With rapid growth of commercial chicken farming in the Philippines, turkey farming seems to be a forgotten backyard farming industry for many families in the country.
Yet turkeys have always played an important part in the Filipino agricultural economy. They have been raised in the country primarily for their meat since the mid 16th century with the arrival of the Spanish. The native turkey was brought into the Philippines with the arrival of the Spanish colonizers into the country from Mexico. The name “turkey” is derived from the fact that the birds resembled a Turk wearing a fez.
The “native” turkey was farmed in small scale. The turkey variety that eventually took root in the Philippines is the Broad Breasted Bronze turkey that was introduced into the country from the US during the American occupation. The Broad Breasted Bronze turkey is characterized by short legs and a deep and broad body. The bird will weigh on average 8 to 10 kg. It is generally difficult to raise and the bird is easily affected by sinusitis. The Broad Breasted Bronze turkey also lays fewer eggs, is less fertile and less hatchable than other turkey varieties.
The Broad Breasted White turkey is a commercial turkey strain that is also non-standardized so it is not a breed. The bird is mainly used in commercial meat production.
Another turkey breed that is grown in the Philippines and which is recognized by the American Poultry Association is the Beltsville Small White Turkey. This is a hybrid turkey that was created by the USDA at Beltsville in Madison. This breed of turkey was once quite popular but today it is mostly grown as a heritage bird breed.
The Beltsville Small White Turkey was brought into the Philippines in 1955 by the Bureau of Animal Industry. This bird does incredibly well in the local conditions in the Philippines. It is slightly small and weighs less than the Bronze turkey. The main advantage that the Beltsville Small White Turkey offers is that is very prolific and is generally very easy to raise in the Philippines.
The bird matures at the age 7 to 8 months and weighs between 7 and 8kg when mature and ready for consumption. Because it is generally a small bird, it is sufficient to feed a small family of between 6 and 8 people.
The native Philippine turkey that was introduced into the country in the mid 16th century is much smaller than the imported turkey breeds that came from the US but the bird is sturdier and also more prolific. It also has very good resistance to diseases and grows best under free range conditions where it forages on the grass, grains, legumes and weeds.
When you breed a native female Philippine turkey with a purebred male, the resulting offspring generally has superior characteristics: it will be larger and heavier than the native Philippine turkey and will lay more eggs.
The hybrid turkey will also mature earlier than the native Philippine turkey and can be sold earlier for meat.
The selection of the right turkey to raise should be based on factors such as the rate of fertility, livability, hatchability, good health as well as the early maturity of the birds. A healthy turkey should have glossy plumage and a bright red face.
The male turkeys (toms) show masculinity through constant attention to the females, an aggressive behavior towards other male turkeys, frequent mating behavior as well as early sexual and physical maturity.
For large breeds, a single male turkey should be mated with on average 8 to 10 females. However, for small breeds of turkey, a single male turkey should be mated with between 12 and 15 female turkeys. For large turkey flock matings, you can get great fertility when you supply 8 males for a flock of 100 female turkeys.
The male turkeys generally have sharp and hard claws and these will cut into the back of the turkey hens. To protect the backs and sides of the female turkeys, you can cut and file the claws of the male turkeys or you can simply provide the female turkeys with canvass saddles that help protect them from the sharp claws.
Young turkey hens will lay 40 eggs per year on average. The turkey eggs are pointed on one end and are also spotted. Every turkey egg weighs 90grams on average.
The eggs that will be used for hatching purposes should be stored in a cool and dry place in readiness for the incubation.
The wings of the breeding toms should be clipped in order to prevent them from flying. Clipping their wings will also prevent the toms balancing when they are mating which is likely to result in poor fertility.
Turkeys generally like to roost out in the open. However, you can provide a shade in the roosting area so as to protect them from the rains. Put the roots in the yard or even below large trees so as to provide them with a shade.
Turkey Eggs
The turkey eggs have an incubation period of 28 days and the incubation mechanism is the same as that of the chicken eggs. If you are hatching the turkey eggs using ventilated incubators, maintain the temperatures at between 37.22 to 37.78 degrees Celsius.
Backyard Turkey Farming
A big advantage of backyard turkey farming is that you are able to guarantee the quality of the turkey meat. Backyard turkey farming is also considerably cheaper so you will save a lot of money in the process while assuring your family of a constant supply of fresh proteins from sliced turkey, smoked turkey or ground turkey. For the holidays, you can take the whole turkey.
Healthy Turkey Meat
Turkey is a good source of abundant meat proteins and the turkey meat is generally regarded as much healthier than and cost effective than beef. Turkeys are also very easy to raise because they do not demand intensive management and don’t require heftier investments for healthcare, shelter, food or the acquisition of chicks.
Turkey can also make for great pets at home. They are social animals that are well domesticated and can make for great companions when homesteading.
If you are growing other crops and livestock, raising turkeys can be a great idea as they will forage on the ticks, flies as well as the bugs that decimate the crops. You can therefore raise turkeys as a form of biological pest control on your farm. Turkeys have a much more varied diet compared to chickens so it is fairly easy to feed them. They will gobble the leaves, berries as well as seeds in your backyard.
Apart from keeping the turkeys for the meat and eggs, you can also raise these beautiful fowls as exhibition birds and pets in your homestead. Start by doing it on a small scale though until you sense that there is great demand for your turkeys.