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A young turkey is a rather capricious bird, it is susceptible to various diseases, including colds. It should be contained accordingly. If the offspring are naturally bred, the responsibility for rearing falls on the hen, but what about the one who used the incubator? It's very simple: in these cases, use a brooder.
Brooder design
The word "brood" is translated from English as "hen". A brooder is a special box for keeping chickens, goslings, turkeys and other birds. Why is a brooder convenient? In general, it is ideal for rearing young animals as it is equipped with:
- a light source;
- feeding system;
- drinker for poultry;
- litter tray;
- heating elements.
Since a factory brooder is quite expensive, many farmers try to make it on their own, especially since it is not difficult. It is very convenient if the floor in the turkey brooder is mesh, which makes it easy to clean up the droppings behind the turkeys.
It is necessary to ensure the availability of brooders for young turkeys in advance. To do this, you will need wooden slats, cardboard, plywood and other inexpensive materials that are easy to find on your garden plot. It is worth considering that in warm weather it will be possible to take the brooder itself outside so that the turkey poults can sunbathe. To do this, it is made partially mesh.
We will tell you how to make a brooder for turkeys with your own hands.
Necessary materials
Initially, work begins with the transfer of drawings to paper and the preparation of the necessary tools and materials. For work you will need:
- wooden bars;
- durable mesh (usually metal is used);
- pliers;
- hammer;
- hand saw (better if you have a jigsaw);
- fasteners (corners, screws, nails and others);
- pencil and ruler;
- light bulb, switch and cable;
- plywood is moisture resistant.
Some farmers use old wooden crates for brooders. This is also appropriate, but you should not use very old copies. Pathogenic bacteria can also develop in the boards over time.
You can give preference to other materials that are at hand. For example, dense cardboard, left over after repairing fiberboard, laminated chipboard and other materials, is widely used.
Brooder Blueprint
Drawing turkey cages you can do it yourself. To do this, it is necessary to determine the optimal size for placing the chicks. A 40x40 brooder can hold 25 poults. It's enough. If you need more space, you can make the drawer larger.
The drawing is drawn schematically. The photo below shows an example of such a drawing. The height of each cell is very important. Poults grow very quickly, so low brooders used for chicks will not work. The minimum height along the inner wall of the box should be 50 centimeters, or better 60.
A good video tutorial on how to make a turkey brooder is shown below. It contains all the necessary blueprints and manufacturing tips.
Manufacturing process
Work begins with the manufacture of the frame. To do this, use wooden blocks, moisture-resistant plywood. Then the side walls are attached. They need to be measured carefully, and fastened very tightly. The better a turkey brooder is made, the longer it will last.
The floor of the structure is made mesh, through the holes, the droppings will settle into the pallet. To clean the brooder, the farmer will need a minimum of time: he will simply remove the pallet and shake off the turkey droppings and food debris from it.In addition, the mesh floor prevents the accumulation of moisture, which is harmful to turkey poults. The pallet is made of thick cardboard, plywood or galvanized sheet with a wooden lath.
As a standard, turkey cages are equipped with two doors on the front side, but there may be several options. With this arrangement, the feeder doors and drinkers are attached inside the box. Some farmers prefer to take them outside. We recommend fitting the doors slightly higher on the front side and placing the troughs lower at floor level. This is shown in the photo below. This brooder is considered the most convenient for keeping turkeys.
When the box itself is ready, it's time to move on to the lighting system and the power system.
Functional features of a brooder
A brooder for turkey poults should provide young animals not only with light, but also with warmth. The optimal constant temperature in the box should be +25 degrees Celsius, but in the first week of life of turkeys it should be 2 degrees higher. This cannot always be achieved through lighting. Modern incandescent bulbs generate virtually no heat.
If the temperature in the room does not correspond to the declared one, you will have to use additional heat sources, for example, heating pads. As a light source, you can use:
- incandescent lamps;
- mirror lamps;
- infrared lamps.
The light is installed from above, turkey poults need it around the clock. The best option would be to use infrared lighting in the brooder. It will become an additional source of heat. The length of the cable directly depends on the distance of the light source.
Feeding turkey poults is essential to their health and growth. This is why feeders and drinkers are so important. The better they are made, the more convenient it will be for the farmer to work with the brooder.
In the brooder itself, to prevent the crush of chicks and damage to the feeders, limiters are provided. Feeders are made from:
- tinplate;
- wood.
As for drinkers, the main task in their construction is the metered supply of water. It is important that it does not spill and that the turkey chicks do not get wet. Wet turkey poults can quickly freeze and get sick. Some craftsmen try to make drinking bowls on their own. If difficulties arise with this, then a drinker is easy to buy in a specialized store. They are inexpensive and made of plastic.
The best drinkers are nipple drinkers. They do not clog and prevent poults from getting wet. Their main plus is that due to the constant maintenance of cleanliness, bacteria do not multiply in them. A regular vacuum drinker will need to be removed and washed frequently.
Brooder is an ideal place for keeping turkeys, especially in the cold season. In it, you can equip everything at the highest level, even with your own hands. It is not difficult and does not require specialized knowledge and a lot of time.
