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We hear a lot about inheritance breed stock these days . In fact , squatter , like you and me , are a big part of why the preservation of “ at risk ” breed has become a focusing of dwelling house intellectual nourishment production . We are the the great unwashed who really empathize the importance of preserving genetic diversity in our flocks and herd !
Even though non - commercial type livestock take longer to mature , often require more feed , and are not unremarkably well - suited for confinement , there are a flock of enceinte reasons to focus on heritage breed stock .
Why Heritage Breeds Matter
First off , it taste better . Whether it be the ballock , meat , or milk of a heritage breed animate being , the merchandise we harvest take longer to develop and are therefore more flavorful and nutrient - rich than products rushed for commercial production .
Second , if we need to keep our agricultural account , some of us must choose to raise slower - produce , by nature - reproduce , more untamed - same kinds of farm animal . If we do n’t , they will become out like 50 % of the livestock breeds that have already gone nonextant in Europe and 30 % that have disappeared in the US .
eventually , after watching other friends produce commercial-grade - type livestock , I ca n’t imagine myself doing it that way . I understand the lure of fast - fattening domestic fowl that hold out to wipe out and are easy to overcharge .
Still , for me , I do n’t want to farm like an industrial farmer . I want to evoke livestock on pasture and enjoy some of their wildlife antic . In other words , I want to farm like my grandma and generations before hers did . For that , you need inheritance breeds , not commercial - eccentric breeds .
Raising Heritage Breed Turkeys
Now , trueness be told , it is pretty leisurely to raise heritage stock chickens for a reasonable monetary value . Their small size and easy caution requirement make them a great place to start your journey with heritage strain livestock . But if you are quick for something a minute more intriguing than chickens , then recollect about heritage breed turkeys .
Like all inheritance breed beast , heritage turkeys have long history that pre - date the industrial food for thought systems that prevail our food provision today . With the industrialization of poultry practices and the predilection for white - feather , large breasted roaster - case turkeys , there was a point not too long ago when only 1500 heritage breed turkey were exit in the US .
Thanks to organizations likeThe Livestock Conservancy , Slow Food USA , the Society for the Preservation of Poultry Antiquities , and the Heritage Turkey Foundation word got out about the risk of losing our turkey breeds to defunctness . diminished farmers and backyard flock keepers rebound to save the heritage stock turkeys . Also , consumers connect in by spend up to $ 200 per Republic of Turkey to support the farmers raising these strain .
As a result of those efforts , theBourbon Redand Standard Bronze strain have been downgrade to being on “ watch . ” The Narragansett , Black , and Royal Palm are “ threaten ” but no longer critical . However , the Beltsville Small White , Jersey Buff , Midget White , Slate , and White Holland turkey breeds are still considered “ critical ” and in need of urgent preservation .
If you want to link up the efforts to carry on our inheritance breed turkeys , set about by prefer one of those breeds mentioned above . Then , keep in mind the following information as you plan their care .
Heritage Breed Turkeys are Half Wild
The thing that make a heritage breed turkey “ inheritance ” is that they still retain many of the natural behaviors of their barbarian ancestors . For example , inheritance breed turkeys still follow the seasonal pattern relating to mating .
1. Seasonal Laying and Broody Behavior
Heritage breed turkey biddy still put down egg mainly during pairing season which run February to August ( depending on clime condition ) . The hens also have a strong desire to set nest . So , they tend to lay eggs in confidential location to protect them from predators or turkey keepers who want to slip their eggs .
Once the biddy has a clasp of 4 – 18 ballock , she is likely to maintain her future baby from thievery or terms voraciously . In other Son , even if you are besties with your breeding turkey biddy before she function broody , apply cautiousness once she starts to set !
2. Male Dominance
On the male side of things , tom in full union glory expend a significant amount of their lives showing off their gallant feather and doing conflict to prove a pecking order between males . The dominant male person get first pick of the ma’am . Others fall into line of credit .
If your toms view you part of their flock , then they will either distinguish with you as male or distaff . This does n’t count what sex you in reality are . They make those decisions free-base on how they perceive your behavior .
If they consider you to be a male person , they may deal you like a threat to their pecking order and fight with you when you do anything they read as aggressive . If they see you as a female , they may try out to couple with you .
Ideally , your matured tom turkeys will see you as something other than part of their flock . In that showcase , they may show off their feather , but not taste to mate you or campaign you .
There are no clear guidelines on how to keep turkeys from identifying with you as part of your flock . broadly though , keeping clear lines between you and tom will help . Avoid squatting around your tom turkey . Also , sample not to wear or convey target that are bright blasphemous or blood-red , standardized to the coloring material showing on a matured tom ’s head .
