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.

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