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Raising Turkeys in Partial Confinement*
RAISING TURKEYS IN PARTIAL CONFINEMENT* F. D. BROOKS (Prom the Department of Poultry Husbandry Agricultural Experiment Station, Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana)
* Published with the approval of the Director of the Agricultural Experiment Station, Purdue University. 233
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at Northern Arizona University on June 1, 2015
(Received for PtibUcation 1-2-27) The number of turkeys on Indiana farms has shown a consistent decrease from 1890 to the present time. The census report of 1890 listed Indiana as having over five hundred thousand turkeys while the report of 1920 showed slightly more than one hundred thousand and the number is still diminishing. This situation applies to all but four of the north central states in the United States. The states of Kansas and Nebraska have shown an increase in the number of turkeys in the past decade, South Dakota has shown an increase since 1900 and North Dakota since 1890. Many Indiana farmers attempt to raise turkeys each year and the result is usually a keen disappointment. Successful turkey production would help many farmers, especially through the southern section of the state, in placing their farms on a more profitable basis. The decrease in the number of turkeys kept and the apparent certainty of failure in rearing turkeys has usually been caused by the high rate of mortality that may come at any time during the life of the bird. The cause of much of this mortality has been attributed to blackhead. In spite of the fact that much investigational work has been carried on to determine the cause of this disease, the life history of the organism, and methods of management to prevents its occurrence, there appears to be no satisfactory solution of the problem that the farmer can obtain and use on his farm to secure reasonable success in turkey production. The work with turkeys at this station is an attempt to meet the situation from the standpoint of Indiana farm conditions. The results from the work in 1922 and 1923 has convinced us that turkeys can be raised and that the turkey is a much more efficient producer of meat than the chicken. Although a satis-
POULTRY
234
SCIENCE
Ft.ocK
OF BouKno.v
R E D ΊΊ,ΚΚΚΥΒ
FIVE
MOKTIIS OF A O E OX R A N C H
U S E ] ) I S 1923 AT P U R D U E U.NivE]!srrY
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at Northern Arizona University on June 1, 2015
factory solution of the mortality problem, that will work under farm conditions, has not been found, progress has been made in this direction. Turkey work at the Purdue Experiment Station has been eonfined to the incubation of turkey egg's and the rearing of tur keys to market size under partial or absolute confinement of stock. Bourbon Red turkeys have been ijsed in these experiments. The eggs were obtained from, a prominent Indiana turkey producer. There had been no special attention paid to breeding of this stock and the management of the stock has been similar for all birds kept each year. The incubators used for hatching the eggs were operated at 101 degrees Farenheit the first three weeks and 102 degrees the fourth week, with the exception of one machine during 1923 which was operated at 99 and 100 degrees during the incuba tion period. Ail the poults hatched during 1922 and 1923 Avere placed in colony brooder houses when about sixty hours old and given their first feed. Each house has carried the usual equipment
RAISING
TURKEYS IN PARTIAL· CONFINEMENT
235
GRAIN
MASH
6 lbs. cracked yellow corn 2 lbs. wheat bran 4 lbs. cracked wheat 2 lbs. wheat middlings 2 lbs. steel cut oats Buttermilk, ground bone and oyster shell were available at all times. For the first ten days equal parts of hard boiled eggs and bread crumbs were fed two times each day. In addition to this equal parts of rolled oats and scratch grain were fed three times daily through the first three weeks. The grain was fed twice daily from the fourth to the sixteenth week after which it was available all the time. The grain mixture was changed after the tenth week to two pounds of cracked corn and one pound of wheat. The mash mixture carrying an equal amount of rolled oats was fed during the second week. This was left before the birds about two hours the first day and the length of time increased each day until the third week when it was available all the time. The rolled oats were discontinued after the third week. At the beginning of the nineteenth week the mash was changed to the following mixtrire : 100 lbs. ground yellow corn 100 lbs. wheat middlings 100 lbs. wheat bran 100 lbs. meat scrap On account of a very high mortality during the first three weeks, and slower growth for the first twelve weeks during 1923 several shifts were made in the ration and method of feeding so that no definite suggestions can be made on the eiïect of ration or method of feeding for that period. After the twelfth week,
