One of the most productive crosses of turkeys – big-6, appeared thanks to the work of British breeders, and it is highly valued by poultry farmers around the world. Impressive appearance, rapid weight gain, intensive growth of young animals – all these qualities were formed through a long journey of trial and error. But the result exceeded all expectations: maintenance and care at home in the case of these birds is not difficult. Growing turkeys to the desired weight is also very fast. And reviews about the content of big-6 turkeys are one of the most laudatory.
Description and origin of the breed
Large and fleshy Big-6 turkeys are distinguished by their impressive appearance, the description of the breed from the very beginning declares their leadership ambitions. But the cross was bred relatively recently – in 2008, and it managed to gain wide popularity mainly among European farmers. Selection work was carried out using big-5 females and butt-6 males.
The resulting broilers have acquired precocity and many other characteristics necessary for breeding poultry in an individual household or on a farm.
Among the distinctive features that these broiler birds are endowed with, the following can be distinguished.
- Heavy, massive body.
- Snow-white plumage. Males are more luxuriant.
- All individuals have a black spot on the chest.
- Compact head on a long neck.
- Wide back without curves.
- Deep, protruding chest with clear outlines of muscles.
- Large wings.
- Large paws that can withstand the impressive weight of adult birds.
- Coral skin folds on the neck, scarlet earrings, whose length during the period of excitement can reach 15 cm.
The standard weight of an adult turkey is 20-24 kg, turkeys are twice as light, their weight does not exceed 12 kg. Broilers gain the main muscle mass by the age of six months, then there is already an increase in adipose tissue. Among the features of the Big-6 broiler cross, one can note its good adaptation for home breeding. The bird easily tolerates the Russian climate, does not require complex care.
Its meat belongs to the category of dietary, has excellent taste.
In addition, eggs, valuable down and feathers, which are light and soft, can be obtained from a bird. It is important to note that big-6 turkeys grow only up to 100 days, their further maintenance does not make practical sense. The total yield of meat from an adult animal is up to 80%, with more than a third coming from the breast, the most delicious part of the carcass.
Differences from other types
All breeding breeds included in the list of big crosses are distinguished by rapid weight gain and maximum weight gain. Big-6 and Big-8 belong to the wide-breasted breeding direction, but the first option is considered predominantly meat, while the second can be called meat-egg, females demonstrate egg production up to 150 pcs. for half a year.
Byut-8 is singled out in the line of low-weight turkeys, but broilers still show quite impressive body weight indicators.
Big-9s differ from these two species in their average weight gain. A heavy cross of this type grows up to 21,75 kg. It is worth noting that all three varieties of broiler poultry are bred by the British company British United Turkeys Limited and have obvious common features. The main difference between the big-6 cross and other types is the maximum intensity of body weight gain. If you need exactly the maximum yield of meat, you should choose only this breed.
Productivity
Differing in precocity, Big-6 turkeys demonstrate excellent weight gain. Already three-month-old males weigh about 5 kg, five-month-old – more than 10 kg of live weight. The bird is slaughtered, as a rule, from 4 to 6 months, until it begins to gain fat. In the first months of life, growth dynamics is calculated in weeks:
- seven-day-old chicks, regardless of gender, have a mass of 160 grams;
- at 2 weeks, males reach 390 g, females – 360 g;
- four-week-old birds gain 1,03 – 1,22 kg, depending on gender;
- from the fifth week, the standard weight gain is at least 650 g, males can gain up to 900 g in a seven-day period of time.
The egg production of turkeys during the season reaches 110 eggs per season, 1-6 females are kept per 8 male. When growing a non-meat line of birds, one has to wait for the moment of their puberty – it occurs at 6-7 months.
The maternal instinct of the bird is well developed, it demonstrates readiness for incubation, willingly settles in the proposed nest.
Advantages and disadvantages
Among the obvious advantages of the big-6 turkey cross can be distinguished:
- the status of the largest meat producer;
- optimal ratio of growing costs and volumes of the resulting product;
- high-quality feather cover and down, which can be used in industrial production;
- good egg production, much above average;
- slaughter yield is about 80%.
Not without its downsides. The disadvantages include the absurd nature of the bird, which, as they grow older, can be quite difficult to cope with. In addition, young animals are extremely sensitive to dampness, need a warm room for growth, protected from drafts, and require immunoprophylaxis.
Conditions for keeping and care
With the industrial maintenance of cross-country big-6 turkeys, spacious poultry houses are created, devoid of window openings, daylight hours of at least 12 hours are provided by special lamps. Growing broilers is often done in a cellular way. In households, big-6 turkeys also do not cause much trouble. When kept for walking, they are driven into the house only at night, allowing them to receive additional pasture during the day.
This allows you to keep a healthy backbone, which is under serious stress in a rapidly growing livestock.
Features of the poultry house
When creating a poultry house on the site, it is recommended to use durable materials, brick or concrete, which allow preventive sanitization in the future. If there are windows, they are equipped with bars, the aviary also needs a stationary roof – adult birds fly well. The floor in the poultry house is covered with a thick layer of straw and sawdust, providing a comfortable bedding for heavy birds. Peat can be added to winter flooring to provide additional heat.
