Turkey nest dimensions. General requirements for a turkey house

Most breeders decide to build nests for laying hens with their own hands. It is much easier to cope with the task if you look at photos, videos and know the optimal dimensions. A properly designed nest with a receiver prevents the hens from pecking eggs, which is beneficial for the farmer. It is enough to use the leftovers building materials, to avoid financial costs.

So, my task was to build nests for 15 hens quickly and without financial costs. One section is designed for 5 layers, so a three-section box was assembled.

Chipboard from an old cabinet was used as the main material. The sizes used are:

The following tools were used:

  • Screwdriver;
  • Roulette;
  • Long ruler;
  • self-tapping screws;
  • Hacksaw or circular saw.

Step by step instructions with photos:

  1. First you need to draw a sheet of chipboard and saw it into blanks.

This gloomy guest helped me with this:

  1. Now we fasten the internal partitions and sidewalls with a screwdriver and self-tapping screws. You can get by with nails and a hammer, but nails do not fit well into dense material.
  1. Next, we fasten the upper part of our structure.
  1. Now you need to screw the nut at the bottom of the socket.
  1. I closed the back side with ordinary fiberboard.

The laying nest is ready. It remains to install it in the house and lay the litter inside, in my case it is straw.

And here are the first results:

laying nest requirements

Instead of a take-off bar, the one in front of the nest entrance, I attached a snag (a dry branch from an apple tree). It turned out more naturally and the chickens use it as a perch.

Assembling the nest is half the battle. You still need to install it correctly. There are several rules:

  • The nest must be at least 30 cm above the floor.
  • The cross-section of the take-off bar is 5x2 cm. It must be placed at a distance of about 10 cm from the nest.
  • For flooring, you can use sawdust or straw (hay).
  • The lower part can be made of metal mesh, which will improve the ventilation of the nest.
  • It is not recommended to mount the box close to the wall, as in winter the cold from the walls will enter the nests.

The box must be installed in a draft-free and dark place where no one will interfere with the laying hen. Do not forget that you must have free access to the nest in order to easily change the litter and collect eggs.

General requirements for a turkey house

Regardless of what kind of poultry house you are preparing, ready-made or from scratch, there are mandatory requirements for it. In order for turkeys to grow and develop well, the room must have:

  • Dry and cool. Normal humidity for poultry is 65–70%. The optimum temperature depends on the season: in winter - not less than -5 degrees and not more than -3 degrees, in summer - from 18 to 20 degrees. Often the bird begins to get sick precisely at high humidity and high temperature.
  • Purely. Cleanliness should be maintained regularly. Particular importance must be given to the litter - it must be fresh and dry. In winter, the litter is renewed with a new layer, and in spring and autumn it is changed.
  • Proper lighting. In addition to artificial light, natural light should also enter the house.
  • Ventilation. It is necessary to think over and organize a ventilation system in order to periodically ventilate the air in the room.
  • No drafts.

In addition to the basic requirements, the correct maintenance of turkeys also provides for the installation of drinkers, feeders, perches, nests, and an aviary for summer walking.

Properly equipping a chicken coop for turkeys

A new turkey house or an existing room for keeping turkeys must be equipped with the necessary equipment.


One of the main elements is the perch. For installation, choose the warmest side of the room. For perches, you can use planed bars or hewn poles. The surface is brought to a perfectly smooth state. Usually, perches are installed in a pyramid in several tiers - the first at a distance of 80 cm from the floor, the topmost - 80 cm from the ceiling. The distance between the bars should be about 0.5 m. A distance of 25 cm should be left between the perch closest to the wall.

Feeders and drinkers


Feeders can be made by hand. To do this, an oblong narrow box is knocked together with a plank in the middle from boards or plywood. Drinkers are easy to make from plastic sewer pipes.

In specialized stores now very big choice drinkers and feeders, the main thing is to choose such that each individual gets free access to food and water.


For laying hens and hens you will need nests. They are made from wooden planks or plywood with the calculation of 1 nest for 4-5 turkeys. The optimal size of one nest is 40x70x60 cm. The nests should be located at a height of 60-70 cm from the floor. In order for the bird to have free access, a small threshold is attached to the entrance to the nest at a distance of 8-10 cm.

How to make an aviary for turkeys

It is necessary to attach a special corral (aviary) for walking to the turkey house. Turkeys are quite active and the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe corral depends on the livestock - the larger it is, the more area will be required. It is not difficult to build an aviary - it is assembled from several pillars and veins. Then the whole structure is covered with a mesh with cells through which the bird cannot climb.


The height of the enclosure should be about 2 meters, since adult turkeys are pretty good “flyers”, and there is a danger from above in the form birds of prey may strike quite unexpectedly.

How to make nests for laying hens with your own hands

In terms of choosing a place for laying eggs, chickens are very picky creatures, they can ignore a convenient nest in your opinion and start rushing in a completely inappropriate place for this. Therefore, before you equip a nest for laying eggs, watch the birds: what places they prefer, how many hens sit in the same nest, at what time.

In order to choose the desired nest design for laying hens with your own hands, you must proceed from the number of chickens in your household. For a few farms, simple designs and drawings are suitable, and for large farms, more spacious and complex ones.

The most elementary option is the most ordinary wooden box of a suitable size, in your opinion, for arranging the nest of laying hens so that eggs do not peck. At the bottom you need to lay straw or hay, and you're done!

Another option is to put together a box yourself from plywood or board, sawing it into 3 identical parts. Next, install the bottom, fill it with dry material. General rule for all types of nests: they should be installed at a height of about half a meter from the floor.

The final step is to install a ladder to the nest so that the bird can get into it. It is better if it is a wide board with crossbars nailed to it. The dimensions of such a box can be something like this: depth - about 40 cm, width - at least 35 cm. These dimensions are observed for all types of boxes.

How to make a nest for a laying hen with an egg box

It happens that it is impossible to visit your pets regularly, and it becomes necessary to save the eggs until the next visit. In this case, it is recommended to build a nest with an egg collector. Its essence is that chicken eggs roll into a special tray at the bottom of the box and accumulate there.

The process of making a box with a pallet is quite simple: first knock down a simple box, as mentioned earlier, cut a hole for the egg in the bottom, and install the second retractable bottom not evenly, but with an inclination of 8-10 degrees. And, as usual, line the bottom with bedding.

Such a nest with an egg collector for laying hens can be improved by making several sections or tiers in it. The angle of inclination of the bottom in such a box is not 10, but about 40 degrees. Making it a little more difficult than the previous one, but quite capable. The nest should be higher from the floor than usual - at a distance of at least half a meter. A kind of “corridor” must be built along the entire length of such a box so that chickens can enter free sections. Such boxes are installed in such chicken coops, where there are many laying hens.