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at Northern Arizona University on June 1, 2015
used for brooding· cbicks. The range used was part of an old apple orchard with a good blue grass sod on which no chickens had been reared at any previous time. The range was divided into four yards and the house was located at the intersection of these yards to avoid the necessity of frequent moving. The turkeys were shifted from one yard to another every week or ten days. The entire range did not include over an acre of land. The method of feeding and the ration were very similar to that used for chicks and was as follows :
236
POULTRY
SCIENCE
one feeding of mash moistened with milk each day was Ihe only variation from the practise used in 1922, THE NOMUER OF TURKEYS AT BACH PERIOD DURING THE BXPEKIMENTI
Age 0/ Stock
Number of Turkeys 1922 1923 66 64
99 51
8
"
64
46
12 16 20 24 26 28
" " " " " "
60 12 12 12 12 12
44 36 28 28 25
— _,.—
D u r i n g the season of 1922 four of t h e six turkeys which died in the first twelve weeks showed positive lesions of blackhead. The loss between twelve a n d sixteen weeks was caused by dogs killing forty-eight t u r k e y s . I n 1923 the heaviest mortality occurred d u r i n g the first three weeks and no specific cause of death could be found. I t is possible t h a t a p a r t of this mortality was caused by the incubation t e m p e r a t u r e experiment in this year. The incubator operated at 99 a n d 100 degrees gave a 42 per cent hatch while the one operated at 101 a n d 102 degrees gave a 64 p e r cent hatch. The poults from each machine looked to be of the same quality when placed in the brooder house. Ten of. the turkeys which died between twelve a n d twenty weeks of age carried blackhead lesions. Since blackhead occurred in the flocks each year, a n d is present again this y e a r u n d e r better controlled conditions, it is doubtful whether this disease can be satisfactorily controlled on the farm by retsricting the range a n d isolation of the turkeys from the farm flock of poultry. I t is hoped t h a t the work being done by some states, in breeding from disease free stock or on nutritional requirements will offer help in solving this problem. I t is recognized t h a t clean soil, clean feed, a n d clean house equipment will be an i m p o r t a n t factor in any successful management practice t h a t is finally developed. T h a t fact t h a t few birds died from blackhead in each of these
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at Northern Arizona University on June 1, 2015
Start 4 weeks
RAISING
TURKEYS
IN PARTIAL
CONFINEMENT
237
years gives evidence that factors other than blackhead need investigating to meet this problem. TAULE
Π
T H E R A T E S OF GBOWTH AND P O U N D S OF F E E D
(GRAIN AND M A S H )
CONSUMED P E R T U R K E Y I
Age of
Stock
Start _— 4 weeks 12 16 20 24 26 28
1922 .13 .62 1.65 3.16 4.61 7.30 9.62 -11.83
1923 .12 .34 1.21 2.89 5.12 8.10 11.07 12.4
A v e r a s e lbs. feed consumed at age listed 1922 1923 .43 1.33 2.88 7.14 16.07 27.99 41.45
Average lbs. of feed per lb. of turkey· 1922 1923
__
--
.57 2.37 6.04 11.43 21.82 34.39 41.54
.69 .80 .91 1.54 2.20 2.90
1.68 1.96 2.09 2.23 2.69 3.11 3.35
3.51
The results in table II show positively that the turkey which lives, is very efficient in the production of meat when com pared with other animals for which figures are available. This data shows approximately one-half the feed requirement of chickens at six or seven months of age for each pound of fowl. Data from the Storrs^ and Purdue Experiment Stations'* on feed requirements for growing Plymouth Rocks and Rhode Is land Red chicks shows a variation from 51/^ to 6 pounds of feed for each pound of fowl at six months of age. The average weight of the turkeys at each weighing period shows considerable variation for the two years. Observations on the flock showed that whenever a period of high mortality occurred, due to factors other than accident, the whole flock was apparently out of condition which affected the rate of growth and also the feed consumed. The weight of the turkeys at the end of the experiment in both years showed a variation from eight to over seventeen pounds. In most instances the females ranged from eight to thirteen pounds and the males from twelve to over seventeen pounds. The gain in weight for each period shows a close relationship to the total feed consumed
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at Northern Arizona University on June 1, 2015
Average lbs. per t u r k e y
238
POULTRY
SCIENCE
BIBLIOGRAPHY 1 Thesis of W. H. Cravens—1925 P u r d u e University. - Storrs A g r i c u l t u r a l E p e r i m e n t Station Bulletin No. 96 " R e a r i n g Chicks." 3 P u r d u e Agricultural E x p e r i m e n t Station Bulletin No. 214 "Cost of Raising W h i t e P l y m o u t h Rocks."