As the soil gets dirty, the litter is replaced, wet areas are removed.
The door for turkeys in the poultry house is located high enough from the floor – at a distance of 15 cm. Indoors, high (from 100 cm) perches made of durable timber should be equipped. In addition, a nesting house is equipped, one for 4-5 layers. For adult birds indoors, the temperature is maintained at about +15 degrees. For bathing, containers filled with sand and ash are provided to clean feathers from parasites. Due to the scandalous, quarrelsome nature of the big-6 turkeys, they need to be placed separately, away from other birds.
Adult males must be separated to avoid fights and aggression towards the owner.
Heat-loving birds need protection from drafts and cold, artificial lighting in winter. Ventilation is carried out using a forced ventilation system. The area of the poultry house should be from 1 m2 per head, the room requires daily cleaning. The water is changed twice a day – in it the birds rinse their beaks after eating. Special feeders with shell rock, coarse sand should be installed.
Feeding
There are ready-made schemes and tables that allow you to create the optimal diet for big-6 broiler turkeys. But it is important to remember that it is necessary to feed the chicks separately from the adult bird. For young animals, starter feed is used, which includes all the necessary additives. From the fifth day, natural food is introduced. The optimal food for the day contains fresh herbs and cottage cheese, providing a supply of protein and fiber. Recommended supplements include:
- fish or meat and bone meal;
- dandelion leaves, nettle;
- onion and garlic feathers;
- fodder chalk.
It is recommended to periodically solder the bird with yeast mixers, as well as sour-milk warm mixtures from skim milk, yogurt. From the fourth month of life, vegetables are introduced into the feed – potatoes, beets. Root crops are given in a mixture with grain feed, carefully grinding them. You should not offer young zucchini, pumpkin – they provoke indigestion.
Children of the first week of life are mixed with vitamin D3 on the 6th day, it is given again on the 56th day.
An adult bird is fed a factory-made ready-made food designed specifically for turkeys. But if there is no opportunity for its purchase, you can cook food yourself. Grain components must be ground in a crusher to facilitate their digestion. The standard diet should include:
- 1/3 of crushed wheat (to speed up weight gain, you can use barley instead);
- soy and corn;
- fish meal 1/10 part;
- crushed shells and shell rock;
- premix of vitamins and minerals.
Breeding
Big-6 cross poults are bred in incubators; offspring from the producers of this breed themselves do not fully inherit the characteristics of their parents. Chicks with a mass content without a turkey can huddle at night, which leads to the death of weak individuals. In this regard, it is required to place young animals in brooders in small groups of 10-15 individuals, provide additional heating, use covering materials with good air permeability.
For beginner poultry farmers, it is recommended to purchase daily or reared turkey poults. It is better to acquire hatching eggs with some experience. It will not be easy to raise a livestock of young animals from them. Yes, and the incubation itself will take a long time. The recommended temperature regime for keeping turkey poults in the first days of life is at least +30 degrees with a humidity of 72-74%. Further, these indicators are gradually reduced, and by the end of the first month, the young live in a corral at standard indicators.
Humidity is recommended to be maintained at the level of 60-52%, temperature in the range from +20 to +22 degrees.
Free range is an important part of the successful rearing of Big 6 turkeys. Walks in warm weather are recommended for five-day-old turkey poults. But in wet weather it is better to leave them without exercise – the first month of life, the birds are sensitive to dampness, they can catch a cold and die.
Young growth incubation
It is recommended to lay turkey eggs in the incubator in the summer months, in this case, the young livestock will gain maximum weight just in time for the New Year holidays. Candling for 7 days will help to exclude empty options. The survival rate of the big-6 cross is about 83%. During the first two months after hatching, the chicks require a lot of attention, from a week of age vitamin prophylaxis is given, from the second week – nystatin, which provides the prevention of aspergillosis.
The duration of incubation of young animals in turkeys is 27-28 days, ventilation is necessary in the last two weeks. From day 1 to day 25, the temperature is maintained at least +37,5, then it is reduced to 36,6 degrees. After that, the eggs are no longer turned over, the air humidity in the chamber is increased to 75%. Pecking of young animals occurs on the 25,5th day.
When laying in the incubator, the egg is placed down with the blunt part.
Reviews
Feedback from fans of the Big-6 turkey breed indicates that this poultry has very good prospects in Russia. The cross is suitable for keeping in cages and for walking in a poultry house with an aviary. High meat productivity is noted – up to 10 kg of high-quality fillet from one bird, but when keeping males together as they grow older, conflicts and even fights can arise.
Aggressive behavior is one of the few shortcomings, according to breeders, that can complicate the process of growing turkeys.
Cross big-6 has a high growth rate, suitable for farms. The not too high survival rate is compensated by the good health of the offspring who have overcome the age of one month. It is noted that birds are quite sensitive to a change in diet – only specialized food is suitable for them, which is characterized by an increased level of calorie content. It will not work to get by with simple chicken feed, the chicks do not grow very well on it and gain weight weakly.
Overview of big-6 turkeys in the video below.