You can also make a house that looks like a dog house - completely closed with a hole cut in the front wall, enough for a chicken to crawl into it. For comfort, add straw to the nest - and you're done.

For craftsmen, there is an interesting option - a frame nest according to individual sizes. To make it, you need to put together 2 frames for attaching wooden bars about 40 cm in size to them. The frames must be fastened together with bars in such a way that a square or rectangle is formed. Next, install the walls of the nest for laying hens, a suitable bottom (flat or sloping), fill with hay or straw. This design is highly durable.

As can be seen from all of the above, special skill and skills are not required to build a chicken nest. Materials can be used at hand, tools - a hammer and nails - can be found in every household. The point is small - to find an acceptable solution and bring the idea to life!

Do-it-yourself nests for laying hens can be made from a photo, knowing the dimensions. Experiment, then your chickens will not peck eggs and will please you with high egg production. When administering farming and growing poultry at home, observation and resourcefulness are important.

How to make nests for laying hens with your own hands so that eggs do not peck

Feather pecking at their own eggs is a serious problem faced by thousands of breeders every year. Weaning the female from the taste of the egg is quite difficult. According to poultry farmers, chickens, having tasted their taste, tend to eat each. If you do not equip the nest with an egg collector, then birds addicted to pecking eggs must be sent to slaughter.

In specialized stores, you can buy factory-made nests. The farmer can choose from a large number of shapes and sizes. However, why buy them if you can make your own chicken nests from any materials from the garage and not spend a dime at the same time ?! Homemade devices are no worse, and are guaranteed to last for many years.

The most accessible and lightest design is the laying nest from the boxes. The bird quickly becomes accustomed to such a nest. It is very easy to get the number of nests you need if you connect several boxes together. It is enough to put a litter on the bottom. Simple box nests are very reliable, convenient for both birds and the farmer. It is only important to periodically change the straw for fresh, and in the cool period to put a larger sheaf.

Even cardboard boxes are suitable as materials for making a nest. They are short-lived, but as a temporary solution they are quite suitable. Novice breeders decide to use just such options. As you can see in the photo, plastic boxes for vegetables, baskets, ordinary wooden structures are excellent nests in which laying hens will rush all summer. The main thing is that the inside should be clean and dry, and the nests should be in secluded places where there are no drafts.

To prevent chickens from pecking eggs, it is better to improve the nest and build a receiver at the bottom. The advantage of this option is that the chicken does not see the egg. It immediately enters the receiver and the bird cannot peck at it. According to poultry farmers, some chickens are clumsy and can accidentally crush a laid egg. The egg collector completely eliminates this possibility.

Do-it-yourself nests for laying hens: photo, size, view

Egg-receptacle nests have the advantage that they do not need to be checked regularly to remove eggs. The design of the bottom provides a slight slope, which is enough for the egg to gently fall into the receiver. The breeder then only has to pick them up at any convenient time. Making your own nest is quick and easy. To do this, follow these instructions, namely:

    Using plywood, a nest body is made with a size of 35x35x35.

    The lower edges of the body should have a slope to one side of about 15 degrees.

    A wooden pallet with a receiver is attached to the bottom of the nest.

    The nest is fixed in a fixed place at a height of about 30-40 cm from the floor.

    The bottom is covered with straw.

There are quite a few options for homemade nests with an egg collector. Some are easy to manufacture, while others are complex. Each design has its pros and cons. We offer you to watch photos and videos to choose the option you like for your farm.

Video on how to make nests with an egg collector for laying hens with your own hands:

How to make nests for laying hens with your own hands? Photos, design dimensions, breeder reviews, tips from our article - this is what will help a novice poultry farmer solve the problem of pecking eggs. To prevent laying hens from pecking eggs, they need to be given enough mineral supplements, but an egg trap is another great option that will help the farmer avoid this problem.

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Nutrition of adult turkeys

Already from the third month, the bird is transferred to carbohydrate nutrition. The composition of the feed should include the following components:

  • 65% - grain feed;
  • 1% - sunflower cake;
  • 4% - special yeast;
  • 3% - chalk;
  • 3% - finely ground fish meal;
  • 5% - herbal grinding;
  • 3.5% - limestone;
  • 1% - premix; 1% - bone meal;
  • 0.5% - salt.

During the breeding season, turkeys have a reduced appetite, at which time they must be fed with raw beans and carrots. Turkeys during this period are given additional vitamin complexes.

To increase egg production.

The volume of food eaten increases from 20-25 grams at a week of age to 300 grams in an adult chick. The poultry menu should include legume cereal feed, green onion to enrich the feed with fats, proteins and vitamins. In winter, you can add needles and hay to food. Feed the bird with wet mash with green additives. In the evening, it is better to feed the bird with dry grain. The more varied the food, the better they gain weight.

Posted by Elena Shchadnova (@leoyanik) Nov 12, 2017 at 10:36 PST

Common diseases among turkeys

If you are engaged in breeding turkeys, then you must figure out what diseases and why your wards may occur.

Turkey poults are much more likely to get sick, so any deviation - loss of appetite, lethargy, convulsions - are a sure sign of the disease.

Consider the most dangerous diseases of a young bird:

  • Cholera (pasteurellosis) is an acute infection that is life-threatening for birds. Prevent this disease will help regular disinfection, compliance with sanitary standards.
  • Paratyphoid - this disease can affect chicks in the first month of life. A good prevention from it is the addition of furazolidone or biomycin to the drink.
  • White diarrhea (pullorosis) - possible in case of infection from adult birds.
  • Infectious sinusitis - overcrowding in the paddock, lack of vitamins A and D can trigger the onset of this disease. Furazolidone is effective in this disease.
  • Trichomoniasis is a disease of the liver and intestines; for its treatment, the drug Trichopolum is used.
  • Coccidosis - the symptoms of this disease are the appearance of loose stools interspersed with blood, coccidiovitis and amprolium are used for treatment.
  • Conjunctivitis is an inflammation of the eyes, in a neglected form, it can provoke complications up to death. To protect the chicks from this disease, it is necessary to strictly observe the cleanliness of the temperature regime.

Adult turkeys are much more resistant to disease than young ones. If the bird has become lethargic, stops eating, refuses to go for walks, cramps, a runny nose or diarrhea appear, you need to sound the alarm - these are sure signs of the disease.

When a sick bird appears, it must be isolated, and disinfection should be carried out in the poultry house.

Compliance with temperature and sanitary standards will protect your wards from colds and infections. If you timely disinfect the premises and inventory, regularly walk the livestock, you will save the livestock from death and disease!

Timely vaccination will help to avoid the disease!

