Before breeding turkeys in the household, the most popular breeds of birds are first studied. You need to get acquainted with their positive and negative sides. This ensures the right choice of breeds that will not only feed the family with tasty and healthy meat, but also can give good revenue from the sale of the product.
Main breeds
Turkey meat is a dietary product valued at the expense of its taste. Moreover, different breeds have different needs and requirements in the conditions of keeping and feeding. Breeds of turkeys for breeding in the household are selected based on in which region they will be grown and in what conditions they are kept.
Turkeys often gain a lot of weight and are famous for their size. Most birds can differ not only in characteristics, but also in weight. What are the criteria:
- Birds reaching a maximum weight of 12-15 kg. Such breeds are distinguished by a high egg production rate. And the eggs of these animals are rich in useful substances. Birds are resistant not only to the most severe conditions, but also to diseases.
- Birds of the middle weight category. Depending on the characteristics of a particular breed, their weight can reach up to 25 kg, and this is an excellent indicator for breeds of meat direction. They have excellent health, it is not difficult to grow them. Therefore, for the breeding of such birds, all optimal conditions are provided.
- Broiler breeds that are heavyweights. The weight of such birds can be about 30 kg. Such birds are suitable for rearing exclusively for meat.
Canadian breed (HybridConverter)
This breed was bred by Canadian breeders, but pretty quickly became popular in Russia. Birds adapt well in the Russian climate, but cultivation in regions with severe frosts is not worth it. Turkey meat is distinguished by excellent taste - a dietary product is very tender and juicy.
Canadian turkeys are dominated by white plumage, wide breasts and a dense body structure. This breed especially quickly gains weight in the summer.
If you properly feed the birds and observe the conditions of their maintenance, after two months of feeding, you can send turkeys to the slaughter. They are gaining enough weight. The Canadian bird is believed to be the largest turkey in the world.
The largest bird weight can reach 30 kg, which is not possible for other breeds. If you evaluate the Canadian turkey in terms of profit, this breed is considered the best option. After all, it is only in the summer that a bird eats a lot of kilograms, which means that you do not need to spend money on warming houses and feeding in other periods. This attracts many breeders, if we take into account how much is 1 kg of turkey meat and its relevance in the market.
Features of animals:
- They have high egg production. During the year, the female can bring up to 120 eggs. Difficulties arise with offspring, as females and males have a large difference in weight. So, with the weight of males at 30 kg, females are half as much. Because of this, artificial insemination is often necessary.
- Birds need warm keeping. Growing in the summer does not present any difficulties. But if you engage in breeding birds as a profit, then you can not do without a warmed house, in which the temperature should be at least 22 degrees.
- Birds of this breed are demanding on food. Their diet should be varied, rich in vitamins and nutrients. Be sure to enter eggs and cottage cheese on the menu.
If all these rules are observed, it will be possible to get a bird with a large weight and good quality meat.
North Caucasian (stavropol) breed
Turkeys with a dense body structure, bronze plumage. Birds withstand the climate of more northern areas. It is permissible to grow turkeys in the middle zone of Russia. North Caucasian turkeys have good health and excellent ability to acclimatize. Birds not only gain weight well, but have a high egg production rate. A female can bring up to 100 eggs per year. The breed has a high survival rate - out of 100 chicks, up to 93 chicks can survive.
The birds have a great appetite, they are very active and mobile. Males reach a weight of up to 15 kg, females - up to 9 kg. It is profitable to grow this breed, since the livestock will grow rapidly, which means it will be possible to increase sales in a short time.
North Caucasian Bronze Turkeys
Grade Maker
This breed was created specifically taking into account the criteria for profitability of rearing birds for slaughter. Features of the breed:
- The ability to gain weight quickly. After 2-3 months of feeding it is already possible to send birds to the slaughter. Carcasses do not lose their attractive presentation, and the meat has a delicate taste. The specialists made the calculations and came to the conclusion that by this time the costs of keeping the bird would be completely blocked by the profit from its sale. Growing such a bird guarantees a high income.
- Unpretentiousness to conditions. Birds are unpretentious and will feel good and gain weight even under ordinary conditions.
- Strong immune system. Breeding work has led to the fact that Grade Maker turkeys have increased resistance to many diseases that can be detrimental to other breeds. This is a significant plus in favor of the content of this particular breed.
The main difficulty for growing is the need to observe the temperature regime. In order for the birds to grow quickly and not die, they should maintain a temperature that is comfortable for them in the house - 22-24 degrees.
The maximum weight of the bird is gained by 5 months - up to 20 kg. It does not always make sense to raise birds to the maximum size, since fattening takes a lot of financial costs that simply cannot be reimbursed from the profit of such a volume of meat. Turkeys are sent for slaughter in 3 months.
Tikhoretskaya (Kuban) breed
A feature of the breed is its unpretentiousness in content. Birds need large spaces. Due to the increased activity, turkeys need a place for walking. Although the body weight of the animals is small, they have increased resistance to disease. Good health and good immunity provide a low mortality rate among young animals.
Males gain weight up to 10 kg, females - up to 5 kg. The Tikhoretsky breed has a high egg production rate - for a year, a turkey can bring up to 100 eggs, but subject to proper conditions.
Such characteristics indicate a favorable breed growth, especially since the birds adapt well to low temperatures, do not need complex diets.
Tikhoretsky black turkeys
French Breed Bronze 708
This breed can be characterized by small dimensions and perfectly even plumage, which attracts attention. The birds reach their maximum weight by 4 months of life. The survival rate of chicks is 70-90%, which is an excellent indicator due to strong immunity.
Birds of the French breed combine several excellent qualities: they are able to gain weight up to 12-13 kg, are not prone to diseases, unpretentious in food. But at the same time, the birds are very active and they need a lot of space. This is an important factor to consider when setting up a house.
Decorative birds
It is not necessary to grow turkeys solely for meat or for a profitable business with a view to its implementation. There are some breeds that are famous for their external characteristics. For example, slick blue turkeys.
This breed is not as famous as many others. This can be explained by the fact that it practically makes no sense to engage in the cultivation of Aspid turkeys. The maximum weight of adults is 5 kg, and the weight of the females is even less, therefore there is no profitability in their feeding. The only feature of this breed is the blue plumage, which attracts attention and makes the bird beautiful. You can use birds as decorative animals.
The breeder needs to decide the breed on his own. You need to base your choice on your goals. If breeding birds should be a profitable business, it is better to choose turkey meat. That is, animals that gain a lot of weight in a short time.