The Shade Requirement of Growing Turkeys

Abstract

IN MANY areas of the United States turkeys are reared, after the brooding period, with very little housing except shade. On ranches having no natural shade, the construction of artificial shade shelters may be the major housing cost. No tests have been made, insofar as the authors are aware, on the shade requirement of growing turkeys. One might assume that enough space should be provided so that all birds could be in the shade’s shadow at any one time. Since a mature Bronze turkey occupies about 2 square feet of space, a series of tests was made using amounts above and below this arbitrary amount.MATERIALS AND METHODSThe tests were conducted at Davis, California, in three successive years, 1950, 1951, and 1952. The maximum air temperature recorded in the official weather station during the time of the tests was 105°F. Temperatures recorded in the pens were consistently higher than …