Breeding turkeys is becoming quite popular in Russian farms. If you properly care for and feed a turkey, in almost six months it can gain from 8 to 30 kilograms of weight. Magnificent high-quality meat, profitability of production make this business quite attractive. An adult turkey gains up to 12 kilograms of weight and can produce about 150 eggs per year. This, of course, is much less than that of a chicken, but turkey eggs are much larger and of better quality.

There are also disadvantages when choosing turkeys for breeding. Raising chicks is a painstaking process that requires considerable investment of money and labor. Timely recognition of possible diseases, the ability to choose the right food, the choice of healthy chicks become decisive factors for this business. But if you master all these wisdoms, then, despite the growing competition, your investments will pay off with a vengeance!

A detailed overview of the poultry house for keeping turkeys

In order for the conditions of the poultry house to allow you to keep turkeys in an optimal way, it is important to consider the following recommendations:

  • It is important to maintain cleanliness and an appropriate microclimate in the room, that is, it should be light, dry, precipitation, drafts should not penetrate into the turkey house, it is important that there are no temperature changes and access to fresh air,
  • It is important to make the floor of the house smooth, even and warm - you need to arrange it at a distance of 20-25 cm from the ground,
  • The location of windows is recommended to be on one side of the turkey house so that the floor is illuminated by natural light,
  • It is necessary to equip manholes for turkeys so that the bird can go out on its own. The size of the hole is 50x50 cm, to protect against the cold in winter, it is worth making double doors in each manhole,
  • The equipment of the turkey house includes nests, water containers, drinkers, feeders, perches and ash baths,
  • The surface of the perches should be smooth, the slats should be made removable. It is better to have perches in the back of the room, forming a hill out of them. The distance between the slats is 60 cm, the dimensions of one seat per bird are 30-40 cm. The lower slat of the perch is about a meter from the floor,
  • Feeders can be in the form of small troughs or grooved - when feeding, the bird should not lower its head, so that the containers are placed at the level of the turkey's neck. Drinkers are arranged in a similar way, while it is important to prevent the possibility of contamination of the liquid by the feet of birds,
  • The area norm is 0.5 sq.m. turkey per bird.

Nest egg collector

This design is considered optimal, but its manufacture will have to spend a little more time than those described above. The main idea behind these nests is to minimize contact between the laying hen and the fresh egg. To do this, you need to make a hole in the form of a funnel or make the floor at an angle to the horizon. Under the hole it is necessary to equip the receiving tray. The bottom of which must be covered with soft material.

Nest dimensions

When building such a nest for chickens, the following dimensions must be strictly observed:

  1. depth from 30 - 40 cm;
  2. height 30 cm;
  3. width 30 cm.

The material from which this structure will be built must be sanded. When assembling, it is necessary to ensure that the fasteners do not protrude; if such a defect is found, protruding nails or screws must either be removed or cut off.

Nest placement

Chicken nests, like perches, have specific placement requirements.

  1. Nests should be placed at a height of 30 cm from the floor.
  2. They should be installed in dark places where there are no drafts.
  3. For the convenience of the bird, nests must be equipped with a take-off bar, which should be installed at a distance of 10 cm from the entrance to the nest and have a section of 5x2 cm.

In addition, the nest does not make sense to attach to the wall.

Having equipped the chicken coop in this way, you can be sure that soon there will be fresh eggs for breakfast.

Domestic turkeys are the largest poultry. They have their own advantages: they are very well fattened, the meat has excellent dietary and gastronomic properties. Their eggs are also very healthy, tasty and nutritious. Keeping turkeys is not too troublesome, but compared to chickens and other poultry, they require some other care and conditions.

This article will cover all aspects of keeping turkeys and turkeys at home. The following questions will be considered on this topic:

  • Conditions for keeping turkeys
  • Room for turkeys
  • Containment equipment

But first, the most basic aspects.

When keeping turkeys, it is very important to take into account the fact that they definitely need to organize a place for walking. Turkeys and turkeys are very fond of walking even in bad weather, but they should not be let out of the house in too severe frosts. The room for keeping the turkey should be warm, without drafts. The recommended temperature in the poultry house is undesirable to fall below +1 degrees. Turkeys must always have access to water and food. (Read about feeding turkeys in the article: “Feeding turkeys“. Domestic turkeys fly very high, so it is recommended that they trim their wings a little. With age, the productivity of turkeys greatly decreases. At home, it is better to keep turkeys for one year, and leave the young for the tribe. Keeping domestic turkeys at home is best in small groups of 4-5 birds, while this group should have one male.This will prevent conflicts in the herd.

Conditions for keeping a turkey

The room for keeping domestic turkeys must be warm, there must be no drafts. Domestic turkeys are birds that are very demanding on heat. Therefore, in order to obtain maximum productivity, in a poultry house for keeping a turkey, it should not fall below +1 degrees Celsius. Of course, a lower temperature is also allowed, but productivity will decrease in this case. At the same time, the room must be well ventilated.

Of course, in summer time years, turkeys do not require special care. The conditions for keeping turkeys in the summer provide for free range, so at this time they require minimal care. On free range, they eat natural food, move quite a lot and do not get fat.

In winter, the conditions for keeping turkeys require a more complex organization. First of all, you should monitor the air temperature in the house so that they do not fall below the minimum mark. Therefore, it is necessary to organize additional heating of the room. You should also take care of additional lighting of the room. Light day should be added gradually so that it reaches 10-12 hours. Lighting intensity - 1-2 watts. Even in winter, turkeys need walks on fresh air, only the time of walking should be limited.

Turkey housing

An ordinary dark barn is not suitable for turkeys. The room for keeping turkeys should be sufficiently bright and spacious. Turkeys just need a lot of free space, as they are very prone to gaining excess fat. The area for the premises is calculated so that one bird has at least 1.5-2 square meters. meters.

The room for keeping turkeys should be warm and well ventilated.

Arrangement of a poultry house for turkeys

Perches. For turkeys it is necessary to arrange perches. They should be located at a height of 50-70 centimeters from the floor. Their cross sections should be 9x9 centimeters. The length must be calculated based on the livestock - for one bird 50 centimeters.

Nests. In the dark places of the house, nests for laying turkeys should be located. One nest for 5 birds. Dimensions should be such that the birds have room.Baths for bathing. Bathing tubs filled with ash and sand should be located in the poultry house so that the turkeys can bathe.

Litter. On the floor you need to lay a large layer of bedding. As it can be used sawdust, straw or old hay.

Feeders. It is necessary to organize feeders and streams in the house.

The topic is immense, read also:

Basic principles

When determining the design of the house, many factors must be taken into account: The breed of laying hens. Depending on the breed, there will be different egg production, chickens have different character, size, and much more. It depends on how many nests for 10 chickens you need. Usually the number of houses is taken from 3 to 5 for every 10 layers.

