Gauteng Smallholder March 2017 | Page 33

From page 29 research in your area . Approach catering companies , event organisers , butchers and supermarkets to find out if they will buy from you . Or contact produce agents who would be able to sell your birds on your behalf . All the other considerations regarding starting a smallholding-based business apply . Are you close enough to your
markets to make it a viable business venture ? Next , draw up a budget taking into account expenses such as buying breeding birds , labour , fencing , construction of housing if necessary , feed , transport costs , storage and medical expenses . Do your research on how much people will be prepared to pay per kilo , so you
can get some idea of the possible profit . Also find out how prospective buyers expect the birds to be presented ~ does that mean you will need to slaughter and dress them on your plot ? Is there a poultry abattoir in your area , will they slaughter turkeys and what do they charge ? Determine what breed of turkey best suits your smallholding . There are

POULTRY

different breeds of turkey and each of them has their own particular advantages . There are some turkeys that are more heat tolerant than others , whereas there are turkeys that produce more eggs , are more fertile and hatch easier . SA poultry clubs list the following breeds as being available locally : American Mammoth Bronze , Beltsville
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Turkeys free ranging and foraging
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