Turkeys Turkeys can easily be started by hatching eggs or by raising young poults. They can be grown and home processed without the use of expensive processing equipment, or they may be sold to live markets (auctions) or to neighbors. Turkeys are either of two bird species in the family Meleagrididae (order Galliformes). The best known is the common turkey ( Meleagris gallopavo), a game bird nativeto North America but widely domesticated for the table.

AgriLife Extension delivers research-based educational programs and solutions for all Texans. Browse our featured solutions and programs. A daily roundup of all the newest free Kindle eBooks in easy to navigate format. You can also sign up for our newsletter if you wish and have a daily email alert with. Turnitin creates tools for K-12 and higher education that improve writing and prevent plagiarism. Turnitin’s formative feedback and originality checking services.

Deck And Pergola Design Software Free. The other species is Agriocharis (or Meleagris) ocellata, the ocellated turkey The common turkey was probably first domesticated by the Indians of pre-Columbian Mexico. The birds were first taken to Spain about 1519, and from Spain they spread throughout Europe, reaching England in 1541.

When the birds became popular in England, they were called by the name turkey-cock, a name formerly used for the guinea fowl of Islamic lands. English colonists then introduced European-bred strains of the turkey to eastern North America in the 17th century. Turkeys were bred mainly for their beautifully colored plumage until about 1935, after which the breeding emphasis changed to their meat qualities. Adult males have a naked, heavily carunculated (bumpy) head that normally is bright red but that turns to white overlaid with bright blue when the birds are excited. Other distinguishing features of the common turkey are a long red fleshy ornament (called a snood) that grows from the forehead over the bill; a fleshy wattle growing from the throat; a tuft of coarse, black, hairy feathers (known as a beard) projecting from the breast; and more or less prominent leg spurs. The male wild turkey (variously called a gobbler, tom, or jake--immature male), may be 50 inches long and weigh up to 22 pounds, although the average weight is less. Female turkeys (hens) generally weigh only half as much and have less warty heads.

Domesticated strains of the common turkey, developed for their fine-tasting flesh, may be much heavier. In many European countries roast turkey has long been a customary Christmas dish. In the United States the bird is especially associated with Thanksgiving. Turkey production has thus tended to be seasonal, although in the United States and some other countries, ready-to-cook, lean, boned turkey is available in rolls any time of the year.

The 'breeds' of turkeys often referred to are actually varieties that originated from the North American wild turkey. The most commonly raised commercial variety is the Large White. The Broad-Breasted Bronze, similar in size and conformation, is less popular because of a preference for white feathering.

However, a wide variety of hobby breeds--Bourbon Red, Black, Slate, Holland White, Narragansett, Broad-Breasted Bronze, Royal Palm, and other stock can also be ordered from hatcheries. While nice to look at, most of these hobby strains do not grow as fast and as efficiently as the commercial turkey strains.

Wildcdprotector Скачать С Торента here. Three common commercial strains have been developed and sold by companies in the United States: Nicholas Turkey Breeding Farms, British United Turkeys, and Hybrid Turkeys. Marketing and Processing Before beginning your operation, you should examine your objectives for producing turkeys; this will help ensure your success. A small number of turkeys can be raised in a relatively small area, but you will need to obey local zoning laws and ordinances in order to rear, process, and sell poultry without neighbor complaints. If you plan on direct sales of turkeys from your small-flock production, you must make plans for processing (if selling whole carcasses), transporting of live or processed turkeys, and timing of the production to match the needs of your clientele.

Local markets (auctions, live markets, etc.) and grocers can also provide opportunities for selling your excess production. If you plan on selling processed turkeys, you may find it more convenient to have them custom processed. State and federal laws regulate the sale of processed birds. Limited processing of fresh turkeys (fewer than 5,000 birds per year) for direct sale to consumers is legal as long as sales do not cross state lines. For information on regulations regarding home processing and other aspects of turkey flock management, contact your county extension office or the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. Production and Management While caring for turkeys requires little daily time, you must provide regular and timely care to be successful in getting a flock to market.