The size of the nest for chickens is also determined by their breed. Usually the height is taken 300 mm, sometimes for large chickens up to 450 mm. According to the base area, the size is taken from 300-400 in width and 300-400 in length.

Chicken coop dimensions. For min-hens, one size is enough; for meat and egg breeds, large nests are already needed. In addition, the technology for accessing the nest and caring for it depends on the size of the chicken coop.

The climatic zone of the farm location. The colder the winters, the warmer you need to make the chicken coop and the more comfortable it is to arrange places for hens. For a humid hot climate, on the contrary, you need to worry about coolness and ensure that the chicken coop always remains dry.

The total number of birds on the farm. How many nests are needed depends on this and, accordingly, the convenience of caring for them becomes essential.

However, there are a few fundamental principles that any nest design must satisfy:

  • it should create a safety effect for the laying hen. To be in a small shading and a quiet place;
  • always stay dry and clean;
  • be at a certain height above the floor and it is desirable that it does not directly come into contact with the street wall. The height from the floor is also determined by several factors. For cold climatic zones, they try to place houses higher, for chickens that do not fly well lower. Usually a minimum height of 300 mm is sufficient, and the maximum should not be raised above 1000 mm.

Varieties

Two main types are accepted:

  1. Simple - for eggs, in the form of a booth.
  2. Nest with egg box. This option has two subspecies - with a double bottom and in the form of a container.

When choosing an option, you should use the principle - the drawing should be simple. Proper nests should not only be convenient for collecting eggs, but most importantly, the laying hens should like it and be easy to clean. Provide the possibility of disinfecting all its parts, leaving no hidden corners. Let's consider several options for how to arrange a laying nest.

Simple

Making a simple version does not provide great complexity. Just look at the photos on the Internet and choose the most suitable for yourself. There are only a few important factors to consider:

  • the laying hen should remain alone in the nest and feel protected. Therefore, the volume of the house must be protected from at least three sides and have a roof;
  • so that the egg does not roll out of the nest, a rim of at least 50 mm is needed at the entrance;
  • cleaning should be easy. Access to the egg is free.

You can choose almost any material as a material, the main thing is that it should not injure the chicken and it was easy to disinfect it. Let's consider several options:

The simplest, temporary option. Berm a 12 liter square plastic bucket and lay on its side. It is enough to arrange a side and a ready-made nest. Simple and effective. Plastic is easy to clean and disinfects well. But unfortunately, under operating conditions, the chicken coop will not be durable.

No less simple option. A large tractor tire is cut into segments and placed as a nest. Will be used forever. But the emitted rubber odors and associated gases may not please the laying hen.

The most common way to make a nest is to use plywood or wood. It is not difficult to assemble an impromptu box of the required length and break it into cells, even with little experience. It will be very effective if you put a low vegetable box in each cell. The side is ready and it will be easy to wash it.

Nests with egg collector

A slightly more complex device with an egg collector. Of course, the pecking problem can be solved by adding special premixes to the poultry feed, but removing the egg immediately after it has been laid is more effective.

Under cramped conditions, the egg collector is arranged on the side of access to the nest of the laying hen. With proper design, it is best to remove the egg from the back without disturbing the laying hens.

Most often it is recommended to make a double bottom with an egg slope in the middle of the nest. How to build such a structure is quite well described in many articles and presented in the video. In our opinion, it should be much easier to do.

The bottom of the nest is arranged at a slight angle to the front or rear wall. The angle of inclination is chosen as a rule from 5 to 10 degrees. In the line of the smallest height, a gap is made with a size exceeding 1/3 the diameter of the egg.

From the outside, a tray is arranged for receiving eggs. Which trays should be depends on the egg production of the laying hen and the frequency of egg retrieval. The tray is upholstered with soft rubberized material.

You can simply cover it with sawdust, straw, peat or any other porous material that prevents eggs from breaking. If the slope is made on the front side, then it is better to cover it with a lid so that the laying hen herself or her friends do not feast on a fresh egg.

As a bedding in such a nest, it is better to use sawdust and make a thin layer so that it does not prevent the eggs from rolling.

It will be good if the nest is equipped with a nipple drinker. The chicken will rush more calmly and, if necessary, can drink.

how to make a nest

When arranging, one should not forget about jump sites and perches. Not correctly chosen at what height buildings and perches are placed often explains why a rooster sits in a nest. In addition, do not forget that he may wake up instincts to replace the club during her walk at lunch. Do not leave eggs in the coop for long periods of time.

If it is noticed that the chicken has begun to make the characteristic sounds of "cloughing", then you should think about how to stop the sitting of the chicken. If the goal is not to get chickens. One way would be to isolate her in a separate cage for 4-5 days and increase the protein content of the feed. At the same time, the amount of food is reduced. Sometimes a starvation diet is arranged.

If it is noticed that the laying hen continues to lay eggs anywhere, for a start it is worth trying to accustom her to the nest.

To do this, pieces of chalk or an imitation of an egg are placed there. If none of the known methods helps, then it makes sense to figure out where the mistake was made when building a chicken coop.

This may be excessive noise, drafts, dampness, or some other factors that make the nest uncomfortable. Properly arranged nests will not only collect eggs in a timely manner, but also increase their number.

Types of perches

Before you independently undertake the construction of a perch, you need to decide what the design will be. The most popular types will be described below.


Do-it-yourself perches for laying hens: a sequence of actions

The number of livestock and the size of the room directly affect the size of the perches. The main task of a person is to create such a design so that the bird quickly gets used to it.

A simple instruction consists of the following sequence of actions:


For more good example. Length - 2.5 m; width - 1.4 m. With a length of the structure exceeding one and a half meters, an additional support is made, as in this example. It must be installed in the middle, this will help to avoid deflection of the perch under the weight of the bird.

    Bars of 2.5 m are cut off, sawn off using a planer and sandpaper, all the irregularities of the tree are removed. You should get slightly rounded sticks as even as possible, which will greatly facilitate the seating of the bird on perches.

    The bars are attached to the frame, keeping a distance of 25 cm from each other.

As you can see from the article, there are no difficulties with building a perch with your own hands.

Domestication of turkeys

The turkey as a poultry was already known to the Aztec civilization. They used a broth made from turkey meat to treat various ailments.

The domestication of this bird by humans occurred long ago in Europe long before the discovery of America. At the beginning of the sixteenth century, turkeys were brought to Spain, after which they were called Spanish chickens. A little later, they successfully spread to England, France and further throughout Europe. IN English language one more name was assigned to these chickens - Turkish chickens.

