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The Grade Maker turkey is a medium-sized cross of the white broad-breasted turkey bred in Canada. Great for indoor growing. In Europe, this turkey is called “holiday”. So far, not many farmers are breeding this cross in Our Country, however, Grade Maker is gradually starting to gain popularity. This is not surprising, because these turkeys have a lot of positive qualities.
Benefits of Cross Grade Maker
- turkeys have a fast precocity: at 10-12 weeks they have a weight of at least 4 kg;
- Grade Maker turkeys have high endurance, their development is very active;
- birds have good resistance to stress;
- turkeys of this cross have a good immune system, therefore, high disease resistance;
- when breeding Grade Maker turkeys, the costs quickly pay off;
- the carcasses of this cross have a beautiful presentation.
Features of the cross Grade Maker
Turkeys have large breasts and fluffy plumage. By 4,5 months, males reach a weight of 18-20 kg, females gain weight of 126 kg in 10 days.
The photo shows the parameters of the turkey Grade Maker
Females lay between 80 and 100 eggs per reproductive period (on average, 12 eggs weighing 85 g per month). Egg hatchability is 87%
Conditions for keeping the cross Grade Maker
Since Grade Maker turkeys are thermophilic, they need to provide a dry and warm room in which they will be. It is necessary that there is sufficient lighting, but there should be no windows in the room.
Turkeys should have a place where they can clean themselves: a box with a mixture of ash and sand – this avoids the appearance of parasites.
Turkeys sleep on perches. Given the large weight of the birds, the timber must be of the appropriate thickness. Each bird should have at least 40 cm of space. The height of the perch should be 80 cm, the width between places should not be less than 60 cm.
To prevent obesity, birds need long (at least an hour) walks, so you need to equip a spacious place for walking. It must be fenced with a high fence, because representatives of this cross can take off quite high. Or you can trim the wings of turkeys.
How it looks in practice – look at the video.
Turkeys have a rather quarrelsome character, during fights they can seriously cripple each other. Therefore, in one place you need to keep no more than 5 males and 40 females.
For good egg production of females, it is necessary to properly equip her place. The height of the nest should be on average 15 cm, width and height – 60 cm. These dimensions are suitable for 4-6 females. Mother hens are very caring: they can provide care for a large number of chicks – up to 80 pcs.
Organization of feeding turkeys cross Grade Maker
You need to feed the birds at least 3 times a day, during the reproduction period – up to 5. The type of food is combined, consisting of wet and dry mash. The diet must include grain feed: germinated and dry. In the morning and afternoon, it is best to give wet mash, in the evening feeding – dry grain. During the season, turkeys should get a lot of greens. In winter, you need to introduce vitamin complementary foods: beets, carrots, cabbage.
Care of turkeys of the Grade Maker cross
Turkey poults of the Grade Maker cross are quite unpretentious and hardy. At first, they need round-the-clock lighting and a temperature of at least +36 degrees. The temperature should be measured ten centimeters from the floor.
Feed the chicks at this time is required 8 times a day. First, they give a mixture of their boiled eggs and small cereals. From 1 month, finely chopped greens (alfalfa, nettle or cabbage) are added to the mixture. On sale there are special compound feeds for young animals. At first, turkeys have soft beaks that are easy to injure on the surface of the feeder. To avoid injury, you need to use silicone, rubber or cloth feeders.
When choosing a drinker, you should give preference to one that is safe for chicks: so that the turkey turkey cannot fall into it, get wet and catch a cold. For newborns, the water temperature should be 25 degrees Celsius, for older turkeys, it should correspond to the air temperature in the room. The drinker and feeder should be in a place where they will be clearly visible to the babies, because at first the chicks have poor eyesight. For the same reason, bright foods are added to the feed: colored cereals, yolk.
To prevent infectious diseases, the bedding of turkey poults must be clean and dry: cleaning must be carried out daily, the flooring must be completely changed weekly.
Sunlight and fresh air are very important for the health of babies. If the turkeys grow under the supervision of a female, they can be released for walks from two weeks of age, if alone, when they reach 9 weeks.
Conclusion
Grade Maker cross turkeys are ideal for beginner breeders: with good early maturity and egg production, the birds are quite unpretentious in care and feeding. The investment in turkeys pays off quickly enough, and meat and eggs are tasty, healthy and easily digestible.