The Essentials to Hatching Turkeys

Raising turkeys happen in 3 stages; namely, breeding, hatching and maturing. The breeding usually occurs in the breeder farm where eggs are laid and the hatching turkeys process occurs when the eggs are placed in incubators after they are cleaned. Hatching turkeys requires knowledge and skill as the right conditions must be set for successful hatching. When the eggs are hatched (which typically takes 28 days) the poults or baby turkeys are moved to the farm for rearing. Here, the two genders are separated as they are monitored in their growth until their down feathers are shed. It takes about 4 to 5 months for turkeys to grow to a full size, with hen turkeys full maturing at 16 weeks and tom turkeys mature at 19 weeks, weighing 16-24 pounds.

History of the Turkey: One of North America’s native birds is the turkey which is considered large for the bird species. Its white feathers with a bald wattle head and neck make it a very distinguished bird. Although the name given to it implies its origin to be Turkey, nevertheless, the guinea fowl in American is a really different species. This bird is considered a wild species known as ‘peru’ during the 18th century and was a North American staple food. There are a variety of turkey breeds available today which include Bronze, Bourbon Red, Narragansett and White Holland.

Hatching Turkeys via Incubators

Hatching turkeys today have been simplified through the advanced technology and scientific breakthroughs in genetics, resulting in bigger size with less feed in faster time. The process has been made so easy that one can even do it in your backyard. Hatching turkeys through the incubator has been found to be more successful than natural incubation as the conditions are more controllable. Turkeys are normally bred for their meat with the most common breed to be the white broad-breasted that is now widely bred on a commercial platform. With so many strains available, the most preferred white broad-breasted breed is the white feathered kind as there is no display of pigmentation when plucked.

>>How to Guide: DIY Incubator for Hatching Turkeys<<

Hatching turkeys may be growing in popularity as a pet or for the meat, but a balanced diet is essential to mature it. The turkeys’ diet comprise mainly of corn and soybean supplemented with vitamins and minerals. The turkey feed is the most costly aspect of raising turkeys as the FDA and FSIS bans using growth hormones. You can also feed turkeys with chick crumb before trying out pellets. Although hatching turkeys may seem relatively easy, especially with the use of an incubator, these birds can be afflicted by diseases caused by protozoa and other parasites. Once a bird is infected with a fowl disease, it tends to spread quickly to the other birds. Hence, turkey farms need to be carefully maintained to provide a clean and comfortable environment that is free from predators, diseases and harsh weather. This is the reason for some farms to prefer concrete enclosures which will prevent the soil worms from possibly infected the turkeys with the black head parasites.