Before You Raise Turkeys – Terminologies

Ideally, before you raise turkeys, it is helpful that you know the terminologies and interesting facts about turkeys so that you would not be thrown off guard when you read any related materials about turkeys. Raising turkeys on a small farm can be fun and profitable because they can be rotated like any other cash crop on your property. If you have a few acres that you could rotate pastured turkeys on, this could be a good side business for the small farmer. But dont worry you can also raise a couple on a small suburban plot

Here are some terminologies to broaden your horizon when you raise turkeys:

Tom:
Adult male turkey

Hen:
Adult female turkey

Poult:
Young one of turkey

Snood or Dew bill:
The fleshy protuberance near the base of the beck

Caruncles:
The fleshy protuberance on the head and neck usually pink or red in color which appear from about 5th week of age

Dewlap:
A large flap skin seen immediately below the chin

Bread:
A tuft of hair attached to the skin of the upper chest region

Strut:
Mating behavior of male turkey

Shooting the red:
The development of caruncles and this is supposed to indicate the most difficult time in the life of young turkey

Debeaking:
Poults should be debeaked to control feather picking and cannibalism. Debeaking can be done at day old or 3-5 weeks of age. Remove the beak at about one half the distance from nostril to the tip of the beak.

Desnooding:
Removal of the snood or dewbill is to prevent the head injuries from picking and fighting. At the day old the snood can be removed by shumbnail or finger pressure. At 3 weeks of age it can be cut off close to the head with sharp
scissors.

Detoeing or toe clipping:
Clipping is done at day old by removing the tip of the toe just to the inside of the outer most toe pad including the entire toenail.

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