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Raising Show Turkeys - 4 Things You Need to Know Before You Start to Rear Show Turkeys

By Andrew Grey

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 28Feb2012 Word count: 484 Viewed: 97 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

Raising show turkeys can be a great business and a rewarding hobby. The only caveat is, it takes a lot more dedication than, say, raising turkeys for meat. In fact, before you even begin to seriously consider this, you need to make sure that you are up to this challenging task. Turkeys, especially those that are bred for competition, need to be cared for and fed regularly -- and for the rest of their lives. If you neglect this, your turkeys will fall behind in weight and size, and there won't be any catching up after that. In addition to these perpetual tasks, raising show turkeys is also a time-consuming activity, and one that requires great amount of patience and dedication.

Rearing turkeys basically involves four major phases, the first of which is setting up an environment that will promote their growth and health. It is important that you have the breeding space ready before the birds arrive, including all the equipment and facilities. Thy typical requirements of a conducive environment are ample space, sufficient ventilation, a controlled temperature, and safety and protection from birds' natural predators as well as the elements. At this point, it is important to remember that any change in the environment can put stress on the turkeys. As such, it is key that the environment and any changes to it be controlled.

The second phase is feeding the birds a diet that sufficiently supplies their nutritional requirements. The right nutrition allows the birds to achieve their full growth potential. Feeding is an area which would require some research. Before you start raising show turkeys, you should first familiarize yourself with the vitamins and nutrients that promote growth of muscle tissues and bones, those that improve the immune system, and those that provide energy for the birds' daily activities.

After you have set up the perfect environment for the birds and have figured out the right balance of feeds, the next thing you need to learn to do is how to choose the birds that are most likely to win. The typical criteria for judging show turkeys are weight, size and amount of breast meat. When selecting which birds to enter in competitions, look for those that are biggest and heaviest, and with the most concentration of muscles at the breast. Examine the birds for any defect, such as wounds, crooked legs or broken bones, as these are grounds for disqualification.

Finally, the last part of raising show turkeys is keeping records of them. Records allow you to keep track of the progress of your turkeys, and your previous decisions regarding each of them. Your records should also include notes about the facilities, such as temperature, humidity levels, weights, health and feed consumption.

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