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Raising Turkeys For Meat - Don't Start Without Reading This Simple Guide

2016/5/4 10:14:18

Among fowls, turkeys are tops when it comes to providing quality meat. Turkey meat is a lot leaner than chicken meat. It is also packed with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that help you stay healthy. This should be enough reason why you should consider raising turkeys for meat, either for your own family's consumption or for commercial purposes.

Raising turkeys for meat may be a fun and rewarding experience, but it is also one that requires utmost dedication and technical knowledge, to some extent. If you have a space in your backyard that is conducive to homesteading, you should seriously consider raising turkeys for meat.

The first step to raising turkeys is finding a healthy stock. Depending on how big your available space is, you can order as little as five or as big as fifty poults for a start. There are breeders that deliver poults by mail, but they may require a minimum number of poults. You can also try ordering from a local breeder so you don't need to order more than you need to. In addition, picking up the poults from a local breeder means you get a stock that has not been through the stresses of a long-haul flight.

One of the most important things that your breeding space has to have is heat lamps. Turkeys, especially poults, are sensitive to changes in temperature. They react to cold temperature in a bad way. When the temperature gets cold, turkeys tend to flock together and pile up on top of each other. This could result in the death of those that get stuck underneath the pile.

Another important aspect of raising turkeys for meat is deciding whether you want to raise them conventionally or organically. These two refer to the type of food that you want to feed your turkeys. If you want to go organic, you will need to stick to processed foods and artificial supplements.

Raising turkeys for meat also requires you to be on the alert for potential illnesses. The typical illness that typical breeders have to be ready for is diarrhea, which can wipe out an entire flock if left untreated. Turkeys should be treated at the earliest signs of diarrhea. Otherwise, they will suffer from dehydration, which leads to death. You also need to make sure that your birds get a good supply of vitamins and nutrients always. When they start acting restless or anxious, you can be sure that they are lacking in essential vitamins and minerals.

If you think you still need guidance on raising turkeys for meat, consulting existing turkey owners and farmers will certainly be a big help. Learn more about rearing turkeys and turkey breeding correctly here: www.howtoraiseturkeys.com