Few people know how turkeys endure winter. To answer this question, you first need to know everything about the winter maintenance of this poultry. Turkeys can easily endure any winter without any problems if they are kept in comfortable conditions, namely in a barn or special greenhouses made of polycarbonate or some other room.
Important! Turkeys, unlike other barnyard birds, usually tolerate winter frosts without problems. This is because this bird is naturally prone to the accumulation of subcutaneous fat. However, looking ahead, fat deposits can negatively affect the health of the bird.
How do turkeys cope with winter?
A little bit of history
In many developed countries, turkey meat is one of the main decorations of the holiday table. It is used not only for preparing single dishes, but is also part of incredibly tasty smoked meats. For large feasts, a chicken carcass will not be enough, but a 20-kilogram overseas bird will be enough for everyone.
Turkeys already had more than 1,000 years of domestic experience behind them by the time they arrived on the European continent along with the ship of Christopher Columbus.
Turkeys were brought to Europe thanks to the efforts of Christopher Columbus.
Turkeys are considered large poultry: males easily gain 20 kg, and females - 10 kg or even more. Differences in weight are observed already after reaching 20 days: males are approximately 30% heavier than females. By the 4th month, the weight of the bird begins to increase rapidly: in females the weight indicator increases by 170 times, and in males by 200 times. If we transfer this phenomenon to a person, then at 4 months he would weigh 700 kg.
Preparing for winter
A good owner prepares for winter from the beginning of summer. The fact is that in winter turkeys need a comfortable, spacious room. An old chicken coop can accommodate several birds, but if you have a large flock, it is better to build a separate poultry house for it. During construction, at least a square area of area must be allocated for each bird . In the summer, for comfortable keeping of domestic turkeys, the main thing is to have an extensive range, and in winter, the birds should have enough space in the house.
You need to think in advance about how to heat the room in winter. There are two types of heating for poultry houses:
- Natural heating, when the room temperature is maintained in winter by retaining heat. To achieve this effect, the owner must caulk all openings, except for the ventilation one, and insulate the walls at the stage of building the room. However, in very severe frosts, this method does not fulfill its purpose, and the room must be heated additionally.
- Artificial heating, for which electrical appliances, gas boilers, stoves, infrared appliances or lamps are used.
If the owner has not approached heating issues in advance, then the living conditions may not be comfortable enough and the turkeys will get sick or die.
Rules for choosing good individuals
To obtain a healthy turkey population, you initially need to select breeding individuals. The parental family should consist of one male and 3-4 females.
Signs of good productive qualities of the host turkey are its inflated body and downward wings. In this way he demonstrates his importance, which attracts the attention of turkeys.
For breeding purposes, non-aggressive females with clean, shiny plumage and a healthy appearance are preferred. Keep in mind that they are good hens, and the time for the appearance of young animals will come within 28 days after the start of hatching eggs.
It is important that the bird you choose matches the characteristics of the breed you are going to breed.
Keeping turkeys in winter at home for beginners
According to reviews from experienced poultry farmers, turkeys are perfectly adapted to the harsh climate of Russia, rarely get sick, and require a minimum of attention.
Beginning breeders anxiously await the arrival of cold weather and worry about how the turkeys will survive the winter. According to reviews from experienced poultry farmers, these birds are perfectly adapted to the harsh climate of Russia, rarely get sick, and require a minimum of attention. Here are the basic rules to follow when keeping turkeys in winter:
- Keeping the poultry house clean is a must. Bedding gets dirty quickly if turkeys spend most of the day indoors. As a result, parasites and bacteria multiply in it, which will have an extremely adverse effect on the health of turkeys. Bedding can also become damp quickly, and turkeys are sensitive to this. When soiled, old hay and straw are removed. In order to have enough material for bedding, you need to prepare a supply in the fall;
- If the temperature outside drops significantly, the birds do not need to be released from the turkey poultry. They do not tolerate sudden changes in temperature and can get sick;
- In winter, turkeys are switched to a 3-course diet consisting of grain mixtures and mixed feed. In the morning and evening you can give dry food, grated vegetables, hay flour. For lunch it is important to give wet mash and boiled root vegetables;
- Rowan berries, crushed pine needles, nettles, carrots, and beets help saturate the turkeys’ bodies with vitamins. Turkeys love to peck poplar and acacia branches in winter. To do this, in the fall they make preparations in the form of brooms, which are hung in the poultry house;
- Perches in the turkey house are installed at a height of about 50-60 cm from the floor. This distance is quite enough to prevent the turkeys’ bodies from cooling down in an unheated room. For one individual you need to allocate 40 cm of perch;
- Birds must be allowed out for walks every day. Turkeys are prone to obesity, especially if they lead a sedentary lifestyle. If it is too cold in the yard, the birds are driven back after a few hours.
