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From page 31
White, Blue Turkey, Bourbon Red Turkey, British White, Buff Turkey, Royal Palm, Narragansett, Norfolk Black, Slate and White Holland. Turkey breed names often refertotheirplumage. Examine your smallholding as a turkey producing facility. Is the temperature right for your breed of turkey? Do you have the right facilities or do you need to construct? Is there a source of potable water nearby? Can you run a freerange operation? Is there sufficient plant material or do you have to plant more? Were there previous turkeys or animal epidemics near the area? It is suggested that an acre of fenced land is sufficient for around 200 to 250 adult free-range turkeys. However, turkeys do require housing at night to protect them from predators. Despite their size, turkeys are not as hardy as some other poultry species and will appreciate shelter, away from extreme weather. In terms of municipal bylaws, turkeys fall under poultry legislation. Most municipalities state that one must have 0,5 m ² for each mature turkey accommodated in the poultry house. Plan your turkey house so that you can keep it dry and clean and ensure sufficient flow of fresh air inside the house, as ventilation is very important. Turkeys have the instinct to perch at night, so some stout poles placed in the housing, about 1m off the ground would be useful for the adult birds. However, little poults will try to perch on whatever is higher than them but perching too early, especially on a narrow pole, can dent the breast bone, so try to put this off for as long as possible. A bale of straw in the house will keep little poults very happy for a long time, jumping up and perching on
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it at night. When almost adult( five- six months old), they can be introduced to a purpose built perch, which they will welcome. You will need to provide feeding troughs and water dispensers. Turkeys are susceptible to the deadly blackhead disease. Visiting wild birds might be carriers, so it is best to keep the feed and water containers indoors if possible. If you intend to keep them free-range you will need to |
be able to rotate them through different camps. Perhaps you will allow them some time in a lucerne field, to provide a variety of forage. Don ' t leave them there for too long though, as lucerne sometimes makes the meat bitter. The best forages are full of legumes and have a good mix of species. By allowing your turkeys to forage they will eat as much as 25 % less commercial feed than if you didn ' t allow them to forage. Just make sure that |
POULTRY if they are out in pasture they also have some shade to get out of the mid-day sun. If you pasture your turkeys these fields will need to rest over the winter, as well as using additional fields for
rotation to minimise disease and damage to the pasture. During the season you may also need to reseed to keep your pastures in top condition. Even if you do pasture them they will still need additional
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