Description of bronze turkeys and their cultivation at home

Bronze turkeys are broilers. Their peculiarity is dark shiny plumage with a metallic tint. Farmers value bronze turkeys for their high meat productivity and egg production. With a balanced diet, the average weight gain per month is 1.5-2 kilograms. There are two varieties that differ in their cultivation characteristics.

Origin of the breed

Bronze turkeys were first bred in the 20th century in the United States, which is why they are called American Broadbreasts. African and Norfolk turkeys were used in the selection. The breeders were faced with the task of developing a productive breed for industrial breeding. They succeeded: American bronze turkeys gain weight well, and the breed is characterized by high egg production. But only closed indoor keeping is suitable for birds.

Domestic breeders continued the work of their American colleagues and improved the breed. Bronze turkeys, adapted for growing on pasture, appeared in the North Caucasus. The largest and fastest-ripening hybrids of local and American bronze breeds took part in the selective selection.

Description of bronze turkeys

American broad-breasted turkeys distinguished by plumage:

• on the neck - a shiny bronze shade;
• on the back - a similar color, with a black transverse stripe at the end of each feather;
• on the chest - dark bronze;
• on the sides - black with a bronze tint;
• on the shoulders - with a greenish tint;
• wings - dark brown, with white and gray stripes across;
• the tail is black, with light stripes and edges.

The large and heavy body of bronze broad-breasted turkeys is supported by strong legs. The age of the birds is determined by the color of the paws: black for young birds, light flesh-colored, pink for mature, old birds. The unfeathered part of the head is covered with white coral growths. A long nasal growth hangs from the beak.

The plumage colors of North Caucasian turkeys have brighter bronze-green shades.The feathers on the body are shiny, and the tail is matte.

External differences of domestic turkeys also include:

• elongated body, expanding towards the sternum;
• less massive chest;
• red coral growths on the head.

What the American and North Caucasian breeds have in common in appearance are a wide, massive body and a small head, long wings and a fan-shaped tail. An interesting feature of the domestic variety is that the red growths turn blue when the birds are alarmed.

general characteristics

Bronze turkeys are a highly productive meat breed.

The rate of weight gain in varieties is shown in the following weight table:

Age	Weight in kilograms
	American	North Caucasian
3 months	4,4	4
4 months	6,6	5
9 months	11-20	8-18

Birds fattened at a poultry farm gain weight up to thirty kilograms. Turkeys on private farms rarely reach their maximum weight. Adult males outweigh females by 10 kilograms. Bronze turkeys lay 55-70 eggs per season. The survival rate of turkey poults is 70 percent. The fertilization rate of eggs is 90 percent. Females begin to lay eggs at nine months.

Main positive and negative aspects

Advantages of bronze breeds of turkeys:

• high meat productivity;
• good egg production;
• strong immunity;
• precocity;
• high survival rate of chicks;
• unpretentiousness in content.

Flaws:

• sensitivity to drafts and dampness;
• birds gain a lot of weight if they are fed properly;
• an unbalanced diet leads to deformed legs in chicks.

It is necessary to distinguish between American and North Caucasian turkeys, since the former cannot be kept on free grazing. Birds of the domestic variety gain less weight.The bronze broad-breasted turkey looks unpresentable after slaughter due to its black plumage.

Rules for keeping and caring for birds

Bronze turkeys of foreign and domestic varieties require approximately the same living conditions. The differences relate to the arrangement of the poultry house. American broad-breasted turkeys are kept without walking, so a ventilation system must be provided in the room.

Construction of premises

Optimal conditions in the poultry house:

• temperature +17 degrees and above;
• low humidity;
• natural and artificial lighting.

Successful cultivation at home depends on the correct calculation of the size of the room. When fattening, four three-month-old chicks or two adults are placed on one square meter. How to set up a poultry house:

• build walls from brick and insulate them from the inside with chipboard;
• carefully seal the cracks;
• lay self-leveling floor;
• install hoods and heating;
• equip nests for hens.

The floor of the poultry house is covered with a thick layer of peat, straw, hay or sawdust. The litter is loosened every day and changed every 10 days. Despite the heavy weight, Perches must be installed for turkeys. To make it convenient to remove droppings, pallets are placed under the perches. The length of daylight for high productivity of turkeys is 14 hours. Therefore, it is necessary to install lamps for additional illumination of the poultry house in winter.

Installation of feeders and drinkers

Stainless steel hopper feeders are used to feed bronze turkeys. They are hung in the center of the room so that all the birds can approach. Separate dishes are provided for dry and wet food. Uneaten remains are removed and the feeders are washed. Vacuum drinkers are installed for turkey poults, and for adult birds, cup-shaped.Nipple drinkers are considered the most hygienic.

Walking area

Birds kept indoors are provided with an exercise pen. From the room there is an exit to a fenced-in area in the fresh air. The land is sown with grass. Turkeys are allowed to roam for an hour a day. Containers with ash are also provided for birds to bathe in. In the summer, North Caucasian turkeys can be raised on pasture - during the day they can be released onto a lawn with field grasses, and in the evening they can be driven into the poultry house.

What to feed bronze turkeys?

