CONTINUATION OF MY STAY IN THE KINGDOM OF TURKEYS
The impossible is possible if you believe in success
...On that memorable day when I visited the real kingdom of turkeys in Ahal, – small chickens after the block, where they were raised during the first month of life, they had to be released into the open air, into free range. And the success of the subsequent stages of the experiment on their acclimatization and further development largely depended on how the young will transfer the stress of the transition from indoor conditions to the natural environment.
I remember how all the project participants were extremely excited and tense internally. After all, this was the second of the most serious tests.
And the first one? What was the first challenge our business farmers faced?
They did not even want to remember the first test, it was so difficult, alarming and, it seemed, hopeless.
Then the whole project, all the efforts and investments – literally everything hung, as they say, by a thread.
Due to transport difficulties caused by the global pandemic, containers of turkey eggs, stuck at various checkpoints, arrived in Turkmenistan with a long delay. And they were put into the incubator after all the deadlines had expired.
But according to the instructions, this had to be done no later than seven days! And their laying took place 10–11 days later than the established date – as much as 17 days!
In this situation, not a minute could be wasted. Moreover, the count went on for seconds. In an attempt to save the project, everyone worked at a rapid pace, as far as the physical capabilities and self–control of the workers allowed.
Assessing the situation, the creators of the technology from the headquarters of the Aviagen and Hybrid group were extremely confused, believing that the result of the Turkmen experiment would be close to failure.
All things considered, the French breeders who bred this breed of turkeys predicted chick yield about 55–65 percent, or even lower. And our entrepreneurs were well aware that 50 percent hatching of chickens in an incubator practically means bankruptcy. And they were ready for anything ...
Many believe that the most difficult thing for pioneers is the emergence of unpredictable obstacles.
No, it’s not like that. When difficulties suddenly arise, the pioneers of the new, the pioneers come to the aid of experience, indomitable will and perseverance, and most importantly – the belief in the importance of what they are doing. And this is the engine of progress.
And the most difficult thing is waiting for the result ...
A long, weary and exhausting wait, aggravated by a disappointing prognosis, but warmed by a thin ray of hope.
They had to wait for a whole month, while in a perfectly clean and quiet hatchery, reminiscent of a research laboratory, a small life hidden from their eyes slowly emerged. And suddenly…
Suddenly, exactly at the time indicated by nature, the first chick hatched ... Then – the second. The third. And then things began to take off! The chickens, one after the other, cracking the shells of eggs, twisted their faces, trying to discern what kind of world they had been brought into.
The joy of the poultry farmers knew no bounds. To everyone's surprise, including the authors of the project, in Turkmen conditions, even with a catastrophically late laying of eggs in the incubator, the actual hatchability of turkeys turned out to be (I find it hard to believe!) 85 percent!
No one could explain how such a sensational result came about! Even the French, congratulating our poultry farmers on the selector with great success, recommended them to continue their project in the same way!
… This was the first and very serious test.
And today – the second important testing. A responsible survival test. Chicks must be released into a natural field limited to one hectare.
Will they be able, after "home" service with balanced feeding and cooling the room to optimal temperatures, immediately switch to natural field conditions?
And again, everyone had to wait tensely for a practical answer to this question.
And four–week–old turkeys, once in the wild, first of all began to carefully look at the new situation.
Here, on the walk, everything was new to them: the sun overhead, the fresh air that did not pass through the filters of the fans, live juicy grass–alfalfa.
But most of all their attention was attracted by some tiny creatures – flying and jumping. Moreover, tasty. They turned out to be extremely annoying for us, humans, insects.
But from the very beginning, the turkey poults mostly studied the environment visually.
– Do they feel fear of being in an unfamiliar place? – I ask those present.
– It seems not, – they answered me. – If they had stress, then the chicks would behave differently: breathing and clang would be different, they would not move much, would be languid and would not show interest in unfamiliar things.
– Look! – the teenager Kemal exclaimed happily. – These little birds have already begun to frolic!
Then he carefully took one of the turkeys in his arms. And he behaved at ease. Apparently, he liked the warm hands of a boy who could be trusted.
Soon it became clear from the behavior of the chickens that they liked the natural conditions.
After the turkey poults adapted to the new environment, they began to study the territory with even greater curiosity, more boldly to master the new living space, its nooks, with visible pleasure nibbling at the "live" grasses growing from the ground.
And then, quite emboldened, they began to chase the scurrying here and there grasshoppers, bugs, worms.
And this was also a good sign – the chicks quickly learned an important lesson: they learned to independently obtain protein feed in their natural environment. And in this engagement, the young showed an enviable agility.
“Look how they liked the live food,” Shamammad remarked. – In the evenings, you will need to turn on the lamps in the field in order to attract more insects, crickets, grasshoppers, which will begin to flock into the light. And they are a source of very valuable protein feed.
