turkeys, alternative livestock

Question 1

what are the three weight classes for turkey

Answer 1

broilers <5kg
light and heavy
also separated by sex (tom and hen)

Question 2

Canadian turkey industry trends

Answer 2

551 producers in canada, 40% in ont, Qc 23%, BC 12%

$412M in farm gate value

Question 3

broad breaded white

Answer 3

turkey breed - hybrid, most common commercially, fast growth, large breaded meat yield, shorter legs

Question 4

poults

Answer 4

young turkeys, arrive as day olds, challenge of starve out

Question 5

brooting

Answer 5

up to 5 weeks old, bar kept warmer until feathers can come in

Question 6

grow out

Answer 6

5-6 weeks to 11-17 weeks old

corn/soybean based diet, may include meat meal. challenge of feather pecking and canibalisim

Question 7

common themes with alternative livestock

Answer 7

limited markets:
- niche industries, may rely on producer marketing their own products
fragmented industry infrastructure - lack of distribution/processing facilities
boom and bust - follows fads
small # of producers
limited market info

Question 8

rabbit market weights

Answer 8

roasters - >2.34kg, fryers <2.34kg

Question 9

rabbit industry stats

Answer 9

172,500 meat rabbits in 2016, 621,000 slaughtered
3,800 producers
most in ont, QB, Ab

Question 10

rabbit repro

Answer 10

30-33 d gestation
kindling = giving birth
5-7 litters a year, 8-10 kits/ litter

Question 11

meat rabbit industry strengths

Answer 11

established traditional market, existing process infrastructure (~23 provincially, 1 fed)
nutritional attributes, strong leadership in ont livestock alliance
FCR ~3.4:1

Question 12

challenges in rabbit industry

Answer 12

expanding demand, CDN consumption 25g/person
consumer access
product development
reduce mortality
limited marketing options

Question 13

bison weights

Answer 13

bulls 1,500-2000lbs (680-910kg)
cows 800-1200lbs (385-545kg)
calves 40-60 lbs birthweight (18-27kg)
marketed at 24-30 months - 1000-2200lbs, 455-500 kg

Question 14

bison industry trends

Answer 14

low fat/calorie meat, high protein/iron/b-12
975 producers in 2016, herd size ~112
majority in W canada, AB, SK,MB. 1,800 in ont

Question 15

when do bison calve

Answer 15

seasonal breeders, calve in April/may

Question 16

alpaca female

Answer 16

hembra

Question 17

alpaca male

Answer 17

macho

Question 18

alpaca baby

Answer 18

cria

Question 19

alpaca uses

Answer 19

breeding stock, fibre (5-10 lbs/yr) prime blanket fleece only 3-4 lbs. pets.
huacaya - more popular “fluffy” breed
Suri - long silky hair

Question 20

llama uses

Answer 20

livestock guardian, fibre, meat, pets

Question 21

llama and alpaca farm trends

Answer 21

increasing population and increasing farms

Question 22

mink production stats

Answer 22

85M pelts, highest producer is china 38%, canada produces ~3%
98 farms in canada, 50% less than in 2015, 1.7M pelts, also half of 2015

Question 23

mink breeding cycle

Answer 23

early march, long photoperiod breeders, delayed implantation

Question 24

whelping and weaning

Answer 24

mid April - early may, wean in June
growing/furring - July
grading/pelting in late November/December
5-6 kits avg

Question 25

mink feeding

Answer 25

carnivores 80-90% of diet is meat/by-products. stored in large freezers. 10-20% is cereal based

Question 26

mink sheds

Answer 26

long, open sided, 2-8 rows of pens, 4 and 6 rows most common
natural and artificial light
natural ventilation
no supplemental heat
high biosecurity

Question 27

mink animal welfare

Answer 27

polarizing topic

v strict code of practice need enriched housing w hammock