How to tell a turkey from a turkey

This bird is the largest poultry after the ostrich. Depending on the breed and age, the live weight of males ranges from 9 to 35 kg, females - from 4.5 to 11 kg. The body has a streamlined shape. Nature rewarded them with powerful and long legs, which allow the bird to reach speeds of up to 50 km / h. These birds have a small head, a long neck and a strong beak.

Feathers on the head and neck are absent. But they are “decorated” with peculiar skin formations of reddish hues. Males have a fleshy appendage in the upper part of the beak, which, during excitement, the bird increases in size and sometimes reaches 15 cm. The rest of the body is covered with feathers. Plumage colors are quite varied. Depending on the breed, they can be white, bronze, black, etc. wild nature The life expectancy of turkeys is on average 3 years, at home - up to 12 years.

How birds breed Breeding broiler turkeys at homeGeneric honeycomb systemCages for laying hens and do-it-yourself drawings

Best of all, turkeys take root in a warm and temperate climate, where in winter they should be kept in well-caulked, albeit unheated, poultry houses, which will be reliably protected from the winds. This is due to the fact that this poultry, and especially young animals, is extremely susceptible to colds, is sensitive to cold and does not tolerate dampness. Walking - necessary condition for the health of the turkey. The exit from the poultry house should be equipped on its southern side at a height of 10 or 15 centimeters from the floor. The owner must provide space when walking this bird.

What is felucene? Preparation for pigs, chickens, calves, cattle, etc.

A perch for a turkey and turkeys must be built from wooden blocks and placed at a height of about one meter from the floor. You also need to make nests for turkeys with the expectation that there are five turkeys per nest. The nest must have the following dimensions (WxDxH): 60×60×60 cm. The nest must be provided with a 15 cm threshold.

Since these poultry have not lost their ability to fly, it is more expedient to cut their wings or make high poultry houses. Birds are settled at the rate of 8–12 females per male. The nature of these birds is quarrelsome.

The place for walking the birds should be equipped with a canopy so that they can hide under it from the weather.

Feeding turkeys

In private courtyards, these birds are often fed with the following products:

  • oats,
  • barley
  • compound feed (in various forms),
  • soaked bread,
  • buckwheat grains,
  • boiled potatoes.

While walking, turkeys are happy to eat caterpillars, worms, various beetles, butterfly pupae, frogs and even field mice. Therefore, in a poultry house, it makes sense to give them top dressing containing animal protein: birds willingly eat raw and boiled meat. Some owners release turkeys into a garden where there are no berry plants in order to exterminate harmful insects and their larvae.

Turkeys are often used to exterminate Colorado potato beetles in the garden, which they are accustomed to from childhood, adding crushed Colorado potato beetles a little at first.

Newly hatched turkeys are fed with finely chopped hard-boiled eggs, finely chopped nettles, white bread soaked in water. With age, coarser food is added - grain (preferably millet).

Reproduction of turkeys. How many eggs does a female lay?

When bred in private backyards, turkeys reach sexual maturity at 8–9 months. Eggs begin to be laid from spring to autumn with a frequency of once a day or every other day in the morning. They have a dark plum color and weight from 75 to 90 grams. Turkeys lay 50 to 90 eggs.

The turkey is considered the best mother hen of all poultry, as they have remarkable patience. Many owners use this property for their own benefit, forcing the female to hatch not only her chicks, but also chicken, duck and goose two or even three times a year. From 12 to 20 turkey eggs fit under the female. The incubation period for turkey eggs is 28–30 days.

Description and features of the dominant chicken breed

Farming turkeys on an industrial scale is different from backyard farming as it involves year-round production. Under production conditions, turkeys reach sexual maturity earlier and start laying at 28-34 weeks of age, regardless of the season. For a period of up to twenty-one weeks, the female turkey lays up to 150 (sometimes 200) eggs, after which she is sent for slaughter, replacing the young.

From an ordinary turkey, by selection, people brought out several breeds of poultry, the most common of which are:

  • white dutch turkey,
  • white broad-breasted,
  • beltsville,
  • bourbon red turkey,
  • cambridge bronze broad-breasted turkey,
  • large white,
  • moscow white,
  • north Caucasian white,
  • north Caucasian bronze,
  • black Spanish (Black Norfolk) turkey.

The meat of this bird belongs to dietary products. It contains easily digestible protein (28%) and has excellent taste. Also, quite valuable down and feathers are obtained from this bird. Litter is used as a fertilizer.

IN modern world breeding these poultry in industrial scale engaged in many countries, and the leader in the production of turkey meat is the United States of America.

The maximum egg production of poultry depends on many factors, but nests for birds in any case should be comfortable. We suggest that you familiarize yourself with the possible options for such structures when breeding turkeys and how to arrange them using improvised materials.

Types of nests and their variety

Turkeys are rather large birds, therefore, when arranging classic nest options, it is necessary to take into account the parameters of the birds.

For the rest, among possible types such nests are distinguished as follows:


The choice of a specific option for turkeys depends on the method of keeping the birds and the number of livestock: when breeding birds on an industrial scale, it makes sense to install a cellular structure, with separate compartments for each turkey.

Did you know? by the most big turkey in history, a bird from Great Britain, nicknamed Tyson, is considered. In 1989, his killerweight was 39.09 kg.

Basic rules and requirements for construction

The process of building nests for turkeys is not particularly difficult, but in this case it is important to take into account several basic requirements:


Important!There should be no rodents in the poultry house, otherwise the safety of the eggs laid will be at risk. Mice and rats love warmth and will certainly climb inside the nest.

How to make a DIY turkey nest

Before proceeding with the independent manufacture of the specified product for turkeys, it is worth correctly calculating the required design parameters, preparing necessary tools and materials.

Dimensions and drawings

Dimensions of products and drawings for them directly depend on their type and available suitable materials, but in any case, it is important to take into account the generally accepted norms for the size of such structures:

  • width - not less than 50 cm;
  • depth - 60 cm;
  • wall height - 50–70 cm;
  • the height of the front side is 15–20 cm.

When designing, it is worth paying attention to the fact that turkeys do not rush at the same time. According to statistics, at one time only one bird out of five lays an egg while the other 4 are feeding or in the walking area, therefore, on average, it is rational to install 1 nest for 5 females.


Necessary materials and tools for work

Specific materials and tools for creating the bird products in question depend on the type of construction chosen, but In almost all cases, you will need the following:

  • wooden bars;
  • nails or wood screws;
  • hammer or screwdriver;
  • hand or electric saw;
  • metal corners for greater structural rigidity;
  • Chipboard or other similar material for shelter (if we are talking about a multi-tiered structure);
  • ready-made plastic or wooden box (for a separate nest);
  • wooden barrel or wicker basket of suitable diameter.

Instead of a basket or barrel, you can also use other improvised materials that will have a recess and can serve as a good perch for turkeys.

