How To Start A Turkey Farm―A Complete Guide To Success
You may be thinking, “I would love to have my own turkey farm, but I have no idea how to do so.” The good news is that getting started does not require years of training or thousands of dollars. In actuality, starting a turkey farm requires dedication and basic materials.
Turkey farming is highly profitable due to its high rate of return on investment. Numerous successful turkey farmers employ modern technology.
In addition to producing their goods, these farmers frequently sell to supermarkets. USDA research indicates that turkey production in 2016 was just under 7.5 billion pounds, an increase of nearly 5 million pounds from 2015. The total value of turkeys produced in 2016 exceeded $6 billion, an increase of nearly $5 million from 2015.
However, starting a small turkey farm business is less complicated than you may believe. There are numerous ways to earn money from turkey farming. You can sell them to restaurants or even directly to consumers. Raising your heritage breed, birds will also access fresh eggs and meat.
In this article, I’ll give you a guideline including seven (7) things you should know on how to start a turkey farm and also provide all the tips and tricks you need to get your turkey farm business off the ground. So, without further ado, let’s get started!
1. Plan Ahead for a Successful Turkey Farm Business
The first step in starting a turkey farm business is to plan appropriately and choose the right approach. There are two forms of turkey farming: free-range and conventional (confined). If you choose the second option, you will have to decide whether to raise turkeys for their meat or their eggs. If you want to retain the turkey for their eggs, you must ensure they remain healthy and robust. It would be best if you also guaranteed that their seclusion does not cause them stress.
In addition, you can also search online for retailers of turkey chicks. When they reach a specific size, they are sold. They are kept under circumstances similar to those of standard chickens. These vendors often sell chicks at a lower price than adult birds of the same grade. Farmers are also able to contract with processing companies to slaughter the birds. This approach may be less expensive for some individuals than rearing their birds. However, it does require tremendous effort.
Additionally, it would help if you determined where you will shelter your turkey. Several solutions are available, including barns, coops, sheds, and mobile pens. The best weather protection comes from barns and coops, while pens are good if you live in a rural area. A well-designed shed offers enough room for housing and feeding the birds, reducing food expenses.
Now that you know how many animals you want to keep on your farm and where you want to keep them, you need to figure out how much land you will need. You may begin modestly by acquiring a pair of birds. As your business expands, you will undoubtedly want more space. Consider more acreage for future growth.
After determining the size of your farm and identifying suitable home sites, you must debate the advantages and disadvantages of each place with your neighbors and local authorities. Ensure that you do not invade any protected areas or wetland areas. Consider the noise level and if it would be disruptive to surrounding homes.
You must consider size, weight, and lifespan when determining what bird to purchase. Despite producing more meat per unit of time, larger breeds need more area. However, larger breeds tend to develop quicker, making them more challenging to control. Depending on what you want to do with the turkey birds, you may pick between male and female turkeys for breeding reasons.
Furthermore, changes in temperature and humidity may quickly overwhelm turkeys since they are very sensitive animals. Therefore, it is vital to give your flock plenty of fresh air and shelter throughout the year. Therefore, it is vital to give your flock plenty of fresh air and shelter throughout the year. Additionally, you should avoid keeping your turkey birds in direct sunlight for extended periods since this may cause heat stress and weaken their immunity.
Keeping your flock inside is one method to reduce heat stress. To put your birds inside, you must ensure they have access to water and appropriate ventilation throughout the hot summer months. Fans and misting systems may be installed to assist with temperature adjustment.
Additionally, your birds should have access to clean water and frequent feedings. This is one of the things to consider when starting out your poultry farm business. In addition, The food they consume daily varies per species but is typically between 2% and 4% of their body weight. Depending on the size of the birds, feeding periods vary. To ensure the safety and health of your animals, you must closely check the state of their cages. Check for missing or damaged components, cracked tiles, dangling cables, and leaky pipes. Also, search for any dead birds.
It would be best to choose how to dispose of your trash. Depending on the state restrictions, you may burn or bury them. Also, remember to remove any dead turkey birds immediately after as not to attract predators or diseases.
After completing all of these preparatory steps, you will have a firm base upon which to create your turkey farm business.
2. Start With A Small Flock
If you want to start a small flock, turkey farming is a great way to do so. You can eat free-range chickens, sell their eggs, and eat the meat.
Before starting, you must decide what kind of birds you want to raise. There are many kinds of birds, but most people raise turkeys because they are friendly, easy to take care of, and their meat is tasty. Turkeys take up much less space than laying hens, which makes them an excellent choice for people who want to raise their food.
Depending on age and breed, a turkey usually lives between 1 and 5 years. If you want to raise turkeys for their meat, you should think about it. Turkeys have very high fertility rates because they were designed to lay eggs. Their bodies are set up so that they can lay eggs.
