How To Raise Turkey From Day-Old

Turkey is a domesticated bird mainly known for their meat production. They are part of the most common poultry birds raised by farmers. It's mostly raised in free-range systems. The most common breed of Turkey are

• Imported: These breeds have a special genetic makeup, which makes them unique among its peers in the field of poultry birds. It's know for their growth rate, size, and weight. They are known to reach slaughtering at the age of 3–4 months.
• Hybrid: These breeds are being made by some farmers after a failed attempt to have a pure breed of imported breeds of Turkey. This is done by mating imported breeds with local breeds. Making them have the characteristics of both breeds. They get to slaughter age at 5–7 months. They have much of the imported breeds' traits with height, weight, and growth rate. Due to their percentage purity, they fail to march up to that of imported breeds.
• Local: This is the most common breed of Turkey, with a good feed conversion rate, high performance when raised in a free-range system, and with a high disease resistance level. They have good meat quality and reach slaughtering at 7–12 months.

No matter the breed you are planning to stock, be it imported, hybrid or local breed. You need to have some basic knowledge on how to raise poultry birds from day-old. To become successful in raising your flock; what you need to do includes:

Brooding house: You have to pick a good room with an excellent lighting source and heat source. Making sure all necessary equipment and materials needed are in place.

Equipment and materials: Your litter and heat source should be set up inside the room before arrival of the birds. Feeders should be installed. I would advise not to use the feeder trails; it encourages floor picking, leading to them eating their feces, which will lead to transmission of diseases. Use the invention for chicks feeders, it will boost their feeding rate and eliminate the act of defecating inside their feed. Drinkers should be set along with the feeders.

Feeds: In any living thing, be it humans or animals, food is essential to life. There is a required feed for chicks from a day-old to 4 weeks of age. I'm not in to recommend any feed manufacturer, I can just advise if you can get a good feed mill, please mill your feed with crude protein (CP) of 22—25%. Consult a good animal nutritionist to help you out with a good feed formula if this CP. It helps to speed up their growth and helps to boost their immune system against any infection or disease. In case, no reliable feed mill is close to you, go for pelletized feed (Crumble) chicks starter from a reliable feed manufacturer.

Medication: There are different medication and vaccination schedules for chickens, but turkeys have no specialized medication chart. Most farmers have improvised by using medication charts for broiler chickens, which works.

At arrival, ensure you give your birds glucose to suppress transit stress they have to encounter. Likewise, locate the navel of each bird and clean it with spirit or any mint. This is important to reduce mortality and infection in birds.

Litter Management in a Poultry House

Litters are absorbent materials, typically in granular form, straw, or other plant materials used as bedding for animals. Every poultry pen floor is expected to be filled with litter, mostly deep-liter systems. These help in absorbing the moisture from the bird's pop and make the pen clean and safe from disease manifestation.

Why are litters significant in poultry management? 

It's a known fact that poultry birds take in food and water, process it in their body systems, and release it out through their vents. Once this is done, the process continues not only for one bird, but for all. To avoid air pollution and to make the pen easy to clean, litter is introduced into the pen as an absorbent and also as a layer to protect the floor from being stocked with the feces of the birds.

What are the implications of bad litter?

Bad litter causes numerous complications for the farmers in the farm house. Starting with the moisture, the pen always gets wet quickly, more like water is being poured on the floor nonstop, which will make the room uncomfortable for the birds, and likewise, the farmer, whose stress is increased with regular cleaning. Furthermore, it harbors numerous diseases, which leads to an increase in disease transmission among the birds. This happens as soon as there is ammonia buildup inside the pen.

What type of litter is best for poultry pens? 

There are several available litters being used by farmers; some are bad and some are good. Straws, sawdust, wood shavings, rice husks, shafts, and other agricultural litters are examples. All the mentioned litters being used by farmers, only one is generally accepted as the best of them all, which is wood shavings. Some mistake wood shavings for sawdust; both are different. Sawdust is harmful to birds, mostly chicks. It is observed that it causes chronic respiratory disease and also harbors numerous diseases associated with it. The rest of the litter's level of moisture retaining capacity is very low, which makes them unreliable for poultry pen floors. 

How can I get good litter?

These never require any special tactics, so find them. As stated earlier, wood shavings are the best litter for poultry pen floors. To get wood shavings, all you need to do is visit any sawmill around you. If you are finding it difficult to find one, consult your carpenter to help you out with getting it. Some sawmills will give you this free of charge depending on the quantity, while most will charge you for it per sac. 

Poor litter management is not an experience you would like to have. Once there is an outbreak inside the farm, tracing the source will be a bit difficult for the vet. To control the breakout will require tackling the litter first before any solution can be implemented to avoid recycling of the disease. If you have more questions or wish to share your experiences with us, kindly use the comment box. 

