INTRODUCTION TO TURKEY FARMING AND FEED FORMULATION
Turkey farming is a very profitable business, just like broilers. But, they are much more difficult
to farm than broiler chickens, especially in the early stages. Just like other poultry birds, they
need warmth during early stage of life. They respond to heat/ draught in a similar way just like
broilers. They need good and standard housing, vaccination, good feeding and water supply.
They grow faster and attain table size within short period under adequate care and
management. Despite the fact that turkey share same management characteristics with
chicken, they require adequate care at early stage because of their fragility.
There are three major breeds of turkey
Local Turkey
Foreign Turkey
Hybrid Turkey (Crossbreed).
The risk involved in turkey farming is minimal when compare to broiler farming. Turkey
management is not totally different from other poultry birds’ management.
To start with, it is important to target market (potential customers) for your turkey products
(Poults, Live Turkey, Processed Turkey or Grilled Turkey) which is part of good business
planning.
Both Local and foreign breed of turkey require
Vaccination
Toe clipping
Debeaking
Grading
Turkey needs adequate ventilation, feeding, bio- security etc just like other poultry birds.
Turkey should be housed to protect them against extreme weather conditions and predators.
Deep litter system is mostly used to raise turkey but they can also be raised under semi-
intensive system which allows scavenging.
Local turkeys are more hardy , resistance to diseases than foreign turkeys and even good
grazer.
Pure breed turkeys take approximately between 16- 18 weeks to grow to full size. The hen
turkeys take 16 weeks to mature completely, and average of 3.6 kg to 7.2 kg in weight while the
tom takes approximately 19 weeks to mature and weighs between 7.2 kg and 10.8 kg.
Under good conditions with a well-balanced ration and management, a modern white hybrid
turkey can reach the weight of 6 kg by 10 weeks of age. Commercial turkeys are bred
specifically to have more meat in the breast and thighs.
However. It's essential to maintain good hygiene. For efficient production, Ensure the birds are
kept in a healthy environment. Never feed your birds decay / contaminated feed. Always
provide them clean and fresh water. Keep sufficient space inside the house.
It's very important to note that, nutrients requirements of turkey are different from those of
broilers and layers. Turkey needs more protein in their food for first few weeks than other
domestic birds. Feed the turkey, chick starter for first six weeks and after that period you can
feed them grower feed. The amount of protein in turkey feed is higher than chickens or other
poultry birds feed. Along with providing nutritious food, always serve them sufficient amount of
fresh and clean water.
In the formulation of feed for turkey, attention must be paid to the protein requirement,
energy , fiber as well as calcium.
Some protein sources are not meant to be used more than 15 %, else the birds will suffer
indigestion
There's one of the protein sources that when used more than 5% can cause awful smell in eggs
the birds lay.