Keeping turkeys at home in winter rarely causes difficulties even for novice breeders. To avoid problems, we recommend watching the video and taking the advice of experienced poultry farmers.
Keeping turkeys in winter, video:
A few words about walking
Turkeys are one of those birds that will be reluctant to go outside during frosts. An empty and snow-covered area is not the most attractive place for birds. To lure turkeys out of the house, you can use a little trick: prepare dried bunches of nettles in the fall. These brooms can be attached outside, and turkeys will happily go to the walking yard to eat delicious grass rich in vitamins. Lack of walks leads to the fact that large birds begin to get fat without exercise, and this negatively affects their overall health.
winter walking of turkeys
Alternative Containment Method
Some poultry farmers have adapted to keeping poultry in a polycarbonate greenhouse in winter. This method has both opponents and supporters. Opponents claim that the greenhouse quickly becomes damp, and the polycarbonate itself is very fragile in cold weather. But supporters disagree. The fact is that this room is warm enough, daylight is naturally provided, and, most importantly, there is a lot of space.
The bottom of the greenhouse can be covered with slate sheets or plywood to prevent turkeys from breaking the polycarbonate with their beaks.
Perches and feeders should be mobile so that they can be easily installed and also easily dismantled. The floor, as in a stationary poultry house, must be covered with thick litter. And in the spring, before using the greenhouse for its intended purpose, it is simply washed with water from a hose and dug up.
Some owners use idle greenhouses not for keeping, but for walking turkeys and other poultry. This is especially true in frosty or rainy weather.
Are there winter breeds?
In fact, all types of turkeys are able to withstand short-term frosts. But there are breeds that are actively grown in the Urals and Siberia:
- Moscow Bronze.
- Black Tikhoretskaya.
- Kubanskaya.
- French turkeys.
- Canadian Broad Breasted.
- White Broad-chested.
- Hybrid Converter.
- Cross BIG-6.
Important points
Temperature and comfort
Another advantage of keeping turkeys in our climatic conditions is their relative frost resistance. Birds can withstand temperatures down to −15°C. In such frost, turkeys should be out for at least 1 hour. If the conditions outside are more comfortable, then the walk can be increased to 2-3 hours.
The walking area of domestic turkeys should always be cleared of snow. Birds have very sensitive feet. In the snow they freeze quickly and can get sick.
If the temperature outside drops below −15°C, then the conditions indoors should also change slightly. To avoid dampness and mold, it is better to lower the temperature to −3°C, the permissible minimum in the room is minus 5°C. The rest of the time, comfortable conditions in winter are from +1 to +3°C.
An important condition for winter keeping at home is to provide the birds with dry, warm bedding. There must be a thick layer of straw, peat or sawdust on the floor of the poultry house. To avoid dampness and dirt, the straw is replaced every 10 days, the rest of the filler - every 3 weeks.
Required lighting
Every owner is interested in ensuring that the egg production of domestic turkeys does not drop in winter, and that the males continue to do their job. These indicators strongly depend on the housing conditions, and specifically on the correct lighting of the poultry house.
Bedding materials
The weak point of giant birds is their limbs. If a turkey gets hypothermia on its paws, this will lead to a number of diseases that can result in the death of the livestock. To prevent such a nuisance, thick and warm bedding should be laid in the room.
If the flooring is made of boards, and there is a solid foundation under the floor, then the bird can survive the winter without bedding. In all other cases, you cannot do without additional materials. Good bedding is made from the following components:
- dry straw;
- hay;
- wood shavings;
- peat.