Lighting Management in the Poultry Brooding House

In daily human activities, light plays an important role, be it eating, drinking, working, and playing. This is also applicable to the lives of animals as well as plants. Light is the natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible, while the process of dealing with or controlling things or people is known as management.

 

This article, Lighting Management in the Poultry Farm Brooding House, aims at the managerial aspect of the lighting source in the brooding house, the importance of lighting, and the duration.

 

Why is an extra light source essential in the poultry farm brooding house?

This is a question that most farmers ask almost every time. Some just give light to the chicks because they are told to do so without knowing the significance of doing so. Still, the question still baffles them. Light, as it has been stated earlier, is the natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible. It is observed that chicks require a percentage of nutrition in their diet in the first week of their life. This is mainly to help speed up their growth rate, build their feathers in other ways, protect them from colds and build their immune systems.

 

What's the time frame for using light?

As light is important to the chicks, there is time for everything. Light sources should be made available for the chicks nonstop, meaning throughout the day and night every day, and the minimum time for the withdrawal of light sources from the birds in the brooding house is 3 days. It depends on your financial strength, the breed of birds, and the purpose of the birds. For those raising broiler chickens for a targeted time of 5 to 6 weeks of production, it is best to provide constant lighting for the birds until sales, which should be at 5 weeks of age.

 

Can't I just give them light at night alone?

Giving the chicks light at night is not a bad idea. Running the light nonstop creates a situation whereby some parts of the brooding room are dark, making some chicks cluster despite an excellent room temperature and some avoiding feeding. To give light only at night, the farmer must make sure there is a perfect reflection of light rays entering the room.

 

I don't know the best light source I can use.

Truly, not all lighting sources are reliable enough to be used inside the brooding house. The use of the lantern will consume kerosene, and still, the reflection won't be enough to reach every corner of the room; also, the fuel might finish at an awkward time. Using a generator as a power source is a good idea, but it's very costly to maintain it. The best lighting sources for the brooding room that I can suggest are any battery-powered lighting sources like rechargeable lamps or solar power sources.

 

Having a good power source helps to relieve the stress and panic level of the farmer when combined with good management and biosecurity. Lighting management is one of the key roles in setting up a poultry farm, and becoming a successful farmer requires good management skills. Don't forget to share your experiences with us in the comment box.

 

How To Raise Poultry Birds From Day-Old

Raising poultry birds from day-olds has always been an act most poultry farmers avoid. This is becoming a general attitude among most farmers nowadays. Even those that do raise theirs from a day-old are opting out of doing so. This is caused by so many challenges being faced by farmers from day-olds to the third week of their age.

Some Common Challenges Faced During the Brooding of Chicks

There are a lot of challenges encountered during the brooding of chicks, which usually lead to the total loss of the birds or the nursing of diseases among the flock throughout their lifetime. Some challenges include:

Heat Regulation: Most farmers find it difficult to get the accurate room temperature of the brooding house, which leads to the birds' clustering or running towards the wall to find a breezeway. This can lead to casualties and disease breeding amidst them.

Poor Litter Quality: The use of wood shavings has been the most common litter used in poultry farm management. Some farmers used other means like rice husks, shafts, etc. Most fail to understand the main reason behind litters in brooding, which is to absorb moisture released by the birds.

Ammonia Production: Excess moisture released by the birds through their droppings or clustering can lead to ammonia buildup, mostly if the shavings fail to absorb moisture. Likewise, the means of heat used are significant. Some use lanterns, stoves, charcoals, etc., and it's best to always check if there is no smoke produced from them.

Feed and Water Quality: The chicks need very high quality and chlorine-free water. They require regular water to avoid dehydration and a drop in their immune systems. Feeding assists a lot during this time frame. Starvation of the birds will lead to malnutrition, which is very dangerous to their health.

Lighting: It's best to give the birds a source of light for a full week to enable them to eat enough, grow feathers, and strengthen their immune systems.

These challenges are the most common issues faced by farmers during brooding, and they lead to complications. To avoid any of these issues and have a successful brood, some measures need to be established, which include:

✓ An excellent medication chart that will help to guide you throughout your production season. This is not only for the next 4 weeks, but for the whole production.

✓ Constantly check the birds to avoid clustering and to observe any changes in character.

✓ Always clean the surroundings of the feeders and drinkers to avoid any ammonia buildup. They constantly use these locations, and deposit their droppings there, leading to buildups of ammonia.

✓ Remove any sick birds or anyone acting strangely amidst them, to avoid the spread of disease and to have a good observation of what's about to come.

✓ Clean the navel of the chicks with spirit, or any mint upon arrival to avoid infection and reduce the mortality rate.