... While we were admiring the fun of the turkey poults in the open air, the sun began to bake, and the smartest of them went under the canopy on their own, until the air of freedom turned their heads, like that of Professor Pleischner recruited by Stirlitz.
The chickens quickly got used to it – after all, the nature is all around, but under a protective roof.
According to the project calculations, the costs for grazing turkeys are several times less than in the confined spaces of special complexes.
Nevertheless, in addition to the dzhugara and alfalfa grown here (in its bushes you can hardly see small chickens), for a balanced diet, young animals need to be given 100–180 grams of chopped corn daily, as well as, but less often, shell rock and a little cottonseed oil.
By the way, all this is abundant in Turkmenistan, including naturally inhabiting insects, which, as Shamammad noted, are a biological product necessary for the development of chickens. And it's free!
And although the use of shell rock as feed may seem strange, but firstly it is a good source of calcium, and secondly, due to the lack of teeth in turkeys (by the way, like in all birds), it helps them grind in the stomach solid foods and facilitate their digestion.
... Having assessed everything that was happening satisfactorily, the Turkmen poultry farmers finally breathed a sigh of relief. They were finally convinced that reality, having opened its arms, accepted the first batch of turkey poults of a new breed for Turkmenistan into its fold.
And those, indeed, have matured. More recently, they were born in the form of small lumps with fluffy plumage of a gray color in a dotted speck. From these dark outgrowths, real feathers, like those of adult turkeys, will soon grow, luxuriantly covering the body of the bird.
Today, all those present witnessed how not chickens come to the field, but matured birds weighing one and a half to two kilograms and with hints of the bronze color characteristic of this breed.
Seeing how the turkeys are actively adapting to a new place, under the open sky and the natural sun, I asked:
– Thanks to what did you manage to adapt the pampered French turkeys to our hot climate so quickly?
“After the incubation period,” Shamammad replied, “we kept the chickens in a special block for 35 days, gradually increasing the temperature by one degree.
“Initially, the air in the room was warmed up to 24 degrees,” Shamammad continued, “and outside at that time it was under 40. And we gradually reduced this temperature difference in order to adapt the chicks to the usual Turkmen weather. Indoor humidity was also regulated, gradually decreasing to the level of our climate.
To achieve this, the poultry houses were equipped in advance with the most modern equipment from European manufacturers, which automatically, according to the program, regulates all parameters in the room, moreover, depending on the behavior of the birds.
Monitoring is carried out by 5–6 sensors, showing information about how much turkey poults drink water, eat feed, how they gain weight, etc. There are scales on the farm, and the chicks are mostly curious creatures, move to and fro, wants to know everything.
And when they, playfully, jump on a device specially installed here, connected to a centralized computer, it displays the average weight of the chickens.
Thanks to this, you can judge how quickly the chicks gain weight. And all this data instantly goes not only to Turkmen employees, but also to French partners – the authors of this progressive technology.
... Turkey poults are outwardly similar to each other, but their characters are different. Some are meek and calm, somewhere contemplative, like philosophers or poets.
Others – as it were, inquisitive, wandering everywhere, looking for something and researching, downright scientists of some sort.
But there are also cocky, zealously sorting out the relationship, which of them will be stronger.
First, the turkey directs a menacing look at the opponent. And if he gives a weakness, then begins to attack him. Well, you can't stop them here.
Like turkeys, but themselves like a cat and a dog. Or as zealous boys who, with their leadership, wanting to attract the attention of girls, outwardly not paying attention to them, are brave in front of each other.
By the way, nature has decreed that the plumage of strong and pugnacious turkeys is brighter, outwardly prominent so that it immediately catches the eye.
It should be noted that, in general, among birds raised in the wild, males (for example, pheasants, partridges, etc.), as a rule, have brighter plumage.
And this is not only in order to show off in front of friends, but in order to switch the gaze of a suddenly appeared hunter or a bloodthirsty predator. And then courageous males (including turkeys in the wild), seemingly playfully, but actually risking their lives, take uninvited guests away from the place where their girlfriend incubates offspring. At the same time, male leaders often die, saving their children and their mother.
I just want to exclaim: after all, these turkeys are real jigits! Noble as knights!
... After a long pause, Shamammad said:
“Do you know what surprises me the most? The fact that the turkey poults, hearing the voices, run to meet us in unison.
– Why? I asked, but there was no answer.
– But why? I asked again.
– Probably because they are incubator. After all, these poults did not have a mother. Rather, they never saw her. And incubator chickens, like orphans in orphanages, hope to find a parent in every comer,– Shamammad suggested.
... This was my acquaintance with the amazing kingdom of turkeys, at the court of which I stayed in the days of my acquaintance with them.
But I was determined to come here again. Most likely – in a month, to find out about the further fate of its inhabitants ...
(To be continued)
Alexander BAYRIEV
