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A young turkey is a rather capricious bird; it is susceptible to various diseases, including colds. It must be maintained accordingly. If the offspring are bred naturally, the responsibility for rearing falls on the hen, but what about those who used an incubator? It's very simple: in these cases, a brooder is used.
Brooder design
The word “brood” is translated from English as “mother hen”. A brooder is a special box for keeping chickens, goslings, turkey poults and other poultry. What are the benefits of a brooder? In general, it is ideal for raising young animals, as it is equipped with:
- light source;
- feeding system;
- bird drinker;
- litter tray;
- heating elements.
Since a factory brooder is quite expensive, many farmers try to make it themselves, especially since it is not difficult. It is very convenient if the floor in the turkey brooder is mesh, which will make it easy to remove droppings from the turkey poults.
You need to take care of the availability of brooders for young turkey poults in advance. To do this, you will need wooden slats, cardboard, plywood and other inexpensive materials that are easy to find in your garden. It is worth considering that in warm weather it will be possible to take the brooder itself outside so that the turkey poults can sunbathe. To do this, it is made partially mesh.
We'll tell you how to make a brooder for turkeys with your own hands.
Necessary materials
Initially, work begins with transferring drawings to paper and preparing the necessary tools and materials. To work you will need:
- wooden blocks;
- durable mesh (usually metal is used);
- pliers;
- 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 moisture resistant.
Some farmers use old wooden boxes to build brooders. This is also appropriate, but you should not use very old copies. Boards can also develop pathogenic bacteria over time.
You can give preference to other materials that are at hand. For example, thick cardboard, fiberboard, chipboard and other materials remaining after repair are widely used.
Brooder drawing
Drawing turkey cages you can do it yourself. To do this, it is necessary to determine the optimal size for placing the chicks. A 40x40 brooder can accommodate 25 turkey poults. It's enough. If you need more space, you can make a larger box.
The drawing is drawn schematically. The photo below shows an example of such a drawing. The height of each cell is very important. Poults grow very quickly, so low brooders used for chicks are not suitable. The minimum height on the inner wall of the box should be 50 centimeters, and preferably 60.
A good video instruction for making a brooder for turkey poults is presented below. It contains all the necessary drawings and manufacturing tips.
Manufacturing process
Work begins with the manufacture of the frame. For this purpose, wooden blocks and moisture-resistant plywood are used.Then the side walls are attached. You need to measure them carefully and fasten them very tightly. The better quality a turkey brooder is made, the longer it will last.
The floor of the structure is made of mesh, through the holes the droppings will settle into the tray. To clean the brooder, the farmer will need a minimum of time: he will simply remove the tray and shake off the droppings of turkey poults and food debris. In addition, the mesh floor prevents the accumulation of moisture, which is harmful to turkey poults. The pallet is made of thick cardboard, plywood or galvanized sheet with a wooden strip.
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 mounted inside the box. Some farmers prefer to take them outside. We recommend installing the doors a little higher on the front side, and placing the feeders lower at floor level. This is shown in the photo below. This brooder is considered the most convenient for keeping turkey poults.
Once 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 turkey poults should provide the 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 the turkey poults’ life it should be 2 degrees higher. This cannot always be achieved through lighting. Modern incandescent lamps emit virtually no heat.
If the temperature in the room does not correspond to the stated one, you will have to use additional heat sources, for example, heating pads. As a light source you can use:
- incandescent lamps;
- mirror lamps;
- infrared lamps.
The light is installed from above; turkey poults need it 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 from the light source.
Feeding turkey poults is of great importance for their health and rapid growth. This is why feeders and waterers are so important. The better quality they are made, the more convenient it will be for the farmer to work with the brooder.
In the brooder itself, to prevent crushing of chicks and damage to the feeders, limiters are provided. Feeders are made from:
- tin;
- tree.
As for drinking bowls, the main task in their construction is the dosed supply of water. It is important that it does not spill and the turkey chicks do not get wet. Wet turkey poults can quickly become cold and get sick. Some craftsmen are trying to make drinking bowls themselves. If difficulties arise with this, then it is easy to buy a drinking bowl in a specialized store. They are inexpensive and made of plastic.
The best drinkers are nipple ones. They do not clog and prevent poults from getting wet. Their main advantage is that due to constant maintenance of cleanliness, bacteria do not multiply in them. A regular vacuum drinker will have to be removed and washed frequently.
A brooder is an ideal place to keep turkey poults, especially during the cold season. You can equip everything in it at the highest level, even with your own hands. It is not difficult and does not require specialized knowledge or a lot of time.