A successful poultry farm is not only in the management but also in your attitude and consistency. Your experiences and questions will be appreciated. Do share them for all to learn in the comment box.

How To Set Up a Poultry Farm

Poultry farming is one of the most popular agricultural industries that tends to generate more income for both the investor and the farmer. The daily demand for poultry products increases daily despite the increase in the price of the commodity in the market.

On this journey into poultry farming, you need a pointer to guide you through the basics of being a successful farmer. Poultry farming is divided into different groups, which are: laying birds, which are for table eggs; breeders, which are to reproduce more birds, and meat-producing birds. There are different types of domesticated poultry birds, which include chickens, ducks, geese, quail, and turkeys. The principles and modes of practice inherent in them are the same.

STEPS TO TAKE IN STARTING A POULTRY FARM

Your foundation of poultry farming must by now be very strong, mostly the major challenges involved in the poultry business, the likes of diseases, and biosecurity measures involved. Below are some steps to be taken to become a successful poultry farmer.

STEP 1: SELECT YOUR FAVORITE POULTRY BIRDS 

It's highly important to pick a particular breed of bird you intend to venture into. It's much more advisable to start with one breed and later advance with your experience in the field. Apart from locally raised birds, there are three major types of breeds in the poultry business.

Cockerels: These breeds are majorly grown for meat production just like broilers, with a maturity time of 8–12 months; sometimes they are majorly raised to target the Christmas and New Year festive seasons. It's also used by breeders' farmers to cross their laying birds for the fertility of eggs before hatching.

Broilers: These rare breeds of birds are known for their meat production, with a maturity age of 5–8 weeks depending on the type of breed, the feed given, and biosecurity measures involved. It is well known to most people as a bird raised majorly for festivities. Nowadays, it's no longer a seasonal bird as before. The importation ban levied by the Federal Government on agricultural products increased the demand for locally produced agricultural products, mostly frozen meat, in the market.

LAYERS: These are birds mainly known for their egg production, and they start producing eggs at the age of 18wks to 20wks, provided the management scope is done correctly. They always lay for 50 to 70 weeks depending on the breed, before production drops and they are ready to be sold.

STEP 2: CHOOSE A FARM LOCATION

The location of a farm contributes greatly to the growth and success of the farm. It's advisable to consider some of these things before picking a location;

• Your financial strength.
• Accessibility of the farm
• Accessibility to good water
• Biosecurity
• Pollution-free environment

If your backyard is big enough to contain a structure that can house the amount your financial strength can carry, please do it there and manage it well to avoid air pollution and disease spread. If not, search for a suitable location. Put it in mind to make sure you have a farmhouse on your farm location.

STEP 3: PEN CREATION

A pen is a place where poultry birds can call home; it is an important factor in successful poultry farming. It shields the birds from harsh weather, be it sun, rain, floods, or predators. There is a dimension drawn for the construction of a poultry house to aid good ventilation and free movement inside the pen. The dimensions schedule for a 100birds deep liter system is 200 square feet, that is, a 10ft by 20ft rectangular-shaped house with an 8ft height.

If egg production is your dream plan, a deep-liter system can also work out. But it has its demerits, which are usually egg-breaking, pecking among the birds, and the segregation issue of laying birds from barren ones. The most common practice is the cage system, in which a unit of the cage can house 90–120 birds.

STEP 4: MEDICATION AND FEEDING

As the adage says, "Health is Wealth." This also applies to animals. A good and nutritious feed helps the birds maintain their health and immune system. A bad diet does contain mycotoxin, which will allow fungus to operate in their system, leading the weak immune system to fight any disease that may be in their system, ultimately leading to serious complications.

Every breed of bird has its own traits of disease, which leads to their customized vaccination program and medication chart to tackle it before establishment. It's advisable to have an animal scientist or veterinary doctor for a checkup when issues are sensed or possibly for prevention's sake.

STEP 5: SALES AND MARKETING

Many farmers have experienced complications with the sales of their farm produce, mostly with the middlemen, usually called marketers by farmers. Due to the perishability of farm produce, it's a necessity to have a ready market for any produce a farmer is starting to avoid distressed sales and losses due to late sales.

There is a tactic mostly employed by the marketers. Once they sense the farmer has no other alternative market and no choice than to sell their produce, they tag the produce as a distressed sales commodity, which makes them price the produce to the point where the farmer ends up losing money. To avoid all this, it's best to get more than one buyer before your products reach maturity.

CONCLUSION

Poultry farming is very profitable if you know the right channel and have a good market. Have a good cycle of successful farmers around you; it's very possible to start with #50,000 and have a return of over #150,000 in 6 months. I make 40% of my capital as profit every 6 weeks, which I believe you can also do. If you wish to share your experiences or have a question, use the comment box and let's grow together.