TURKEY producers from across Australia converged on Dadswells Bridge at the weekend for a national industry conference.
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Dadswells Bridge turkey farmer Daryl Deustcher hosted the first conference of the Australian Turkey Heritage Society this month.
The two-day conference kicked off on Saturday with keynote speaker Megg Miller discussing the turkey industry and its future.
Mr Deustcher said the conference exceeded all expectations.
‘‘It was absolutely fantastic,’’ he said.
‘‘We had about 30 people come along from all parts of Australia.’’
Topics discussed included issues within the industry, nutrition and disease control.
Veterinarian Yoni Segal revealed a turkey post-mortem and made a presentation on health and diseases. Grant Richards discussed heat problems in turkeys and incubation and hatching.
There was also a farm walk at Mr Deutscher’s property, which included a demonstration of artificial insemination and discussions of split wings and egg drop syndrome.
‘‘We had a tour of my farm and discussed the different turkeys I have,’’ Mr Deustcher said.
‘‘We are not commercial farmers, we are all back yard farmers, so it is great to see what different people are doing.’’
Mr Deutscher is the owner of the largest collection of rare turkeys in Australia.
The society formed only a couple of years ago to bring together people interested in rare turkeys.
‘‘It was a positive experience to get together as an industry – we are all stuck in our own corners of Australia, so it was great to talk about turkeys, problems and varieties with other people,’’ Mr Deutscher said.
‘‘We had great feedback and as a society we will definitely look at having a conference again.
‘‘The consensus was that I might host it again in a few years because I have so many rare varieties.’’
Mr Deutscher said the society aimed to reduce some of the misinformation about turkey varieties.
‘‘We want to promote and preserve rare turkeys,’’ he said.
