Hello!

The inability to travel in recent months has spurred me on agricultural experiments. If we had to grow broiler chickens before, then we decided on turkeys for the first time.

They frightened me, they said that the bird is very tender, capricious, it is very difficult to keep it. An acquaintance of the poultry-keeper told me that she constantly feeds her turkey poults either with one medicine, or with another, or with vitamins … I already thought about taking the birds, but they were ordered …

And now my turkey poults arrived from the poultry farm on the second of June. I ordered two breeds. I tortured the seller for a long time to tell me exactly what my birds are called. The seller was confused in the names, she was mistaken, and, as I eventually understood, we bought 5 hybrid converter crosses (bred in Holland) and 5 Canadian wide-breasted ones. Both those and other birds promise to grow up to 20 kg, hybrids can grow up to 25-30.

They settled the turkeys in a cardboard box from under the printer. For heating — an ordinary incandescent lamp. We don’t have a brooder yet, but if we get serious about breeding birds, we’ll have to buy. Or maybe my husband will do it himself. Turkeys live in the house — the nights are still cold, and the bird is thermophilic.

On the very first day, I bought Enrostine (an antibiotic) for intestinal infections for the birds. I added it to boiled water, half a cube per liter, and gave it to drink for 5 days.

The birds are one week old. Photo from personal archive. The birds are one week old. Photo from personal archive.

Then a day break, and now I sing with a veto preparation. It is a probiotic for restoring intestinal microflora that may have been affected by antibiotics.

I feed only mixed feed. I took a good feed, quite expensive, with vitamins, premixes and a coccistatic, called VEGA. I read that almost from the first days it is recommended to give turkey poults nettles, green onions, but for now I am careful. Half of the chickens died at a neighbor’s, after she began to feed them greens — coccidosis … That is, in our places this infection is fierce, it is better to play it safe.

Turkey poults are very funny — curious, nimble. In my opinion, much more intelligent than chickens. If they are warm, nourishing and have water, they are silent and only barely audibly chirp, talking to each other. But as soon as the water or food runs out, they will immediately tell. They will raise such a whistle that you will come running.

Some turkeys, when angry or frightened, already inflate and lower their wings — so funny!

I use disposable diapers as bedding. They not only absorb moisture well, but also smells. As soon as the birds move into the barn, we will use shavings as bedding. Fortunately, the husband is a carpenter, and there is no problem with this good.

So far I don’t see any particular problems in cultivation. Attention — yes, of course you need it, but just like any animal.

At the age of a week, the birds were transplanted into a new, more spacious box. They really liked their new home.