2LearnMeleagris gallopavo
Turkey
The domestic turkey descends from the wild turkey of North America and was domesticated in Mesoamerica. It is kept mainly for meat, from fast-growing commercial strains to slower-growing heritage breeds. Heritage birds forage well and mate naturally, which…
Keeping
How it is kept
Kept for
- Meat
- Mature weight
- 5–16 kg
- Incubation
- 28 days
- Temperament
- Curious and sociable; toms can be pushy in the breeding season
- Forage
- Need a high-protein turkey feed, especially while young. They enjoy foraging on grass, seeds and insects as well.
- Housing
- Roomy, well-ventilated housing with high perches and secure fencing. Heritage breeds fly, so clip wings or cover the run.
- Good to know
- Young turkeys, called poults, are delicate for their first weeks and need warmth and a high-protein starter feed. Keep turkeys apart from chickens where blackhead disease is a problem, because chickens can carry it without falling ill. Commercial broad-breasted strains grow too heavy to breed naturally.
Breeds
Turkey breeds
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