Alongside poultry, turkeys can play a big role in meeting the demand for animal protein. With that in mind, a farm was started through private effort in Badda in the capital, where turkeys, guinea fowl, ostriches and quail are reared.

The farm was launched through the efforts of Shahin Howlader, an agriculture-minded engineer, and Miraj Hossain, who returned from Dubai. Through it Miraj has succeeded as an entrepreneur. After returning from Dubai he could not decide what to do, until he learned about turkeys online. He then took some training in turkey rearing and started the farm with just six turkeys.

Miraj's turkey farm has made a special contribution to turkey production, and because of it he is known to everyone as "Turkey Miraj". He started with only six turkeys in mid-2015; the farm now has 150 turkeys aged three to four months and 46 aged eight to nine months. A male turkey weighs 10 to 12kg; females are smaller and lighter, and a hen lays 80 to 100 eggs a year.

Turkey chicks hatch in 28 days in the incubator, and 200 to 250 chicks are produced here each month. Chicks can also be hatched in 28 days the traditional way, using local hens.

A one-month-old turkey chick costs Tk 3,000 and a guinea fowl chick Tk 2,000. A pair of adult turkeys costs Tk 10,000 to Tk 12,000, and each egg sells for Tk 150.

With a favourable setting, a clean house and regular feeding, turkeys do not fall ill. Each turkey needs 4 to 5 square feet of space. Pharmacist Enamul Haque gives round-the-clock treatment advice at the farm. There are four vaccination schedules, with vaccines needed against four diseases including Ranikhet.

Miraj Hossain has also started keeping ostriches, as well as quail. A good quail usually lays 250 to 300 eggs a year, almost every egg hatches, and the chicks start laying within six to seven weeks.

It is best to keep quail cages where there is enough light and air, but take care that rainwater does not soak the cages, as that makes quail more prone to disease.

Following Miraj Hossain's example, Nurul Huda, Partha Majumder Bappi and Sharif Abdul Kaium have also set up similar farms and have found success not only with turkeys but with guinea fowl and quail too. Miraj wants to spread the farm model commercially across the country.

Miraj Hossain said: "I dream of bringing about a turkey revolution. It is a good initiative for removing unemployment. Many entrepreneurs come to visit my farm every Friday."

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.