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at Northern Arizona University on June 1, 2015
for that period in both years. The wide variation in weight at the same period in different years is reflected also in average feed consumed by each turkey. The data this season where two different rations are being used show variations in weight similar to those given in table II. The feed consumed to date by the turkeys reared in confinement this season is decidedly more for the first ten weeks than that of 1922 and 1923 which points out the fact that a large proportion of the feed may come from the range on Avhich the turkey is reared even though the birds are confined to a small range. Due to the present demands of the market for roasting sized birds the figure of three and one-half pounds of feed for each pound of turkey at six to seven months of age has the most value. It is hoped that more work will be done in the near future by many stations on this subject of turkey production which may make possible turkey production on many instead of few farms in the United States. The results for the season of 1926 will be available in the near future. Since the stock this year is closely confined and being fed an all-mash ration with weights of feed and individual turkeys kept in weekly periods it is felt that this work will give us more definite information on which to base conclusions than we have had previous to this time. Acknowledgments for assistance in this work are due Members of the Veterinary Department who made post-mortem examination of the dead birds.
* Published with the approval of the Director of the Agricultural Experiment Station, Purdue University. 233
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at Northern Arizona University on June 1, 2015
(Received for PtibUcation 1-2-27) The number of turkeys on Indiana farms has shown a consistent decrease from 1890 to the present time. The census report of 1890 listed Indiana as having over five hundred thousand turkeys while the report of 1920 showed slightly more than one hundred thousand and the number is still diminishing. This situation applies to all but four of the north central states in the United States. The states of Kansas and Nebraska have shown an increase in the number of turkeys in the past decade, South Dakota has shown an increase since 1900 and North Dakota since 1890. Many Indiana farmers attempt to raise turkeys each year and the result is usually a keen disappointment. Successful turkey production would help many farmers, especially through the southern section of the state, in placing their farms on a more profitable basis. The decrease in the number of turkeys kept and the apparent certainty of failure in rearing turkeys has usually been caused by the high rate of mortality that may come at any time during the life of the bird. The cause of much of this mortality has been attributed to blackhead. In spite of the fact that much investigational work has been carried on to determine the cause of this disease, the life history of the organism, and methods of management to prevents its occurrence, there appears to be no satisfactory solution of the problem that the farmer can obtain and use on his farm to secure reasonable success in turkey production. The work with turkeys at this station is an attempt to meet the situation from the standpoint of Indiana farm conditions. The results from the work in 1922 and 1923 has convinced us that turkeys can be raised and that the turkey is a much more efficient producer of meat than the chicken. Although a satis-
POULTRY
234
SCIENCE
Ft.ocK
OF BouKno.v
R E D ΊΊ,ΚΚΚΥΒ
FIVE
MOKTIIS OF A O E OX R A N C H
U S E ] ) I S 1923 AT P U R D U E U.NivE]!srrY
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at Northern Arizona University on June 1, 2015