3. Wide Ranging
Heritage stock turkey , like their wild relation , have a natural tendency to cover large areas when foraging . If they are not confined , they can even compensate miles like their wild counterparts and become lost to the wild .
When call forth inheritance breed turkeys on pasture , you will need to useelectricorother fencingto limit their foraging range . You most belike will also need to dress one of their wing to see to it that they do n’t take a short flight over whatever fence you install .
4. Confinement Considerations
Heritage breed turkeys demand redundant care when you confine them , whether in the brooder or when using a pen for matte and stew using a bomb hen .
These birds have very raw lung and are prone to respiratory problems in confined spaces . In particular , turkeys are sensitive to ammonia levels lower than our human nose can comprehend . They are also extremely susceptible to mycotoxins relate with mold that might maturate in hay or wet grain or provender .
– Clean Often
Rather than rely on your perceptions about when to cleanse Republic of Turkey area , proactive cleansing is advised . change litter often and using more absorptive modeling - bottle up textile like pine shavings can help .
– practice a Fan
In shut in areas , hanging a box fan over the brooder region so that it draws moist , ammonia - occupy airoutof the incubator can also palliate risks . Do not let the lover go down on into the incubator , though , as Republic of Turkey poults are also sensitive to temperature changes from draft .
– Open Air Coops
For older turkeys , using capable - air cage with overhead protection and keeping the floors pass over with fresh litter will reduce peril .
– Roost Relief
Give turkey roost barroom that are 24 - 30 inches off the ground for nighttime exercise . This direction they ’ll have some distance between their fresh droppings and their lungs when they are stationary at night .
5. Protect the Weak
Heritage breed bomb still hold many of their natural selection skills include the instinct that tells them to pop any weak member of their mickle . To our human ways of thinking , it can be gruesome to see how quickly turkeys will grow on an offend heap mate .
The toms will swoop and start a cognitive process that looks like they are trying to mate a wounded Republic of Turkey to decease . Even turkey poults have this instinct . This is why you may sometimes bump turkey poults that bet they have been tread down to destruction in your brooder . Their brooder mates do in fact pick , muckle , and trample weak members to death as part of their natural behavior .
Bad as this seems though , since rickety turkeys are more probable to pull out piranha , it does make sense in a natural scene . However , on our homestead , to forestall this kind of doings we need to divide any watery or injured turkey from the flock until they are levelheaded again .
6. His and Her Flocks
Although males and females can all be part of the same flock , logistically the females be given to aggroup together , and the males tend to chemical group . They generally only mix when it ’s time to couple . This kind of sequestration becomes most pronounced when dud are sexually mature .
In my experience though , the naval division of the sex activity get down as early on as a few solar day old if poults are given enough room to express preferences . The males tend to be eager to flee the hencoop while the female incline to group in corners . Also , males size up much quicker and can be a danger to small female person in close lying-in .
As much as potential , give your bomb extra elbow room to express their instinctive desire to segregate into male and distaff sub - flocks to facilitate concordance . disjoined male and female raising out areas are even honest .
7. Ideal Immune Development
In addition to “ his and her flocks ” groundless bomb hen will sequestrate themselves from their female flock to set their nest and stew their young . by and large , turkey biddy will elicit their poults away from the quietus of the deal until they are about 14 weeks honest-to-god . At that point , they ’ll fall in up with the rest of the turkey stack for consolidation into the larger quite a little that band together for winter survival .
This isolation behavior is one of nature ’s way of permit young poults time to develop a work immune system before they are expose to declamatory quantities of other turkeys ’ droppings that may contain pathogen such as blackhead or coccidiosis . It also allows turkeys time to sizing - up and practice establishing turkey hierarchy with their sibling before they meet to the full mature birds .
Like their unfounded congenator , inheritance breed turkeys also have similar immune development times . They too require similar amount of money of isolation from other joker populations for their good health and safety . On small homesteads , it might not be possible to allow 14 week of detachment , so 8 - 12 weeks is the general good word .
Ideally , turkeys under four weeks of age should not be placed on pastureland that has been dwell by other turkeys unless the pasture has been vacant for at least 21 day . This is the period necessary to scale down pathogen risk of infection for young turkeys with developing immune systems .
8. Built to Forage
The commercial - type turkey like the broad - breasted fatten so quickly that it ’s difficult for them to do much scrounge for food for thought . Heritage strain turkeys though , gain free weight slowly because they are very dynamic fowl .
They are plan by nature ( and selected by their diachronic breeders ) to drop a meaning amount of their rouse hour finding food . They are susceptible to develop specific ailments like perosis if not allow access to rude sunlight and action on non - slip flooring from a untested years on .
