The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy is pleased to offer this webpage
of downloadable information. This page contains much useful information
designed to be used for educational purposes and to support the conservation
of rare breeds of livestock and poultry. The material on this site is
copyrighted by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, and may not
be reproduced without proper attribution nor distributed without permission.
Heritage Turkeys
• ALBC Turkey Manual - How to Raise Heritage Turkeys on Pasture
So
you want to raise Heritage Turkeys. You have heard about their great flavor,
their healthy immune systems, and their perfect fit for pasture-based
production. But where do you turn for good information on Heritage turkey
production? Most of the currently available information on turkey husbandry
has been written primarily for the industrial Broad Breasted turkey, and
the books written for the Heritage – or Standard – turkeys
are out of print. Though some information in the modern publications apply,
the differences are critical to the health and management of Heritage
turkeys. For instance, Heritage turkeys fly – so how do you keep
them home? They have different nutritional needs, which if not met can
stunt their growth and your financial return. The list goes on.
The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy has developed
a modern manual for Heritage turkeys. It pulls together the best of the
historic production information appropriate for Heritage turkeys and the
best of modern health management. It addresses production from poult to
processing, and marketing from packaging to distribution. If you want
more information, the end of each chapter contains a rich resource list.
The chapters that follow may be downloaded at no charge
and reproduced for educational purposes. Hard copies may be obtained from
ALBC at a charge for printing at ALBC store's poultry
page.
ALBC will be conducting several multiple day production
clinics in 2008. To learn more about these or to be placed on the interest
list, please contact ALBC.
If you have any comments, suggestions, corrections or
questions please send them to: The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy,
PO Box 477, Pittsboro, NC 27517, or contact Jeannette Beranger at 919-542-5704
or jberanger@albc-usa.org.
Thanks to the many people who contributed to this manual,
and especially to the Southern Region SARE Professional Development Program
for funding this important project.
With best wishes to you as you explore pasture-rearing
Heritage Turkeys! Marjorie Bender, Research & Technical Program
Director, American Livestock Breeds Conservancy;
- Chapter 1. Choosing
a Variety and Obtaining Poults (PDF, 493K)
- Chapter 2. Brooding
and Brooder Pens (PDF, 390K)
- Chapter 3. Pasturing
Turkeys (PDF, 397K)
- Chapter 4. Feeds
and Feeding of Free Range Turkeys (PDF, 437K)
- Chapter 5. Common
Diseases and Aliments of Turkeys and Their Management (PDF, 303K)
- Chapter 6. Facilities,
Shelters, and Fencing (PDF, 632K)
- Chapter 7. Health
Promotion and Biosecurity (PDF, 326K)
- Chapter 8. Protecting
Heritage Turkeys from Predators (PDF, 269K)
- Chapter 9. Processing
and Marketing Regulations (PDF, 266K)
- Chapter 10. Value-added
Considerations, Alternative Farming Systems, and Labeling (PDF, 302K)
- Chapter 11. Promotion,
Field Days, and Tastings (PDF, 220K)
- Chapter 12. Connecting
with Consumers – Marketing Systems and Effective Approaches
(PDF, 212K)
- Chapter 13. Economics
of Heritage Turkey Production on Range (PDF, 262K)
Chickens
Chicken Assessment for Improving Productivity
This outline for selecting desirable production traits in chickens was
developed as part of an American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC) pilot
project to recover breed production characteristics of endangered poultry.
These guidelines are from well-established parameters developed by “old
school” poultrymen, as documented in some of the early to mid-20th
century poultry texts. This once commonplace knowledge and practice has
become unknown to most modern chicken farmers due to the ready availability
of chicks that can be purchased from large hatcheries.
ALBC offers this information for free download in an effort to support
small-scale poultry keeping. Hard copies may be obtained from ALBC at
a charge for printing at ALBC store's poultry
page.
Additional useful forms:
Biosecurity
In an effort to provide good information for our members and owners of
poultry, ALBC provides this information. Please check back periodically,
as new information will be added as it becomes available. See our LINKS
page for links of interest related to Biosecurity.
• Creating a
Contagious Disease Biosecurity Plan
• ALBC
Contagious Disease Biosecurity Plan (PDF)
• Bio-Security
Essential to Saving Rare Breeds
• Health Promotion
Recommendations for Poultry Conservation
• "Avian Flu
and You," by Don Schrider
• "At
last…..our birds are vaccinated against Avian Influenza"
by Andrea Heesters, The Netherlands
Financial Resources
• Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education
• National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service
• Alternative Farming Systems Information Center
• USDA Rural Development, Value-Added Producer Grants
• Organic Farming Research Foundation
• Michael Fields Agricultural Institute
• Association of International Educators
• Grant Writing Help Information Sheet
Other
• Statement of Concern
re: National Animal Identification System (NAIS)
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