Did you know?The characteristic sounds that turkeys make (cooing) are characteristic only for males, but females, contrary to popular belief, always remain silent.

Step-by-step manufacturing instructions

All options for a homemade turkey nest have their own manufacturing process, so you should pay attention to each one individually.

From boxes

A turkey nest made of boxes is the simplest version of this design, and its main element is a ready-made plastic vegetable box. You can use wooden boxes, which are also found in the trade. wooden product even better than plastic, because it retains heat perfectly, but it is better not to use metal containers, because they do not retain heat and often cause hypothermia of eggs.

The sequence for making a nest from a plastic vegetable box will be as follows:

  1. Cleaning and disinfection of all surfaces using water and detergent.
  2. Removal of one of the walls (only a low side, about 20 cm high, should remain from it);
  3. Drying the box and placing a comfortable bedding made of soft tissue, straw or sawdust (to improve ventilation, you can additionally lay large branches on the bottom).
  4. Installation of a box on a wooden or any other elevation above a concrete floor.
  5. Organization of a canopy over the product - at the corners of the box, you need to fasten wooden beams 20 cm long, and then fix chipboard on them, thereby organizing a kind of gable roof.

To protect the structure, instead of chipboard, you can use a fabric screen or protection from another dense material.

From improvised materials

The most suitable ready-made products for creating turkey nests are a strong wicker basket and a wooden barrel. If in the first case the main task of the poultry farmer is only to organize a good litter with the subsequent installation of a canopy, then the barrel must be properly prepared.

In this case, the sequence of actions performed will be as follows:
  1. Find a barrel of suitable size and disinfect all its surfaces (it is better to choose a product with a minimum of metal components).
  2. On one side, remove the lid, leaving only a small side 10-15 cm high.
  3. Lay the barrel on its side and fix it so that it does not rock (you can dig a little).
  4. Place a bed of hay inside the container.

Instead of a wooden barrel, you can use a large plastic bucket, although this is only a temporary solution, and soon the turkeys will need a more durable perch.


From bricks

A brick nest is another easy DIY option, and much stronger than the previous ones.

In this case, the process of making a perch consists of the following sequential steps:

  1. Brickwork of a small elevation, the width of which should correspond to the number of nests.
  2. Burlap flooring in the areas where the nests themselves are located (the material must be laid in several layers).
  3. Laying bricks flat around the incubation site (the sides should turn out).
  4. Filling the space between the walls with straw, with its good compaction.
  5. Installation of a cardboard or plywood partition that will help separate the described bird products from each other.

Important!To make the nest more attractive to birds, it is recommended to compact the bedding layer (for example, hay) well, organizing a small depression in the middle.

How to properly install and equip the nest

To install the finished structure, they choose a place that is shaded and protected from drafts, which will be easy to reach not only for the birds themselves, but also for their owner (for example, to collect eggs and change the litter). It is good if the product is located at a height of 25-30 cm above the floor level, which will better keep the heat inside.

Video: First Turkey Nest

In cases where there are more than a dozen turkeys on the farm, it is more reasonable to organize rows that consist of identical long (for example, three-meter) boards and one narrower one. Partitions are fastened between long boards at the required distance from each other (according to the width of the nest), and the gaps between them are closed by chipboard.

When the base of the structure is assembled (the end, upper back and bottom boards are fixed) and all the partitions take their places according to the marks made earlier, you can begin to fasten the OSB and chipboard sheets. The narrowest board is fixed in front of the structure and will serve as a small threshold for the turkeys at the entrance to the nest, preventing the eggs from rolling out.

The roof (single or gable), perches and sides are fixed to the support frame with self-tapping screws, and as soon as all the individual parts are interconnected, all that remains is to put straw bedding inside and install all the nests on a platform 25–50 cm high.

The convenience of the nest directly affects the egg production of turkeys, because during egg laying they should feel as calm and protected as possible. By choosing the right materials and correctly connecting the individual parts to each other, you can significantly increase the chances of success both in private breeding of turkeys and in industrial cultivation birds.

Poultry farming, turkeys, turkeys, turkey poults, turkey breeding at home, how to breed turkeys, how to arrange nests for turkeys, how to feed turkeys, how to feed turkeys, turkey videos

In today's article, you will learn:

Features of Indians.
How to make nests for turkeys.
How to keep turkeys nicely.
What to feed them.
How to find out who will hatch from an egg a turkey or a turkey.

Turkey care and turkeys

no more difficult than for other poultry. First of all, it is necessary that the turkeys are early. Early broods can be obtained by keeping turkeys in slightly heated rooms in winter. It does not follow from this that turkeys should always be in a warm room, on the contrary, in slight frosts and dry winter days they should be released into the yard from sunrise to sunset; only a warm overnight stay is needed, it is also worth paying special attention to such an aspect as turkey diseases

How to make nests for turkeys

Partitions or walls of nests for turkeys are raised so high that the hens cannot see one another. The floors in the nests are first lined with branches, and then with straw, on top of which hay is laid. It will be useful if the eggs in the nest are surrounded by a wreath of straw so that they do not move apart and lie closer to each other - the straw keeps the heat in the nest.
Maintenance of females and males of turkeys

For 8-10 turkeys, one turkey is left. The most capable of hatching eggs are considered 2-4-year-old turkeys. Males are suitable only at the age of two to three years. It happens that turkeys rush twice a year: in spring they are able to lay 15-20 eggs, which they try to hide by any means, so they need to be examined every morning. The first egg laid by a turkey is called a nest egg - it is marked with ink and left in the nest so that the turkey is more likely to lay subsequent eggs next to it. It is most profitable to plant several turkeys on eggs in one day.

Those turkeys who show a desire to incubate before others should lay a nest egg, leaving it until the others stop laying. Then 15–19 eggs are placed under each turkey. Turkeys should not be allowed to incubate eggs. What kind of eggs should be placed under the turkey. Since not all eggs are suitable for incubation, those that do not have numerous white transparent spots are chosen - these eggs are obviously not fertilized enough, the shells on them are thin, therefore they cool quickly when the turkey leaves the nest for eating. The easiest way to determine the suitability of eggs is in warm water. Those that float to the surface are not suitable for incubation, and those that sink to the bottom have an embryo in them and therefore are placed under the turkey.

In practice, it has been noted that turkeys hatch from relatively round eggs, and turkeys hatch from pointed ones. The rooms where the eggs will hatch should be warm, and the windows should be directed to the south or east. The noise level here is minimal. The premises should be ventilated twice daily and whitened with lime once a year. Nests should be thoroughly rinsed before planting turkeys, as well as the floor. In the latter, it is necessary to avoid cracks into which predatory animals could climb - ferrets, minks, otters and others. In warm weather, windows should be opened, while they should be taken away with wooden bars from dogs and cats.

