Housing and Management of Turkey Flocks in Canada

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Relatively little is known about how farmers house and manage turkey flocks. To address this knowledge gap, a cross-sectional survey on housing and management practices of turkey flocks was conducted among farmers in Canada. Data were collected from 53 hen flocks (64%) and 30 tom flocks (36%), giving a total of 83 turkey flocks across the country. Flock age ranged between 7–14 weeks (interquartile range). The majority of turkey flocks were kept in indoor barns with automated ventilation. Bedding was provided to all flocks, and litter management was mostly focused on avoiding wet litter (e.g., adding dry litter or heat to avoid caking litter). Practices related to feed/water management and environmental control were relatively consistent between farms. More variation was observed between farmers in terms of flock health management and biosecurity practices. These results can benchmark current management practices within the Canadian turkey farming sector and present a foundation for future research. ABSTRACT: An increased understanding of the turkey sector and how farmers manage flocks can help maintain and improve the health and welfare of turkeys. We conducted a cross-sectional survey among turkey farmers in Canada to gain information regarding general farm characteristics, housing aspects (incl. lighting, ventilation), litter management, feed and water management, flock characteristics, and flock health management. The survey was distributed to 500 farmers through the Turkey Farmers of Canada in April–December 2019. A total of 83 final responses (response rate approx. 20%) were used for a descriptive analysis to determine the frequency of housing and management practices (77 commercial flocks, 6 breeder flocks). Hen flocks (n = 53) had a median age of eight weeks (IQR: 7–12 weeks) and tom flocks (n = 30) had a median age of 12 weeks (IQR: 9–14 weeks). Turkey flocks within Canada are typically kept in indoor barn systems on a concrete floor (87.5%), with bedding (e.g., straw, wood shavings) provided (100%). The majority followed a brood and move growing system (68.8%), and a large proportion of farmers indicated that they raised turkeys under the ‘Raised Without Antibiotics/Antibiotic Free’ or the ‘Responsible Use of Antibiotics’ certification (70.5%). Possible room for improvement could be found in terms of litter management and biosecurity practices, however, further research is needed to make clear recommendations.