- Thread starter
- #31
Thequast
In the Brooder
- Aug 25, 2015
- 17
- 1
- 24
Well I reckon this post should pretty much wrap up this experience. What started as just trying to get one turkey to lay her whole clutch before sitting turned into more interesting experiences along the way, but it's been fun to watch.
So after three chicks hatched, I had a problem. My nest box was only designed for one hen, but two hens had decided to share. They weren't getting up because there were still 6 eggs left, but some of those still had two weeks to go. The nest box wasn't big enough for me to get food and water in there to the poults...so I just did something they say you're not supposed to do. In broad daylight I picked up the hen that had been sitting the longest and moved her and the three poults to a different nest. I thought it was going to be a problem, as the hens were stressed and calling for each other, but after about half an hour everybody calmed down and settled in. I got the poults eating and drinking soon after. Also candled one egg that had been marked, so I knew it was due, but there was no development. This left 3 poults with one hen in one nest box, and another hen with 6 eggs.
Because incubation had been started in stages, i was expecting a new chick every other day. I tried not to mess with her much, just let her be. Well when eggs weren't hatching I started candling those eggs. Only one looked promising. I went ahead and left them all, since I'm a rookie and maybe I wasn't candling properly. I marked the promising one. On the day I was expecting the last egg to hatch, that one I marked did hatch. Candled the rest and still nothing. Cracked them open and a couple weren't fertile and a couple other stopped developing. So that left 3 poults with one hen, and I was happy my other hen at least got to hatch out an egg, as she was the better setter anyway...
Or so I thought. The new poults first day, he started cheeping, and my hen with 3 poults heard it and began calling it. It's open and that little poult abandoned his mom and went to the other and has never looked back. The new hen adopted it, and the other poults don't peck him. They taught him to eat and drink and it's been great so far.
The only problem is the two week old poults are way active and don't need to be under the hen as much. The new one wants to but is trying to keep up. Fortunately he's not too cold. Yesterday was 104F. This morning is day 3 and that little guy is doing awesome.
Hen #2 is just starting to accept the fact that she is poult-less. Hanging out with our tom and is up scratching around the yard. Hopefully she'll start laying again soon.
So after three chicks hatched, I had a problem. My nest box was only designed for one hen, but two hens had decided to share. They weren't getting up because there were still 6 eggs left, but some of those still had two weeks to go. The nest box wasn't big enough for me to get food and water in there to the poults...so I just did something they say you're not supposed to do. In broad daylight I picked up the hen that had been sitting the longest and moved her and the three poults to a different nest. I thought it was going to be a problem, as the hens were stressed and calling for each other, but after about half an hour everybody calmed down and settled in. I got the poults eating and drinking soon after. Also candled one egg that had been marked, so I knew it was due, but there was no development. This left 3 poults with one hen in one nest box, and another hen with 6 eggs.
Because incubation had been started in stages, i was expecting a new chick every other day. I tried not to mess with her much, just let her be. Well when eggs weren't hatching I started candling those eggs. Only one looked promising. I went ahead and left them all, since I'm a rookie and maybe I wasn't candling properly. I marked the promising one. On the day I was expecting the last egg to hatch, that one I marked did hatch. Candled the rest and still nothing. Cracked them open and a couple weren't fertile and a couple other stopped developing. So that left 3 poults with one hen, and I was happy my other hen at least got to hatch out an egg, as she was the better setter anyway...
Or so I thought. The new poults first day, he started cheeping, and my hen with 3 poults heard it and began calling it. It's open and that little poult abandoned his mom and went to the other and has never looked back. The new hen adopted it, and the other poults don't peck him. They taught him to eat and drink and it's been great so far.
The only problem is the two week old poults are way active and don't need to be under the hen as much. The new one wants to but is trying to keep up. Fortunately he's not too cold. Yesterday was 104F. This morning is day 3 and that little guy is doing awesome.
Hen #2 is just starting to accept the fact that she is poult-less. Hanging out with our tom and is up scratching around the yard. Hopefully she'll start laying again soon.