After you choose the breed, you need to decide how big you want your flock to get. You can buy turkey chicks which is the easiest way to start a flock and help keep the birds together. But the size of your flock will be very different based on how many chicks you buy.
You should know that without special permission, you won’t be able to raise more than 250 birds at once. The land a farmer needs to keep a flock varies a lot from one to the next, but it takes about 2 acres on average.
3. Set Up Automated Feeding Systems
One of the most profitable businesses in the world today is raising turkeys. But if you want to raise turkeys, you must know how to start a turkey farm business successfully.
With automated feeding systems, you don’t have to worry about checking on your flock daily. You can be sure that they are getting the right food. Automated feeding systems are easy to set up and keep up, so they are an excellent choice for anyone who wants to start their own business but doesn’t know where to start. Here are some reasons why an automatic feeding system is better than feeding by hand.
The poultry industry is one of the biggest agricultural industries in the world. According to research, the global poultry market grew by 6% to US$231.5 billion in 2019. This is the third year in a row that the market has grown. To meet these needs, farmers are using automated technology on their farms more and more. The same is valid for turkeys, and technologies have been made to improve efficiency and make more money.
Automation is often used on turkey farms and ranches because it saves money and time. A single operator can do several things simultaneously, such as monitoring, feeding, watering, and keeping diseases under control, saving time. When automation is used in poultry farms in the right way and with the right design and implementation, it can significantly improve productivity and the quality of products and services.
Several things must be considered to produce turkeys economically. One of the most important factors to consider is whether or not you will use an automated feeding system. An automated feeding system is a machine that feeds your birds automatically. This cuts down on the amount of time you have to work.
One good thing about using an automated feeding system is that it gives you much freedom. If you decide to change your diet in the future, your birds won’t stop eating because of it. You can also change the amount of food each bird gets daily.
Another benefit of an automated feeding system is that it works well. You save a lot of money because you no longer have to take care of the birds. You can save a lot of time and money by using an automatic feeding system.
You likely already recognize that an automatic feeding system makes it simpler to maintain your flock than keeping track manually. Your flock is always secure since they are constantly monitored. You can keep an eye on them and make sure they are getting the food they need because it is easy to see where they are
Technology is a big part of our lives now that we live in the modern world. Without automation, we would be unable to do some activities promptly. Technology is what makes it possible to have an automatic feeding system. Sensors in the system watch the environment and feed based on what they find. With sensors, you can automate the feeding process, so you don’t have to check on it constantly.
4. Research Breeds
Image source- breedslist.com
The genetics of the turkey has a significant impact on how successful a turkey farm is. There are differences between breeds, including size, plumage color, body shape, temperament, and many more.
When selecting a breeder, it is essential to have a solid understanding of their services since every breeder offers a unique set of features that may or may not correspond to your requirements.
In addition, the broad-breasted white turkey is the breed of turkey that is kept the most often. The broad-breasted white turkey breed is the domesticated breed of turkey that is used commercially the most often.
In addition, the bronze broad-breasted turkey, which originates in the United States, is thought by some to be the turkey variation that is the biggest and heaviest overall. It has a high conversion rate from feed to meat and is a great option to choose to raise for the production of meat in a household setting.
The Auburn is a breed of domestic turkey sometimes referred to as the Light Brown. The Auburn turkey, a heritage breed, is one of the rarest types of turkey still in existence today. The light reddish-brown color of its feathers inspired the naming of this bird, which first appeared in written documents in the 18th century and got its name from that.
Buying poultry is far less of a hassle than purchasing animals. When searching for new birds to add to your collection, a few characteristics might help you assess whether or not they will make excellent parents. Look for healthy and beautiful turkeys grown on wide ranges in natural settings as their immediate environment. Turkey Birds raised in this way tend to have healthier offspring. If feasible, you should try to buy birds reared in a nearby hatchery that sells eggs on the market.
5. Consult A Poultry Vet When Necessary
The average person doesn’t know how to take good care of a turkey. We don’t know much about how they act and what they need to eat to stay healthy and happy. But to keep a turkey healthy, you should talk to a vet who works with birds. Many people treat turkeys the same way they treat dogs, cats, and horses, even though they have different needs.
Before buying turkeys, everyone should know a few basic things. When you buy turkeys, you should ensure they come from a trustworthy seller who cares about how the birds are treated. Here are three reasons you should have a vet check out your turkeys.
First of all, Turkey has special dietary needs. People and other farm animals don’t eat the same things as turkeys. For them to stay healthy, they need special diets that are made just for them. Because of this, you can’t just feed them any feed. You can get the best-recommended protein for fast growth, efficient gain, and high-quality plumage for your turkey.
It would help if you also looked at the ingredients to determine what they eat. If you’ve never bought turkeys, ask a farmer in your area what he feeds his flock. He probably has a lot of experience with different birds and knows them well.