As such , you will get importantly more flock behavioral trouble with your heritage breed turkeys if you do n’t permit them forage some of their food . I ’ve had the better solution with turkeys when I give them admittance to pastureandscatter some of their mellow protein source in the pasturage for them to “ scrounge . ”
Even if you ca n’t give them as much orbit as they would care , keep them busybodied by let them forage the solid food you supply can promote better flock dynamics on a humble homestead .
Heritage Breeds are Half Domesticated
Although inheritance turkeys keep many of their wild antecedent conduct , they do also have a few domesticated qualities that impact how you ’ll want to raise them .
9. Supplement Feed Required
Heritage stock turkeys have the power to grow larger than their hazardous kin . However , they still involve the same passing high-pitched protein feed quality that their wild ancestor ate .
Most of us ca n’t give turkeys enough statute mile to wander to feel sufficient protein , especially given the increased calorie requirement for their enhanced sizing . So , supplemental feedis a must .
Protein levels of 28 - 30 % are respectable . Estimates on how much feed you need per razzing range from about 3 pound to 6 Irish punt for every pound of meat to get shuttle to processing size .
I feast free choice rather than ostentate eating for heritage turkeys . They tend to eat small total many times a twenty-four hours by innate habit . So , I assume letting them do as they would in nature is better than pull them to gorge at set eating times .
10. Predator Prone
Since inheritance breeds maturate gravid than raving mad turkeys , their power to fly is also limited by their size . ripe wild turkey can easy fly 25 - 30 feet to head for the hills predators . Mature inheritance breed toms , on the other hand , can often only fly a few feet . They tend to run to escape predator and unfortunately are not very fast .
small heritage breed female often do hold back the ability to fly for most of their raising out period . However , unless you offer pasture with branches they can use to escape , their flight abilities are not sufficient to escape fast predator .
This means our inheritance breed Republic of Turkey are a set more prostrate to predation than tempestuous Meleagris gallopavo would be . Generally , for best results , turkeys involve 360 - degree protection at night and localisation appropriate protection during the day .
If you have pregnant marauder pressure by day , then you ’ll need a fenced perimeter and overhead shelter for your turkeys . If you have promiscuous predator pressure , then perimeter fencing and tax shelter from the elements like rain and sunshine might be sufficient .
Processing Preparations
Since most people produce inheritance breed turkeys as a meat reservoir , there are a few things you need to sleep together for processing .
11. One Size Does Not Fit All
Heritage breed toms have very mystifying chest of drawers cavities . They also have a marked breast bone . It can make publicity whole turkeys complicate . Females also have more elongate shape than your wide breasted commercial turkeys .
As such , “ bomb ” sized domestic fowl processing bags may not play for all your heritage stock turkey . Keep some butcher paper on handwriting in casing you have to go old school and wrap your carcase . Or , take bagging nitty-gritty cut separately .
This also holds straight for your killing cone . Not all toms will fit nicely into your turgid - sized kill cone . you could reduce the corner out of a 50 - pound feed bag and apply that to hang your larger tom or use a chopping block and decapitate your turkey . Or , tie their leg in a hang roach .
12. Hard to Kill
Most processor do n’t wish to talk about the times when thing did n’t go right . aboveboard , with ducks and chickens , it ’s pretty easy to do it right . So , there ’s often not a batch to mouth about .
With turkey , particularly heritage turkey cock raised for 16 - 20 week tend to have leathery neck . Even with a penetrating knife , it can be tricky to get a estimable hemorrhage snub from a hang position .
So , I acknowledge lots of processors who have stories about heritage breed turkey kills going wrong . I have a few less than savory story of my own . Based on experience , my preferred fashion to kill a turkey is to decollate using a chopping block and a acute ax .
Also , heritage breed turkeys are extremely dynamic with tight , strong muscle . They can be a scrap more difficult to subdue and process than a chicken . So , if I can get someone to assist me , it ’s much well-heeled to have one person hold up and the other chopper .
Those syndicate storey of grandma doing it on her own are certainly true . But Grandma was n’t feeding her inheritance breed turkeys 30 % protein provender for optimal return on meat increase . Her Republic of Turkey was smaller with less well - originate muscles than a well - raised forward-looking inheritance cover turkey . In my opinion , there ’s no shame in an supernumerary set of hands for processing if it makes it less stressful for you and your bomb .
Conclusion
inheritance breeds do necessitate some surplus thought and planning to raise them well . Yet , they are so much more merriment to raise , rewarding to learn from , and good on our homesteads . Even if it costs a bit more , and takes a while longer to get to processing weight , raising heritage breed turkeys is a imposing activity for well - prepared nester .
If turkey are on your horizon , consider raise some of the breeds that settle into the threatened or critical status and help oneself put them into the watch category like Bourbon Reds and Narragansett .
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