factory solution of the mortality problem, that will work under farm conditions, has not been found, progress has been made in this direction. Turkey work at the Purdue Experiment Station has been eonfined to the incubation of turkey egg's and the rearing of tur keys to market size under partial or absolute confinement of stock. Bourbon Red turkeys have been ijsed in these experiments. The eggs were obtained from, a prominent Indiana turkey producer. There had been no special attention paid to breeding of this stock and the management of the stock has been similar for all birds kept each year. The incubators used for hatching the eggs were operated at 101 degrees Farenheit the first three weeks and 102 degrees the fourth week, with the exception of one machine during 1923 which was operated at 99 and 100 degrees during the incuba tion period. Ail the poults hatched during 1922 and 1923 Avere placed in colony brooder houses when about sixty hours old and given their first feed. Each house has carried the usual equipment
RAISING
TURKEYS IN PARTIAL· CONFINEMENT
235
GRAIN
MASH
6 lbs. cracked yellow corn 2 lbs. wheat bran 4 lbs. cracked wheat 2 lbs. wheat middlings 2 lbs. steel cut oats Buttermilk, ground bone and oyster shell were available at all times. For the first ten days equal parts of hard boiled eggs and bread crumbs were fed two times each day. In addition to this equal parts of rolled oats and scratch grain were fed three times daily through the first three weeks. The grain was fed twice daily from the fourth to the sixteenth week after which it was available all the time. The grain mixture was changed after the tenth week to two pounds of cracked corn and one pound of wheat. The mash mixture carrying an equal amount of rolled oats was fed during the second week. This was left before the birds about two hours the first day and the length of time increased each day until the third week when it was available all the time. The rolled oats were discontinued after the third week. At the beginning of the nineteenth week the mash was changed to the following mixtrire : 100 lbs. ground yellow corn 100 lbs. wheat middlings 100 lbs. wheat bran 100 lbs. meat scrap On account of a very high mortality during the first three weeks, and slower growth for the first twelve weeks during 1923 several shifts were made in the ration and method of feeding so that no definite suggestions can be made on the eiïect of ration or method of feeding for that period. After the twelfth week,
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at Northern Arizona University on June 1, 2015
used for brooding· cbicks. The range used was part of an old apple orchard with a good blue grass sod on which no chickens had been reared at any previous time. The range was divided into four yards and the house was located at the intersection of these yards to avoid the necessity of frequent moving. The turkeys were shifted from one yard to another every week or ten days. The entire range did not include over an acre of land. The method of feeding and the ration were very similar to that used for chicks and was as follows :
236
POULTRY
SCIENCE
one feeding of mash moistened with milk each day was Ihe only variation from the practise used in 1922, THE NOMUER OF TURKEYS AT BACH PERIOD DURING THE BXPEKIMENTI
Age 0/ Stock
Number of Turkeys 1922 1923 66 64
99 51
8
"
64
46
12 16 20 24 26 28
" " " " " "
60 12 12 12 12 12
44 36 28 28 25
— _,.—
D u r i n g the season of 1922 four of t h e six turkeys which died in the first twelve weeks showed positive lesions of blackhead. The loss between twelve a n d sixteen weeks was caused by dogs killing forty-eight t u r k e y s . I n 1923 the heaviest mortality occurred d u r i n g the first three weeks and no specific cause of death could be found. I t is possible t h a t a p a r t of this mortality was caused by the incubation t e m p e r a t u r e experiment in this year. The incubator operated at 99 a n d 100 degrees gave a 42 per cent hatch while the one operated at 101 a n d 102 degrees gave a 64 p e r cent hatch. The poults from each machine looked to be of the same quality when placed in the brooder house. Ten of. the turkeys which died between twelve a n d twenty weeks of age carried blackhead lesions. Since blackhead occurred in the flocks each year, a n d is present again this y e a r u n d e r better controlled conditions, it is doubtful whether this disease can be satisfactorily controlled on the farm by retsricting the range a n d isolation of the turkeys from the farm flock of poultry. I t is hoped t h a t the work being done by some states, in breeding from disease free stock or on nutritional requirements will offer help in solving this problem. I t is recognized t h a t clean soil, clean feed, a n d clean house equipment will be an i m p o r t a n t factor in any successful management practice t h a t is finally developed. T h a t fact t h a t few birds died from blackhead in each of these