Second, turkeys poop often, just like chickens do. Every day, each turkey will make about five pounds of poop. Because of this, you have to clean out the coop every day.
Also, turkeys lose feathers, especially around their eyes, legs, feet, and tails. Over time, these feathers can get loose and fall off, making a mess in the coop. The feathers can be not only gross, but they can also hurt the turkeys.
Having debris stuck in their throats can cause severe problems and put them at risk of choking. All of this can be avoided by taking the birds to a vet.
Third, some owners think turkeys don’t need much care, but they can still get sick from things that are easy to avoid. One example is coccidiosis, which happens when bacteria from chicken poop gets into the chickens’ bodies.
Unless you take your turkeys to a vet, it’s hard to tell if they have this kind of illness. Turkeys can also get lice, mites, ringworm, and worms, among other things. Turkeys are social animals, so they often live in groups known as rafters or flocks.
Members of a flock can get contagious diseases like avian flu and Newcastle disease even if they don’t have any symptoms. Salmonella poisoning is another disease that can kill turkeys and spreads quickly through your flock.
To keep your turkeys from getting sick, ensure they are safe from the weather by giving them a place to stay and shade from the sun. Lastly, make sure that the place where your turkeys live is clean. If you let trash and garbage pile up, it’s terrible for the health of your flock.
It is best to buy turkeys from a seller with a good reputation. Before you buy from him, ensure he knows how to raise chickens well and is willing to answer any questions you might have.
When you buy your first turkeys, you will learn what works best for them and what doesn’t work at all. Then you can keep feeding and taking care of them even after you’ve bought them.
6. Use the Right Equipment
To start a business raising turkeys, you need to get the right tools. You can grow food for eggs and meat with turkeys, chickens, or even ducks raised for sale. But if you don’t have enough money, you may have to think about raising turkeys at home. Below, we’ll talk about some of the most important things you should know about turkey farming.
First, you should figure out how much space you will need. If you want to start a small farm, you should look for a place where you can build a small pen and maybe buy some land. If you have money to invest, on the other hand, you might want to buy a bigger house and build a more extensive farm.
One of the most popular ways to raise turkeys is called “free range.” With this method, your turkeys will spend the summer outside, doing what they love best: running around and eating grass. This method takes up less room than the other method. On free-range farms, the farmer and the birds often get to know each other well. However, you can use PawHut 18.5′ Chicken Coop Galvanized Metal Hen House.
If you want to make more money, you should think about buying chicks instead of adult birds. Adults cost a lot more than chicks, so buying chicks gives you a better return on your money. You can get the best-recommended turkey egg Incubator for Hatching Chicks. On the other hand, Getting your chicks from a hatchery is one way to ensure they don’t die. The chicks that hatcheries sell have already had a chance to eat before they are sold.
People who raise turkeys on a farm or in a henhouse need a way to keep the birds safe while they are inside. If you let your turkeys run free, they won’t be able to protect themselves from predators. You will be fine if you keep these things in mind when buying a structure for your flocks.
As we’ve already discussed, if you want to raise turkeys for money, you can buy ready-made items or build your own. There are many kits for building a chicken coop that you can buy online. Before you create your own, you should ensure you know how to make a building correctly.
It would help if you thought about whether or not you want your turkey farm to make money from the start. In addition, if you choose the wrong tools, you might spend a lot of money on the wrong tools and end up with tools that don’t work well.
7. Grow Your Customer Base And Understand How To Market Your Turkey Farm Business
You want to start a business with a turkey farm. You’ve thought about the kind of farm you want to buy. You asked your friends for their ideas and thoughts. Now is the time to start getting people to buy from you. You decide to start marketing on the Internet.
What information do you need first? First, you need to register your domain name if you haven’t already. After you register your domain name, you need to build a website. Many companies will develop and host websites for free. You can contact us if you want a turkey farm website.
You can use free web hosts if you don’t want to pay for these sites. Online reviews are an excellent way to find out if they are trustworthy. You could also go to your local library and borrow books on how to make a website.
Once you’ve made your website, you’ll need to tell people about it so they can visit it. This could mean sending flyers around town or asking family members to help spread the word. As soon as people come to your website, you must ensure they buy something.
If you sell things that need to be shipped, you should also handle that. Keep things simple and clean when setting up your online marketing platform so that your customers feel comfortable looking around your website.
Here are five more things you might want to consider for your turkey farm.
- Buyers’ Market
Thanksgiving is the best time to sell turkeys. A lot of people plan to have turkey for their holiday meals. You can get those customers if you reach out to them before they buy their turkeys. Once your ideal customer buys a turkey, it’s time to find more people who might want to purchase turkeys.