Feeding turkey hens

Every morning, turkeys are fed oats soaked in water. At the time when the birds leave their nests for feeding, they should be covered tightly, folded several times, so that the eggs do not cool down. Chicks are usually incubated for four weeks, but already from the 27th day they check how many pecked eggs are in the nests. After drinking and feeding the turkeys, they leave them in the nests - the eggs should not be cooled. It happens that some chicks come out of the eggs on the 31st or 32nd day, weak turkeys need to be helped to hatch, that is, carefully break the shell.

Feeding turkeys

On the third day, when the goiter of the chicks is cleared, they are put in a sieve and the shells of the eggs from which they came out are fumigated with smoke. Then they give food prepared in this way: leaves of nettle, burdock, silverfish, bugs, porridge and thyme are washed and cut with a knife (when cutting grass, they give more juice, which is harmful to turkeys). The crushed grass is well mixed, sprinkled with wheat bran or barley flour, added to a mixture of sour milk and the food is placed in small piles on a thick canvas, which will draw out excess moisture, harmful to turkeys.

Feed for overgrown turkeys and adult birds

Monthly turkeys are given herbal feed with sour milk, gradually adding whey or pure water. At the same time, the feed is mixed, as dough for bread is kneaded. When the heads of turkey poults begin to turn red, they need to be given grits or horse sorrel flowers with seeds, which make up a third of the total feed. A tablespoon of crushed sulfur is added to three liters of such food. This food is given twice a day until the turkeys grow scallops. From this point on, turkeys can be considered adults and fed in the same way as other adult turkeys. The diet includes potato stalks, yellowed cabbage and swede leaves, middle-aged lettuce, and the like. Nettles with seeds and leaves should always be added; chopped grass is sprinkled with bran or barley flour. When haying, they should be driven out to mowed meadows, and after harvesting - to a compressed field, where turkeys will find a lot of food. The winter diet usually includes raw chopped rutabagas, potatoes, carrots, turnips, and cabbage. It is harmless to feed steamed chaff, except for barley and buckwheat.

A thermophilic bird with a high rating in different countries, the turkey has many positive characteristics. Egg production is estimated a high degree, in one clutch there can be from 15 to 20 eggs. Despite their resistance to cold, exotic birds should not be kept outside the house, and a turkey nest is a prerequisite for keeping them.

The nest for the turkey should be roomy, the southern bird is quite large, with good nutrition, its weight reaches 12 kilograms. Nests are also classified. Before constructing a nest, correctly make all the necessary measurements.

Tip: The location of bird nests should be cozy and always in the dark or twilight. The structures should be located at a distance from one another, they are fenced off with the help of high one and a half meter walls.

The nest can be open, and be a box or a basket, there is no top cover in them. Can only be used in a closed turkey house to prevent rain or snow from entering.

The closed nest type is also applicable in an uncovered turkey house, they have a lid.

The simplest nest is easily and quickly built, if you take one box or several as a basis, depending on the type of construction and the number of places. Vegetable boxes with standard sizes are taken. Eco-friendly wooden ones are preferable, they are well ventilated and ventilated, which is necessary for eggs. They or him, if one copy is taken, are washed, disinfected and dried. The bottom of the box is covered with bedding. You can make a fabric or other screen, and upholster a box with it, instead of which a wicker basket is sometimes used.

From bricks

A strong nest is obtained from bricks. Soft material is laid in the central part of the structure, an old mattress, blanket or sweatshirt will do. Bricks are superimposed on top, it is possible in one layer. In order for the turkey eggs to be located between the bricks, voids are left between them. The structure is rammed with straw.

Tip: If the places for perching turkeys are equipped at a close distance from each other, it will be necessary to make screens from cardboard or a wooden panel that separate one laying hen from another.

From improvised materials

If the turkey house is spacious enough, you can make nests of various designs from almost any tool at hand. For example, for a turkey, you can make a plywood booth 1 cm thick. You can use other material, but the density should be similar to plywood. Walls, ceiling and floor are made from it.

The frame is constructed from wooden beams. To measure the parameters, a ruler and tape measure are prepared. To fasten the parts, they stock up on accessories: corners, screws, screws, etc., as well as tools to assemble the nest: a hammer, a jigsaw, a saw, a screwdriver and a screwdriver.

Tip: The fittings should not be large, the sharp ends of the metal parts, if they go beyond the structure, can injure the turkey.

The selected material should be cut into squares that will serve as the walls of the cozy place for the turkey. The workpiece must be sanded and machined so that the turkeys cannot splinter. Walls by quantity are determined based on the number of places for masonry.

A rectangular or round hole is made in one wall for a turkey manhole. Its parameters are determined by the size of the laying hen, but from the bottom to the hole should be at least 20 centimeters.

The bars should be the same height with the walls. The construction of the bars is connected to plywood or other blanks. A lid is made, it is best to put it on hinges so that collecting eggs and cleaning the nest is a convenient activity.

Frame-type nests are also made from plywood and bars. The difference is that the hole for the manhole will be replaced by a board. Bars with the desired cross section are selected. If the structure is large, it will be necessary to prepare additional supports for the frame. Next, the vertical supports are installed on the base of the future nest.

To attach a sloping roof, the front and rear posts must be 10 centimeters different in height. The length and height of the cell of one nest should be 60 cm. The walls are fastened to the frame. The material is pre-processed.

Before entering the nesting place, a small threshold is made with a height of 20 cm or more. If it is lower, the turkey, when raking the litter, will be able to throw some eggs along with the straw.

Tip: It is obligatory to install a perch convenient for the turkey with a width of 15 to 25 centimeters.

There are battery slots. Dimensions should be within 60 by 60 by 3000 cm. 3 boards 60 by 3,000 are taken, a pair of 60 by 60 and one narrow 15 by 3,000 cm. The design is suitable for four turkeys. A box is assembled along which partitions are placed. A narrow board is nailed to the front. The product for a turkey is established on a platform.

With egg collector

If poultry farmers, in general, need to collect eggs frequently, without leaving the turkey to incubate them, then it is better to build a nest that has a special egg collector. From other designs, it mainly differs in an inclined bottom, along which the egg rolls down, and falls into a predetermined place.

The basis of the nest, which has an egg collector, is a booth; the walls will be bars fastened with self-tapping screws. Sometimes they make a double floor, but it can also be single. The flooring on which the eggs will roll should be fixed at an angle of inclination of 10 or 15 degrees. The side of the entrance zone serves as the beginning of the slope, it ends in the opposite direction.

