Not only are turkeys an excellent source of succulent meat, rich eggs, and nutrient-dense manure, but they are curious, social, and friendly as well: a perfect and profitable choice for many farmers. Don Schrider brings his hands-on experience to this one-stop reference for humanely raising healthy turkeys.

The revised and updated third edition includes:

- Descriptions of more than a dozen heritage varieties

- Humane handling methods

- Feeding practices, including pasture-based production

- Breeding, incubation, and brooding

- Disease prevention

- Protection from predators

- Organic certification standards

Preface

Introduction

The Nature of the Bird * Natural Habitat

1 History

An American Original * European Contact * Colonial America * Breed Improvements

2 Varieties of Turkeys

Three Turkey Types * Wild Turkeys * Commercial Broad-Breasted Turkeys * Heritage Turkey Varieties * Securing Stock * Shipping and Receiving

3 Building and Equipment

Management Systems * Housing * Equipment

4 Feeds and Feeding

Feed Types * Natural Balancing * Feeding * Feeding Philosophy * Feeding the Breeders

5 Incubation

Collection of Eggs * Incubator Setup * Egg Position and Turning * Candling * When to Open the Incubator * Poult Defects Caused by Improper Incubation * Identification and Tracking * Removing Poults from the Incubator

6 Brooding

Imitating Nature * Natural Brooding * Before Brooding * The Brooder and Brooder House * Primary Brooding Challenges * Receiving Shipped Poults * Maturing Poults * Observing Poult Behavior

7 Pastured Production

Overview of the Three Systems * The Challenges of Overstocking * Learning from Nature * Rotational Grazing * Fencing Basics * Movable Roosts and Feeders * Permanent Fencing * Guardian Dogs * Roosts * Shade * Pasture * Manure * Putting Poults on Pasture

8 Protection from Predators

Small Predators * Medium-sized Predators * Large Predators * Flying Predators * Prevention * Fencing * Guardian Dogs * Your Ecosystem * Turkey Nature

9 Killing and Processing

Assessing Readiness for Processing * Care before Killing * Processing Area and Equipment * Killing * Debraining * Scalding * Plucking * Eviscerating * Cleaning the Giblets * Trussing * Chilling and Packaging * State and Federal Grading and Inspection

10 Breeding

Nature's Way * Human Impact * A Philosophy of Good Breeding * Genes * Breeds, Varieties, and Strains of Turkeys * Breeding Methods * Breeding Tools * Culling * Care of Breeding Turkeys * Storing Eggs * Egg Production * Selection * Applying What You've Learned * Artificial Insemination

11 The Turkey Enterprise

Consistency * Source of Stock * System of Production * Feed * Transporting * Processing * Product Marketing * Product Storage and Shipping * Inspections and Certifications * Marketing Your Turkeys

12 Flock Health

Disease Prevention Starts with Good Health * Disease Basics * Turkey Diseases * Turkey Parasites * Disease Prevention * Nutritional Deficiencies * Miscellaneous Problems * Disposal of Dead Birds * Rodent Control

Advice from Turkey Breeders

Talking Turkey: A Glossary of Terms

Definition of a Heritage Turkey

Recommended Reading

Resources

Index

Don Schrider is a poultry aficionado and has written on the topic for many publications, including Mother Earth News, Backyard Poultry, Chickens, Countryside and Small Stock Journal, and Poultry Press. He is a master breeder of Brown Leghorn and Buckeye chickens and has worked with the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy on various projects. He lives in Vermont.