- Pay Attention To Local Markets
Don’t just think only about online marketing through the website, as mentioned earlier. Instead, You can also focus on your business by making a Facebook page. Post pictures, videos, and text about what you do. You could even give people an incentive to sign up as your clients, like a discount.
- Use Social Media To Advertise
After you’ve done the steps above, it’s time to start promoting yourself on social media. Make a page on Facebook for your turkey farm business. Then, post information about your farm that is important. If someone clicks on your post, they will end up on your Facebook page. Share your post on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Google+, and make sure that these posts have links to your website. Describe your farm to your friends and family. Get them to share your content on social media by telling them to.
- Give Away Things For Free Or Give Good Deals To Build Trust
It’s essential to sell turkeys at great deals to potential customers. People love getting things for free. If you show your product’s great, they should want to try it. Make sure you give your friends and neighbors a taste of your turkeys.
- Make Email Lists And Newsletters
Based on your followers and clients feedback, send out emails and newsletters. Send them information about events that will be happening. Additionally, throughout the year, send out emails and bulletins regarding your farm. Keep your customers updated on what’s going on with your business. It would be best if you told your customers everything that’s going on with your farm.
Pros And Cons Of Turkey Farming
In the following paragraphs, we will talk about the benefits and drawbacks of establishing a turkey farm as a business.
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Turkeys require less cleaning compared to keeping chickens. | Turkey chicks are fragile and can easily die for small reasons. |
| Turkeys are a natural way to get rid of pests because they hunt and eat many of the bugs that hurt crops. | Turkey requires a significant amount of land. |
| They are blessed with amazing personalities. | You will make substantial investments. |
| The raising of turkeys is quite lucrative. | The turkey eats a great deal of feeds. |
| Once mature, they are extremely robust. | Due to their rapid growth, they have poor movement. |
| Turkeys are also great at scavenging. They are experts at finding spilled grains in rice and corn fields that have just been harvested, which helps keep crop waste to a minimum. | They require a lot of patience and commitment |
Frequent Asked Questions
Is Turkey Rearing Profitable?
Turkeys raised on commercial farms can be sold after 12 to 20 weeks of age, depending on the size of the bird. A turkey farming business has the potential to be quite successful for those interested in farming. The meat and eggs obtained from free-range poultry farming are the primary reasons consumers favor this production method.
How Long Does It Take Agric Turkey To Mature?
The amount of time it takes for turkeys to mature as a result of modern techniques of production has been cut down significantly. A turkey hen matures in around 14 weeks and reaches the market weight of 15.5 pounds, whereas a turkey tom matures in approximately 18 weeks and reaches the market weight of 38 pounds.
How Much Money Do Turkey Farmers Make A Year?
According to research, the typical salary for a Turkey Farmer in the United States is $31,659 per year or $15 per hour. The typical range for a Turkey Farmer’s compensation is $24,188 to $36,693. On average, the most significant degree of education for a Turkey Farmer is a High School Diploma. This pay study is based on salary survey information from United States companies and anonymous workers.
Are turkeys easier to raise than chickens?
Raising turkeys isn’t too hard, but they have different needs than chickens, and raising them from poults (baby turkeys) takes more time and energy than raising chickens from baby chicks.
But in the last few years, Turkeys have become more popular, especially among urban farmers who want a cheap and healthy food option.
While chickens start laying eggs at about five months, it can take turkeys from seven months to a year to reach maturity. Turkeys only lay two or three eggs a week, while chickens lay an egg almost daily. With that being said, chickens are more straightforward to raise than turkeys. However, they are both very profitable
Conclusion
To raise your turkey, you may purchase young or baby turkeys from a poultry farm or retailer. When they reach a specific size, they are sold. Other internet shops offer these products straight to customers.
To keep your birds healthy and happy, you must supply them with plenty of food and fresh air. You may give them outdoor pens or house them in indoor pens with air vents to maintain a humid environment. These pens may be placed near windows in your house or business. However, choose a site that is neither excessively drafty nor too frigid.
You must also provide your turkeys with clean water and food and give them fresh air and shelter. Choose a protein-rich and low-fat diet. For instance, a turkey should take around 4% of its body weight in feed daily.
In addition, you should choose how to dispose of your turkey farm waste. Depending on state regulations, they may be burned or buried. Also, remember to promptly remove any deceased turkeys so as not to attract predators or infections. Once the birds reach adulthood, they will have several advantages. You may eat, sell, and consume the eggs and meat of free-range chickens.
Turkey farming has the potential to be a prosperous commercial venture. Before starting, there are many factors to consider, including the initial investment, market potential, and possible hazards. This article provides an outline of the requirements for establishing a turkey farm. Once your farm is operational, you may sell turkeys to supermarkets, restaurants, or customers directly, and by carefully reading this article, you are ready. Thanks for reading!