Poultry farms practice intensive rearing using compound feed. The finished mixture contains cereals, vegetables, vitamins and stimulants, which ensure an optimal balance of substances in the body and rapid weight gain. When raising bronze turkeys for personal needs, breeders prepare their own feed mixture from cereals. Be sure to add fresh grass and vegetables to your diet. The main share is protein, which is found in grain concentrates. Birds get fiber and vitamins from plants and vegetables.

Wet food is prepared for turkey poults - grains and vegetables are mixed in meat or fish broth.

Feeding of young animals:

• 1-2 days - crushed boiled eggs, low-fat cottage cheese, fine oatmeal;
• 3-10 days - chopped clover and alfalfa, scalded nettles with boiling water;
• 11-30 days - crushed grain is added instead of eggs; start with two grams per individual and increase to thirty grams by one month of age.

In the second month of life, turkey poults are given 5 grams of cake per day. Grown-up chicks also like green onion feathers. Turkey poults drink half a liter of water a day. From the tenth day after birth, young animals are given a weak solution of manganese to drink twice a week to prevent intestinal diseases. Turkey poults and adult birds are fed three times a day, and laying hens four times.In the morning they give wet mixtures, and in the afternoon and evening - dry ones.

Diet of mature turkeys:

• barley;
• wheat;
• corn;
• sunflower meal;
• peas;
• boiled chopped vegetables - potatoes, carrots, beets;
• wheat bran;
• feed yeast;
• meat and bone meal;
• sprouted barley and oats.

Green fodder will replace silage in winter. Chalk and salt are given as mineral supplements. Bronze turkeys, like all poultry, require solid particles for digestion - fine gravel, crushed eggshells or shells.

Subtleties of breeding

In small farms, birds are kept together, with one male for every 15 females. In large poultry farms, chicks are raised together until the sixth week of life, and then sorted by sex. When kept together, older males start fights.

Medium-sized turkeys are chosen as breeders, since a male that is too heavy can crush the female. In poultry farms, insemination is carried out artificially. North Caucasian and American broad-breasted turkeys are bred within the breed. The productive period of breeding turkeys is 4 years. Bronze turkeys are distinguished by their early maturity. But with constant lighting, egg production occurs 1.5 months earlier. Females lay eggs 5-9 months a year. The weight of a turkey egg is 90-100 grams.

Turkeys incubate their own clutches and the laid eggs of ducks and chickens. The brooding instinct is best developed in two-year-old hens. The chicks hatch 28 days after the clutch is formed. It is difficult for newborn turkey poults to break through the shell. Therefore, you need to carefully break off the pieces at the chip site. The hatched chicks are placed next to the hen. Turkeys take care of their offspring for a month: they warm them, teach them to walk and get food.

Bird slaughter

Bronze turkeys are slaughtered at 4 months, and turkeys at 5-6 months. Further fattening and maintenance do not pay off. The readiness of birds for slaughter is also determined by body weight. The optimal weight is 12 kilograms. But they usually focus on age, since there is a possibility that the turkey will gain weight. Later, weight gain stops. Birds eat more food, but do not gain weight.

Diseases and their treatment

Bronze breeds of turkeys have strong immunity. But if the rules of hygiene in the poultry house are not followed, the diet is unbalanced and there are no vaccinations, the birds become vulnerable to infections.

Common diseases:

• tuberculosis - transmitted by blood-sucking insects, leads to the death of livestock, makes meat and eggs unsuitable for sale;
• mycoplasmosis - a fungal infection of the respiratory tract that develops in birds as a result of high humidity in the poultry house, feeding spoiled vegetables and grains, and is treated with antibiotics;
• smallpox is an incurable skin disease, transmitted from sick birds to healthy ones, and can completely destroy the livestock;
• coccidiosis is a bacterial infection transmitted through water, food and droppings;
• typhus - also transmitted from sick birds, treated with antibiotics at the initial stage;
• histomoniasis - transmitted to turkeys from chickens, geese when the birds come into contact or move into the poultry house without prior antiseptic treatment.

The most common disease that occurs in all types of poultry is a parasitic infection. Turkeys become infected with worms through water from ponds and grass from swampy areas.

As a result of improper feeding, turkeys develop vitamin deficiency and enteritis. Lack of fresh air and light indoors causes vitamin D deficiency.Therefore, even when kept indoors, birds should be allowed out for a short walk.

Without vitamin A, turkeys become weak and lose their feathers. To replenish the substance, you need to add carrots to your diet. To prevent vitamin deficiencies, ready-made mineral supplements - premixes - are added to the feed of chicks and adult birds.

Unhealthy birds experience the following symptoms:

• lack of appetite;
• diarrhea with green or red impurities;
• apathy;
• decreased egg production;
• temperature increase;
• mucous discharge from the nose, eyes;
• labored breathing.

Sick individuals are removed and a veterinarian is called. It is not recommended to treat birds yourself, as this can lead to an outbreak of a dangerous disease. Bacterial infections develop quickly and have similar symptoms. A veterinarian can accurately determine the disease. If typhoid, smallpox or tuberculosis is detected, it will be necessary to destroy the sick birds and keep the rest of the population in quarantine. To prevent infections, the walls of the poultry house are covered with slaked lime, and the dishes are treated with antibacterial agents once a month.