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This page should be used as an extension to Starting Chicks. Not included here are many of the basic concepts needed for general poultry management, so please read Starting Chicks, even if you plan to only raise turkeys.
Turkeys, say most, are terrible things to keep alive. I have had little problem with that challenge. Some say that they are too dumb to eat. Some say that they are too stupid to drink. I have had no such problems.
The turkeys that I have lost did not die because of their stupidity, but because of mine. Two once flew out of their brooding area into a cooler part of the shed. My brother and I found them with their legs up in the air. Last year, I left a pail of water beside the edge of their brooding pen, and, sure enough, one flew right into the water. I once placed a white bulb above the turkeys, and they proceeded to become cannibalistic. I have read that white light is more causative of this activity than the duller red, but I thought that 4-day-old turkey poults could not be so mean and nasty. I was wrong. One casualty was found, not dead, but exhausted, cold, and hungry. This bird died soon after.
Later on that year, an unidentified predator (likely our dog) took about ten of the 15. We found four or five of them, in total. I was once sold feed that was labelled "turkey starter" but due to its low protein level, was no good for the turkeys. The starter feed for turkey poults must be at a level of 25-28% protein. Don't try to skimp and save at this point in the birds' lives. You will lose birds and more money than could ever be saved by purchasing cheaper, lower quality feed.
Brooding
I have had few problems with this stage, but I have been alerted of some very good ideas to prevent the problems that can arise.
Sometimes, I have heard, turkeys plainly starve to death from not learning how to eat. A solution is to throw, not literally, some chicks in with the turkeys to help the poults learn how to eat by watching. Not a bad plan, but since turkeys and chickens should receive different rations at this stage, don't keep them together for more than the first few days.
Another plan of action is (if a starter vitamin booster is not used in the water) to mix an amount of brown sugar in with the turkeys' water supply for the first week or two. This idea is said to "perk up" the appetite of the poults. I cannot recommend or discourage anyone from trying this possibility out on the birds, mainly because I have not used it enough to decide if it is beneficial, or not.
A third solution to this "common" problem is to feed the poults in 30-egg cardboard flats until they realize the purpose of eating the crumble.
In general, the same equipment used for raising chicks can be used for turkeys, but one must allow for fewer turkeys per waterer or feeder: they will become bigger than the chicks at an earlier age. The starter feed should be a commercial, medicated ration (no shortcuts can be taken at this stage in development). Turkey starter is higher in protein than chick starter, and I would budget two 25 kg bags for every 25 poults. Each brand will likely have different recommended feeding regiments, which should be followed. Turkey poults require a higher temperature than chicks in brooding: about 5 degrees Fahrenheit more, but, as I state in Starting Chicks, let the birds tell you what they like best.
Beyond Brooding
About four or five 25 kg bags of turkey poult grower are required for every 25 poults that you will be raising. After they finish that ration, it will be time to switch to home-grown grains and pasture, if you so desire. In 1995, I raised turkeys on old oats (with a good quantity of high-protein weed seeds) and brome grass pasture, and they dressed out at up to 32 lbs. The average was about 22-25 pounds. It is absolutely essential that if only homegrown grains are being fed, the turkeys have constant access to lush pasture as described in Pasturing Poultry. Without this pasture, they will likely experience vitamin and mineral deficiencies, resulting in poor growth.
It has been my experience that turkeys are more efficient grazers than chickens, because, when they grow up, they have a higher level of "grass-pulling strength" than the smaller chickens. They make use of their sharp, curved beak to mow grasses to just-above ground level. It is very satisfying to watch turkeys, when they are placed on new pasture, rip off and trim the short, tender grass. It is a wonderful sight to behold for someone, like myself, who is too cheap to buy the commercial feeds all the time.
The best way to keep your birds happy and healthy is to keep an eye on them. Check on them frequently especially in the brooding stages, identify problems, and you will be able to fix those problems. Turkeys just need a little tender loving care when they are young to keep healthy and happy. After all, you won't be giving them much love when they're older!
Butchering
When your birds have reached a satisfactory size, or just before the snow begins to fly, butchering will take place. You may visit the only photographically-illustrated Butchering Poultry page on the internet to learn how to butcher. The pictures there are of chickens, but the process is almost entirely applicable to turkeys, as well.
