How To Raise Baby Turkeys - Essential Considerations Before You Operate Any Livestock At Home

After reading this, you will have more
information on how to raise baby turkeys. If you
have a space to spare, it is a wise to raise baby
turkeys indoors. An ideal turkey house
plans would be about six square feet of
floor space per turkey. Doing so will give
you fewer problems with bad weather and
predators. A spare room in your barn or even a
garage will be fine.

Another option is to let the turkeys roam free
in a fenced-in yard after about the second month
of age. Though this is a risky option since some
turkeys may fly over the fence or some animals
might break in and attack your turkeys. You can
order baby turkeys from an instate hatchery. The
less distance and time involved during the baby
turkeys' transport, the better their condition
will be upon their arrival.

If you plan to raise 10 or more baby turkeys,
you need to buy a 100-pound bag of turkey
starter containing medication that prevents
coccidiosis, which is a common intestinal
disease. Turkeys would immediately develop
immunity to coccidiosis while feeding on
medicated starter feed. They also need a warm
temperature of 100°F; you can drop the
temperature to 5° each week. It is best that
you keep a thermometer for the first two to three
weeks. They may need heat up to six weeks of age.

If you plan to raise baby turkeys, a red
infrared heat lamp is ideal. You can mount it in
a porcelain socket that is attached to an
extension cord, and then hung by a chain. The
bulb should be suspended at least 18" above.You
might need to set some time to spend with them
for the first hour since you have to make sure
that the young birds find the feed and the
water. Make sure not to leave open pails or
boxes on the floor. It is hard to raise baby
turkeys because they tend to be very curious and
might jump into such a container. There should
only be the feed, water, and the heat in the
room.

Baby turkeys are known to start picking on each
other resulting to bleeding, even death. To
prevent this, you can cut off one-half of their
upper beak at 10 days of age. When the turkeys
are about six to eight weeks of age, start using
turkey growing ration containing medication
against blackhead disease.

One final note, you might want to consult local
zoning and building ordinances before even
beginning to operate any household livestock.
You also have to consider its impact on your
neighbors.

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If you think you still require guidance on how to
raise baby turkeys, consulting existing turkey
owners and farmers will certainly be a big help.
If you would like to learn more about raising
turkeys correctly, just go to:
http://www.howtoraiseturkeys.com

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