The back wall is installed in such a way that the trajectory of the passage of the egg is through the gap between the wall and the flooring. To prevent the eggs from rolling too fast, attach a piece of fabric or an elastic band to the bottom of the back wall as a shock absorber. Lay hay or sawdust on the bottom, tamp it so that it does not interfere with the eggs on the way.

The egg collector will need to be fixed at the back of the structure. Various soft materials are suitable for its manufacture so that eggs cannot break when falling into it.

The egg collector can also be retractable. The booth bottom is necessarily made double. There should be a gap between the two parts of the floor. The bottom pieces should be set so that the slope is 10 or 15 degrees. A box is placed below so that it has a slope to the front wall. The egg collector is covered with a soft cloth.

The principle of a retractable structure with a collection of eggs is to roll them down a sloping floor through a crack to a box installed at the bottom of the nest. Having pulled out the box, the products of the turkeys are taken away, returning the box back. To save space, the structure can be attached to the wall of the turkey house.

Nest arrangement

A place for carrying and hatching turkey eggs should be located at a distance of 25 or 50 centimeters from the bottom. The cell should be wide, about 60 or 70 centimeters. Partitions between turkey places should be at least half a meter high.

For comfort, the bottom of the nest is covered with branches. The bottom layer can be soil. All birds do not lay at the same time, which should be taken into account when calculating the required number of nests in the turkey house. Most often, laying is done by 1 turkey out of 5. That is, for five females, 1 nesting site must be made.

Tip: Installing the nest should be in a secluded corner that the turkey has chosen for a long time, and it is familiar to her, and she will strive there. The location must be away from front door turkey house.

Nests should not be leaned against the cold floor and walls. Above the stone floor, it should be located at a distance of about 40 cm. Periodically, fresh straw or hay spreads to the bottom.

The optimal temperature of the house is considered to be 24 or 28 positive degrees. So that the turkeys do not have digestive problems, and they do not peck at the laid eggs, handfuls of fine gravel are sprinkled on the nest litter.

How to nest train

A turkey needs at least 0.5 square meters of nest space. It's good when the bird itself determines the place. But you can pick it up, carry it and plant it for the first time on your own, showing the place. It is better to mark the territory where the turkey sits on its own, and build a nest there. Near the nesting place there should be a drinking bowl and a container with food.

The turkey is the largest bird that can be grown in our latitudes. Despite some difficulties in keeping, the turkey is popular because of the valuable feather and large amount of meat. Nests for turkeys require a special approach in design.

How to make a place for turkeys? It is important to remember that a good seat should be large enough, because unlike chickens, turkeys are large birds. The weight of an adult female can reach eleven kilograms.

When designing a nest, keep in mind that its size will vary depending on the breed of your bird. On average, the base is a square (rarely a rectangle) with a side of fifty centimeters. The height of the side should not be less than twenty centimeters, because for a turkey it is important to dig the eggs deeper into the litter.

Neighboring layers should not see each other. To do this, make high and dense side walls up to seventy centimeters high.

Of course, nest design can vary depending on how many birds you have. Usually one place is enough for five layers. In laying hens no more than six eggs. For normal reproduction and hatching of chicks, it is necessary to observe the regime characteristic of these birds. In nature, turkeys lived in southern and dry regions and therefore have high requirements for temperature and humidity. The air inside should be at least twenty-five degrees, and the humidity should be maintained at an optimal level - no more than forty percent. In order to insulate the pallet, hay or straw is laid on the bottom. Such flooring will facilitate cleaning inside - turkeys are very clean birds.

If you plan to breed turkeys, it is important to remember the basic rules for bird care. The male should not sit on the clutch while the mother is gone to eat, this may prevent the chicks from developing normally. Eggs need to breathe. Also, do not forget about the need for gravel - this prevents the eggs from pecking.

In order to avoid injuries, as well as aggression of the male towards the hatched turkey, the nesting site should be far enough from the entrance to the poultry house.

In order for the hens not to leave the nests for a long time, the conditions for their maintenance must be optimal during this important period. Balanced feeding of turkeys, regular litter changes, maintaining the microclimate in the seat - all this, with a well-designed place, will ensure a stable and healthy offspring.

Tools and materials

A do-it-yourself nest is best made from wood. For any design you will need enough boards or OSD. Calculate consumable can be based on the size of your birds.

Pay attention to the material for the frame - it must be strong and solid. Oak or pine timber is best suited for this purpose. It must be remembered that all wooden material must be treated with special means that will allow it to last for a long time. These are water-resistant suspensions that will prevent the tree from rotting prematurely, as well as some fungicidal and insecticidal preparations that eliminate unwanted pests. Screws, nails, metal corners as fasteners and reinforcing joints, a saw, an electric jigsaw, a hammer, a screwdriver - the set in this toolkit depends on the material you want to lay, as well as on the type that you choose for your birds.

Types of homemade nests

For turkey nests, the same division according to their appearance is characteristic, as for the nests of any other birds. There are designs open, closed and with an egg collector. The difference between them lies in the technology of use, the form and the place in which it can be placed.

Open nests can only be placed in a building reserved for a poultry house. Such nests do not have any covering from above and look like boxes or baskets.

Closed nests are different from open topics that can be located on the street due to the presence of a top cover. This will help protect the masonry from precipitation and drafts. A kind of closed is considered a battery socket. Usually this is a large long box that does not have a front wall. Seats in the "battery" are usually arranged in several tiers. The "battery" for the turkey does not need a special ladder, unlike the chicken "battery".

Nests with an egg collector are equipped with a double bottom and a sloping floor. A laid egg rolls into a chute or niche and is no longer accessible to the bird. For turkeys, such nests are rarely created - in cases where they do not want to have offspring.

Step-by-step instruction

  • Assembly should start with the frame. First of all, we measure the distance for the future nest. It makes sense to add intermediate supports only if you want to make a large span between cells and nests. The height of the nest from the floor ranges from twenty to ninety centimeters. It is better to make the nest higher so that other birds do not become stressful for the turkey.

  • For a frame for four places, two load-bearing beams are needed one and a half meters long, two horizontal beams of two and a half meters each, three jumpers in order to put a roof on top - no more than seventy centimeters.
  • It is recommended to put a perch in front of the box itself so that it is easy for the birds to climb into the nest. Usually this is a thin pole twenty centimeters wide at a sufficient distance from the nest itself. Instead of a pole, a platform in the form of a wide board with transverse bars is often used to make it easier for the birds to understand.
  • If you want to make single-tiered nests, make the roof sloping. Then other birds will not be able to be on it.
  • After the frame is ready, you can start covering it with sheet materials. We mount the roof from the same boards or plates.
  • Between the seats and chipboard we mount high, dense partitions. Do not forget to put a fifteen-centimeter threshold.

Video “Turkey Nest”

In this video you will learn about what a turkey nest looks like.