Any of the selected types is laid in a layer having a thickness of at least three centimeters. In this case, the litter should be evenly distributed throughout the room. As for cleaning, hay or straw materials need to be changed at least once every 10 days, peat or sawdust - once a month. Thanks to frequent changes of litter, various diseases among poultry are prevented.
turkeys on a peat bed
The Importance of Ash Baths
The presence of skin or feather parasites causes a lot of trouble not only for turkeys, but also for owners, because pets will have to be treated, and if this is not done in a timely manner, you can get a very disastrous result.
Blood-sucking insects cause discomfort to the bird: turkeys may begin to peck at themselves in an attempt to get rid of the itch. In this case, the skin is injured, which can lead to pecking and attacks on a weakened individual. Cannibalism often ends in death.
To prevent the appearance of parasites, place a container filled with a mixture of ash and sand in the room. The bird will take a dry bath and preen its feathers, which helps maintain hygiene. All the owner needs is to ensure that the mixture does not run out.
Lighting organization
In winter, in order to prevent a decrease in egg production, and also to ensure that males can fertilize turkeys, it is necessary to properly organize lighting. At the same time, the seasonal change of feather cover begins, which causes a lot of inconvenience for the birds. You can create the correct daylight hours using artificial light sources.
For young animals, 7-8 hours a day will be enough for them to develop and grow properly. The situation is completely different with adult flocks: they need at least 14 hours so that the number of eggs does not decrease. The source of illumination can be any lamp that is installed in such a way that 3 sq. m were illuminated by one lamp.
Some tips
Reviews from farmers who keep turkeys at home in winter tend to favor an alternative option for housing poultry. Instead of the usual poultry houses, they have adapted to keeping turkeys in winter in greenhouses made of polycarbonate material. Such content has both positive and negative sides. Among the advantages, farmers note the preservation of the thermal regime in the greenhouse, maintaining the required length of daylight hours naturally and the availability of space.
To preserve the flooring of a polycarbonate greenhouse, which birds often pierce with their beaks, the floor is covered with slate or plywood sheets.
Among the disadvantages of keeping turkeys in a greenhouse in winter, some point out that in greenhouse conditions it often becomes damp faster than in a conventional building, and the material itself becomes brittle from frost.
Little trick
Turkeys often suffer from parasites in their feathers from careless owners in winter. To avoid this misfortune, be sure to leave a container filled with ash and sand in the house. Poultry uses a sand-ash bath to prevent and control parasites.
Don't forget that turkeys, like chickens, constantly peck at small gravel and pebbles. Separately from the food, pour crushed shells, chalk and charcoal into the trough. This is necessary for digestion.
There is nothing particularly difficult about keeping turkeys in winter. If the owner is not lazy and prepares for low temperatures and short days, then his poultry house will overwinter in warmth and comfort, without losses.
Diet
In winter, individuals should be fed 3 times a day, as they require energy for heating. The basis of the diet is high-calorie grain and mixed feed, barley, corn and wheat, containing a large amount of carbohydrates and a lot of fiber. A homemade mixture will do. Once a day, the birds are given wet mash for lunch.
Feeding in winter should be varied, so you can add carrots and beets to the mash. You can also give crushed parts of pine, fir, spruce, because they contain vitamins A and C. Pine needles should be given at the rate of 10 g per bird. It is useful to include rowan in the diet at the rate of 10 berries per individual.
What to feed turkeys? You can give them chopped chestnuts and acorns. Up to 40 pieces per day per bird. For variety, clover and alfalfa should be steamed.
The better the food in winter, the more active the birds will lay eggs. The main thing is not to overdo it with compound feed for adults in winter.
It is necessary to ensure that the birds feed without crowding or crowding, so the food troughs should be large. For pecking, you should separately install a trough with small pebbles, gravel, chalk, and crushed shells. All this is necessary for healthy digestion.
Fish oil is included in the diet at a rate of 2 g per bird, if there is no opportunity for walking in the winter. A couple of days before slaughter, fat is excluded from the diet, as it can give the meat an unpleasant aroma.
