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Oddly enough, to this day the descendants of the wild North American turkey are not very different from their ancestor, either in appearance or weight. A wild male weighs 8 kg, a regular domestic turkey weighs almost the same: 8-10 kg. And then, most likely, due to fat reserves. The only differences between them are the shorter legs of the domestic turkey and the very long, hard brush on the chest of the wild one.
To this day, wild turkeys in America interbreed with domesticated relatives. The offspring are of better quality than the original parent material.
Breeds of domesticated turkeys often they differ only in plumage color and a couple of kilograms of live weight.
The relatively recently bred broiler chickens stand apart. turkey breeds, whose weight often exceeds 20 kg in adulthood.
At the same time, “by eye” broiler turkeys are not very larger in size than ordinary turkeys. The large weight and high slaughter yield of meat (80%) in broilers is achieved due to significant muscle mass and very small thin bones.
Anyone who has cut up regular turkeys and broilers has probably noticed that after cutting the meat, the remaining broiler skeleton weighing about 15 kg is the size of the skeleton of a regular turkey weighing 5 kg.The skeleton of a normal male turkey is much larger.
This feature of broiler turkeys is associated with the very problems that created their reputation as a pampered bird that requires special food, and which prevents their mass breeding.
You can’t have such a thin skeleton and strong, thick leg bones. Because of this, in broiler turkeys, the growth of bones and ligaments does not keep pace with muscle mass. Under the weight of the body, the turkey's paws begin to move apart. So the belief about special food is justified.
Feed for broiler turkeys should be rich in protein to build muscle mass, as well as calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D for strong bones.
Broiler turkeys are divided into three groups by weight:
- light group up to 9 kg:
- average – up to 18:
- heavy – up to 25.
The most popular in the world is the heavy cross, bred by the British company British United Turkeys (BUT) and labeled as Big-6.
Characteristics of the Big-6 cross
Broiler turkeys of this cross can reach a weight of 40 kg. But this is a record weight even in adulthood, when the meat is already becoming tough. In addition, keeping broiler birds for too long will only torture them.
Turkeys are usually slaughtered quickly, since their maintenance after six months becomes unprofitable, so such facts are unknown with turkeys. There have been cases with broiler roosters when they tried to leave them “for later”. As a result, the rooster became so heavy that he could no longer move and could only crawl on the floor. As a result, his relatives, the chickens, pecked at his belly and pecked out his intestines for profit. So if a bird is bred to quickly gain weight and be slaughtered just as quickly, you shouldn’t feel sorry for it.
White plumage in broilers is preferable, since in this case there are no dark spots that are unpleasant to the eye on the skin of the carcass.
It is unlikely that you will be able to breed this cross on your own, since, firstly, the cross in the second generation will split into parental forms. Secondly, only males are usually on sale. And most often, males are sterile, so they cannot even be hybridized with home-grown turkeys.
Two other crosses, bred by the same company, are labeled Big-8 and Big-9. Externally there are no differences between them.
Crosses are created by crossing “light” turkeys and “heavy” turkeys. These crosses are slaughtered at 3-4 months.
In addition to British crosses, Moscow Bronze, White Broad-breasted and Canadian Broad-breasted are also recommended for breeding in Russia on private farmsteads.
Canadian broad-breasted turkey
It was bred through selection in Canada, which is reflected in the name of the breed. Turkeys of this breed grow very quickly. Already at one and a half months, turkey poults weigh 5 kg. By the time of slaughter, 3 months after hatching, they already weigh 9 kg. It is very convenient to sell this type of breed by order as whole carcasses. Some people need a medium-sized carcass and the turkey can be slaughtered at six weeks, others need a larger one and such buyers can sell a three-month-old turkey.
There was no selection for color in this breed, so Canadian Broad-breasteds have the color of a wild turkey, that is, a black feather with a bronze tint.From the photo, it is almost impossible to distinguish the Canadian broad-breasted turkey from the Moscow bronze and from ordinary non-broiler turkeys.
Canadian broad-breasted turkeys are distinguished by early maturity, starting to lay eggs as early as 9 months.
