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Turkey Grade Maker is a medium-sized cross of white broad-breasted turkey bred in Canada. Excellent for growing at home. In Europe this turkey is called "holiday". Not many farmers are breeding this cross in Russia yet, however, Grad Maker is gradually beginning to gain popularity. This is not surprising, because these turkeys have a lot of positive qualities.
Advantages of the Grade Maker cross
- turkeys have rapid maturity: at 10-12 weeks they weigh 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 resistance to disease;
- at turkey breeding Grade Maker quickly pays for itself;
- The carcasses of this cross have a beautiful presentation.
Features of the Grade Maker cross
Turkeys have large breasts and fluffy plumage. Males reach a weight of 18-20 kg by 4.5 months, females gain weight of 10 kg in 126 days.
The photo shows the parameters of the Grade Maker turkey
Females produce from 80 to 100 eggs during the reproductive period (on average, 12 eggs weighing 85 g per month). Egg hatchability is 87%
Conditions for keeping the Grade Maker cross
Since Grade Maker turkeys are heat-loving, they need to be provided with 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 roosts. Given the large weight of the birds, the timber must be of 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 be at least 60 cm.
To prevent obesity, birds need long (at least an hour) walks, so you need to equip a spacious place for walking. It should definitely be fenced with a high fence, because representatives of this cross can fly quite high. Or you can clip the wings of turkey poults.
How this looks in practice - watch the video.
Turkeys have a rather quarrelsome nature; during fights they can seriously injure each other. Therefore, no more than 5 males and 40 females should be kept in one place.
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 sizes are suitable for 4-6 females. Hens are very caring: they can provide care for a large number of chicks - up to 80 pcs.
Organizing feeding of Grade Maker cross turkeys
Birds need to be fed at least 3 times a day, during the reproductive period - up to 5. Type of food - combined, consisting of wet and dry mash. The diet must include grain feed: sprouted and dry.It is best to give wet mash in the morning and afternoon, and dry grain in the evening feeding. During the season, turkeys should be fed plenty of greens. In winter, you need to introduce vitamin supplements: beets, carrots, cabbage.
Caring for Grade Maker cross turkey poults
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.
At this time, the chicks need to be fed 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. There are special feeds for young animals on sale. At first, turkey poults have soft beaks that can easily be injured on the surface of the feeder. To avoid injury, you need to use silicone, rubber or fabric feeders.
When choosing a drinking bowl, you should give preference to one that is safe for the chicks: so that the turkey chick cannot fall into it, get wet and get cold. For newborns, the water temperature should be 25 degrees Celsius; for older turkey poults, it should correspond to the air temperature in the room. The drinking bowl 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 food: colored cereals, yolk.
To prevent infectious diseases, the bedding of turkey poults must be clean and dry: cleaning must be done daily, and the bedding must be completely changed weekly.
Sunlight and fresh air are very important for the health of babies. If turkey chicks grow up under the supervision of a female, they can be released for walks from the age of two weeks, if alone - when they reach 9 weeks.
Conclusion
Turkeys of the Grade Maker cross are ideal for beginning breeders: with good early maturity and egg production, the birds are quite unpretentious in care and feeding. The costs invested in turkeys pay off fairly quickly, and the meat and eggs are tasty, healthy and easily digestible.
