Feed for Turkey Poults For their first 12 weeks, poults should be given a 28% protein feed. After 12 weeks, they can be fed a 20% protein feed and you can begin to add grains such as corn and oats to their feed as oats are a great bone strengthening supplement for poults.
How do you take care of turkey chickens?
Turkey poults love heat. They will be happiest if you keep their brooder temperature at 95-100 degrees for the first week, then lower the temperature by about 5 degrees per week until they are fully feathered, approximately 6-8 weeks old.
What can I feed my turkey bird?
Adult turkeys will get as much as 50% of their intake from pasture or range grass. Range grass is grass that is four to six inches long. Turkeys like to eat the growing tips of the grass. They will also enjoy any kitchen or garden scraps: lettuce, tomatoes, sweet corn, summer squash, and so on.
Can turkeys eat chicken starter?
Benefits of Starter Diet
A starter diet is very important for the good health of both the chickens and turkeys. It provides several health benefits to the bird including: Proteins help support muscle growth and development. Energy requirements for daily growth and development.
What do turkeys like to eat the most?
Preferred foods of wild turkeys
Generally, turkeys thrive in and near mature forests that produce abundant amounts of mast, the fruits and nuts of woody plants. In the spring, they tend to eat leaves and grasses, and in the fall, they feed more on fruits, berries, seeds and insects.
What should you not feed turkeys?
Foods You Should Never Feed to Turkeys
- Low-quality chicken feed. Turkeys require more protein than chickens do, therefore, a simple chicken feed will not contain the nutrition that a turkey needs.
- Other Livestock Feeds.
- Dried/Raw Beans.
- Avocados.
- Fruit Pits and Seeds.
- Tomato and Eggplant Leaves.
- Raw Meat.
- Onions.
Do turkeys need a coop?
If you plan to raise your turkeys from poults, then the answer to “Do turkeys need a coop?” is a resounding yes. Once the poults outgrow their brooder, they will need a secure coop at night, just like any other type of poultry.
Can turkeys eat bird seed?
Foods They Eat
Seeds and grains, including spilled birdseed or corn and wheat in agricultural fields. Berries, wild grapes, crabapples, and other small fruits. Small reptiles, including lizards and snakes.
Can you feed wild turkeys bird seed?
Food. Turkeys are omnivorous and will sample a wide variety of foods. To attract turkeys to your yard, you can provide them with a large ground feeding station containing cracked corn or mixed birdseed. Turkeys will also happily clean up any spills under hanging feeders you may have up for other birds.
Can turkeys eat rice?
We’ve all heard the warning: don’t feed rice to birds or don’t throw rice at weddings because birds will eat it. Fact is, rice cooked or uncooked won’t hurt wild birds at all. The rumor is that uncooked rice hits the bird’s tummy and then swells causing its stomach to explode. It’s simply not true.
Do turkeys need different feed than chickens?
Turkeys are supposed to eat a higher protein food than chickens and game feed is the preferred turkey food. If you are raising turkeys for meat, it is important to feed them the proper protein content, but we honestly feed our turkeys the same food we feed the chickens.
Can turkeys have bananas?
By far, the turkey’s favorite snacks are small pieces of Bananas. However they readily gobble down any type of bread, raisins and grapes.
Can turkeys eat lettuce?
As these birds are bred to be large, food intake should be restricted with extra greens (pasture, alfalfa, grain sprouts, lettuce, cabbage, swiss chard) and roughage. Turkeys also love fruit, but it should be given in limited quantities.
Do turkeys eat sunflower seeds?
Seeds- Another easily attainable food source, seeds provide even more nutrition for wild turkeys. Mixing seeds and cracked corn makes a great spread out meal. Sunflower, milo, and millet are all enjoyable types of seeds to put out for wild turkeys.
Can turkeys and chickens live together?
One of the main ways to keep turkeys healthy is too NOT raise chickens and turkeys together. When turkeys and chickens are raised together, turkeys run a high risk of contracting the disease histomoniasis, also known as blackhead.
Do turkeys eat grass seed?
Turkeys forage on grass seeds as well as the first tender green shoots. Native grasses not only provide a readily available food source for spring turkeys, but they also provide great security cover. Young poults thrive in grassland environments, which also provide great bugging opportunities.
What kind of fruit do turkeys eat?
Other planting suggestions include black cherry trees, blueberries, wild grapes and dogwood. Wild turkeys consume cacti fruits in arid areas and like many species of wildlife, will even consume poison ivy berries too.
What do turkey eat in the winter?
The largest part of their diet is usually nuts, especially acorns, beechnuts, and hickory nuts. In most winters, there are ample supplies of nuts on the forest floor. Turkeys are vulnerable when deep snow stays on the ground for weeks at a time and covers their favorite feeding places.
Can turkeys eat vegetables?
As omnivores, turkeys mostly eat seeds, grains, nuts, fruits, vegetables, and insects. But they also eat many surprising foods like fish, snails, and lizards. The birds spend all of their awake time hunting, scratching, pecking, and foraging for food.
Do turkeys need to be locked up at night?
Because of this, turkeys must be closed into their indoor space before dusk and should not be let out again until the sun is coming up in the morning. Therefore, turkeys require an indoor living space that will keep them protected from all predators while they are closed in overnight.
Do turkeys need a nesting box?
Turkeys are fairly easy animals to raise, requiring nothing more than food, water and simple shelter to thrive. Nest boxes are an essential feature for laying turkey hens, and can be simply built with just a little time and effort.