeys can quickly freeze and get sick. Some craftsmen try to make drinkers on their own. If this is difficult, then the drinker is easy to buy in a specialized store. They are inexpensive and made of plastic.
The best drinkers are nipple. They do not clog and prevent turkey poults from getting wet. Their main advantage is that due to the constant maintenance of cleanliness, bacteria do not multiply in them. A conventional vacuum drinker will often have to be taken out and washed.
A brooder is an ideal place to keep turkeys, especially in the cold season. It is possible to equip everything at the highest level, even with your own hands. It is not difficult and does not require specialized knowledge and a lot of time.