The Canadian Broad-breasted is a heat-loving breed, so it is not suitable for growing in the northern regions of Russia.
Moscow Bronze Turkey
Bred in the Moscow region by crossing three breeds. During breeding they were used North Caucasian, bronze broad-breasted and local bronze breeds of turkeys. Being better adapted to cold climates and not requiring special conditions, Moscow Bronze is successfully bred in the central regions of Russia and northern Ukraine.
Description of the breed
Called a bronze, this breed of turkey actually has black plumage. All the “bronze” in her color is the bronze tint of the feather.
Moscow bronze turkeys are much smaller than meat crosses and weigh 11-13 kg, turkeys - 6-7 kg. Turkey poults at four months of age manage to gain 4 kg.
A turkey lays up to 100 eggs per year. The advantage of this breed is the high fertility of eggs and the hatchability of turkey poults over 80%. The official survival rate is 70-75%, but much depends on how the turkey poults are kept.
White broad-breasted turkey
It is easy to notice that visually in the photo the white broad-breasted turkey, bred in America, is no different from the British meat crosses, of which it is one of the parent breeds. True, the picture shows turkeys, since raising turkeys for meat production is unprofitable. During the same time, they gain weight twice as much as males.
The white broad-chested was brought to the USSR in the 70s of the last century and heavy, light and medium crosses were obtained on its basis.
A white broad-breasted turkey chick grows up to 100 days. After this, it can be sent to slaughter.
When breeding it, it is necessary to maintain a certain temperature, air humidity and lighting conditions. The white broad-chested is especially afraid of dampness and cold. In this case, turkeys of this breed get a runny nose.
The white broad-breasted turkey begins to lay eggs at 9 months. She can lay more than a hundred eggs per year with a fertilization rate of 90%. But in incubator Only 75% of fertilized eggs are hatched.
Considering that the breed is used for a wide variety of crosses, turkeys of this breed also have a wide variety of sizes. The lightest turkey weighs 9 kg, a turkey is half that size. Sexual dimorphism is observed in all groups, so there is no need to dwell on turkeys.
The average type of turkey weighs 18-17 kg, heavy up to 25.
Features of keeping and feeding broiler turkeys
It should be noted that against the backdrop of crowded housing of broiler turkeys, not only a change in their behavior is noted, but also a fading of the brooding instinct.
To enable normal natural instincts, each individual must have at least 20 m². When kept in a crowded environment, not only does the bird's brooding instinct fade away, but all mental activity is disrupted, as can be clearly seen in the video.
Keeping turkeys. Volozhanin farm:
In general, the living conditions are not the worst, but there is not enough space for the turkeys.Stripped tails indicate that turkeys are fighting among themselves and pecking at the feathers of their neighbors. To combat this problem, factory farms cut off the beaks of turkeys.
Insufficient space for walking also leads to disorders of the musculoskeletal system, due to which some turkeys cannot move.
Feeding
It is better to feed broiler turkeys 5-6 times a day, since broilers eat a lot.
When preparing a diet for broiler turkeys, it is necessary to adhere to a strict balance of vitamins and minerals. The ideal solution would be to feed broiler turkeys with special compound feed, but for small farmers this will be more expensive due to the difference in the size of supplies for a large complex and a private farmstead. As you know, large wholesale quantities are always cheaper.
A private owner can get out of this situation by independently making a wet mash for turkeys from crushed grain, kitchen waste, herbs and mineral-vitamin premixes. But since it is unlikely that he will be able to accurately maintain the required chemical composition, the efficiency of fattening will be lower than in industrial complexes.
It should be remembered that all broilers of any type of poultry are very sensitive to housing conditions and feed composition. If the necessary conditions are not met, broilers do not gain full weight, giving rise to myths about pumping factory birds with steroids.
The basis of foreign feed for broilers is soybean, due to its high protein content, in which broilers gain weight very quickly. In addition, soybeans are cheaper than any other grain. Hence the low cost of foreign poultry meat.
Conclusion
But in the wake of the general movement for “environmentally friendly products,” a private owner can get a good income from selling broiler turkeys under the brand of an ecological product. This brand costs two to three times more than usual, which, by the way, is what some enterprising villagers use.
