Wilson Nkurunziza, a turkey farmer in Lwensama village, Mubende district says turkey farming is one of the unique business ideas you can venture into.
He says turkeys are very good scavengers consuming earthworms, small insects, snails, kitchen waste and termites.
Caring for turkeys
According to Nkurunziza, turkeys only need a lot of care when still young. “Feed two or three times a day and then release them in the evening to go out for forage,” he said.
Turkeys require about six square feet of space each. Some farmers recommend keeping the turkey indoors while others prefer to let the birds roam in the yard once they are old enough, but this can be risky because of predators.
According to Nkurunziza, turkeys should never be left to wander around about on their own as they can easily get lost.
For those who choose to keep their turkeys indoors, avoid lining the floor with sawdust because turkeys are bound to gobble it up.
When they do, it fills up their crop and they are unable to eat, so they starve to death.
For the same reason, newsprint too is a bad idea. Instead, farmers should provide a container of sand or fine gravel for turkeys that are kept indoors.
This is not necessary for outdoor turkeys. They can find their own grit. Young poults need to be kept warm by being kept close to a source of heat.
For a start, a lamp that provides 100F is required. The temperature should be lowered by five degrees a week thereafter.
Young turkeys can be hard to look after as they have been known to eat their litter.
Nkurunziza says turkeys are curious birds, which explains why it is hard to tell what they can get into.
You should strive to keep the area where your turkeys live free of hazardous elements.
A mature turkey currently costs from about sh150,000 to as high as sh250,000.
