AgricNation:
In Nigeria, very few farmers see opportunities available in raising turkey. Majority think that chickens are the best option for making good money.

They might not be totally wrong, but that might not be as true as they think. One of the best options for profit and fresh meat is actually turkey. Therefore, if you want to start a turkey farm then read on.

Dr. Raji Abdullahi, a poultry expert, said raising turkey could be very rewarding if the farmer observes good management practices.
The veterinary experts told Daily Trust that turkey does not need extensive housing like chickens, adding that it will fetch the farmer even more money as an average turkey goes for over N7,000 depending on weight.

Dr. Abdullahi, however, noted that only few turkey farmers have incubators for hatchery in the country unlike chickens that are available everywhere.

Selecting the young poults

If a farmer wants to raise turkey for meat, there are three turkey varieties (strains) for farmers to consider: The Broad Breasted White; the Broad Breasted Bronze, (strain popular for its black pinfeathers) and the Beltsville White, which is a smaller white-feathered variety.

For any of these varieties, the toms (males) weigh 25-30 pounds and the hens (females) 16-20 pounds. Beltsville White toms weigh 13-18 pounds and hens 8-12 pounds.

Both of these strains of turkey are noted for their abundance of meat compared to commercially grown birds.

Since it takes about seven months to raise full grown turkeys, farmers should consider raising another flock about a month behind to ensure continuity of harvest.

Where to keep the turkeys


Turkeys can be free-ranged or you can build them a pen. As a farmer, If you’ve chosen to allow your turkeys to free-range (moving freely around) without predators (other animals that will kill them), Dr. Raji Abdullahi said you must provide shed for them against rain or extreme sun; otherwise the first thing you need for raising turkeys is a coop (enclosure) or pen to keep them in.

The pen doesn’t have to be really big, but it should have a place for the turkeys to roost, find food and water. If you’re raising turkeys for meat to sell, then you need a good area that can take many turkeys. For chicks (poults) you also need a heating lamp in the enclosure.

If the farmer is raising many poults, he/she needs several lamps because the poults tend to sleep in piles and this leads to accidental smothering (killing by covering their nose and mouth to suffocate). If you don’t want a significant number of your poults to die from being smothered, make sure you provide more lamps.

Disease control

Like any animal, there are some issues with raising turkeys that you should be knowledgeable about in order not to lose your whole flock to diseases or dangers.

With a small turkey flock, the farmers should look out for blackhead, coccidiosis, and airsacculitis.

Also keep your turkeys away from chickens to prevent blackhead, you can prevent coccidiosis by keeping the turkeys’ litter dry, or soil well-drained. To guard against airsacculitis, buy your poults from a hatchery that tests for the disease in the breeder flock.

If you want to be a commercial farmer, it is important to consult a veterinary officer for vaccination recommendations.
When your birds start to show signs of either disease, it’s important to isolate them and treat them withantibiotics.

Generally the poults you buy from a farm or pen will be treated with their first round of antibiotics even before they have a chance to get sick.

They are caused by slightly wet pens and through vitamin deficiencies, which turkeys are very prone to.

Malnutrition is a serious issue in turkeys. When malnutrition happens, affected turkeys can break their legs because of weakened bones.

Some adult male turkeys can be aggressive. If you notice aggression between certain turkeys, simply separate them into different groups.

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