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at Northern Arizona University on June 1, 2015
Start 4 weeks
RAISING
TURKEYS
IN PARTIAL
CONFINEMENT
237
years gives evidence that factors other than blackhead need investigating to meet this problem. TAULE
Π
T H E R A T E S OF GBOWTH AND P O U N D S OF F E E D
(GRAIN AND M A S H )
CONSUMED P E R T U R K E Y I
Age of
Stock
Start _— 4 weeks 12 16 20 24 26 28
1922 .13 .62 1.65 3.16 4.61 7.30 9.62 -11.83
1923 .12 .34 1.21 2.89 5.12 8.10 11.07 12.4
A v e r a s e lbs. feed consumed at age listed 1922 1923 .43 1.33 2.88 7.14 16.07 27.99 41.45
Average lbs. of feed per lb. of turkey· 1922 1923
__
--
.57 2.37 6.04 11.43 21.82 34.39 41.54
.69 .80 .91 1.54 2.20 2.90
1.68 1.96 2.09 2.23 2.69 3.11 3.35
3.51
The results in table II show positively that the turkey which lives, is very efficient in the production of meat when com pared with other animals for which figures are available. This data shows approximately one-half the feed requirement of chickens at six or seven months of age for each pound of fowl. Data from the Storrs^ and Purdue Experiment Stations'* on feed requirements for growing Plymouth Rocks and Rhode Is land Red chicks shows a variation from 51/^ to 6 pounds of feed for each pound of fowl at six months of age. The average weight of the turkeys at each weighing period shows considerable variation for the two years. Observations on the flock showed that whenever a period of high mortality occurred, due to factors other than accident, the whole flock was apparently out of condition which affected the rate of growth and also the feed consumed. The weight of the turkeys at the end of the experiment in both years showed a variation from eight to over seventeen pounds. In most instances the females ranged from eight to thirteen pounds and the males from twelve to over seventeen pounds. The gain in weight for each period shows a close relationship to the total feed consumed
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at Northern Arizona University on June 1, 2015
Average lbs. per t u r k e y
238
POULTRY
SCIENCE
BIBLIOGRAPHY 1 Thesis of W. H. Cravens—1925 P u r d u e University. - Storrs A g r i c u l t u r a l E p e r i m e n t Station Bulletin No. 96 " R e a r i n g Chicks." 3 P u r d u e Agricultural E x p e r i m e n t Station Bulletin No. 214 "Cost of Raising W h i t e P l y m o u t h Rocks."
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at Northern Arizona University on June 1, 2015
for that period in both years. The wide variation in weight at the same period in different years is reflected also in average feed consumed by each turkey. The data this season where two different rations are being used show variations in weight similar to those given in table II. The feed consumed to date by the turkeys reared in confinement this season is decidedly more for the first ten weeks than that of 1922 and 1923 which points out the fact that a large proportion of the feed may come from the range on Avhich the turkey is reared even though the birds are confined to a small range. Due to the present demands of the market for roasting sized birds the figure of three and one-half pounds of feed for each pound of turkey at six to seven months of age has the most value. It is hoped that more work will be done in the near future by many stations on this subject of turkey production which may make possible turkey production on many instead of few farms in the United States. The results for the season of 1926 will be available in the near future. Since the stock this year is closely confined and being fed an all-mash ration with weights of feed and individual turkeys kept in weekly periods it is felt that this work will give us more definite information on which to base conclusions than we have had previous to this time. Acknowledgments for assistance in this work are due Members of the Veterinary Department who made post-mortem examination of the dead birds.