Raising Poults or Baby Turkeys (From My Experience)

im9yalibrahim

Hatching
10 Years
May 15, 2009
4
0
7
Hello Everyone,
This is my first post and I would like to share with you a little information on how to raise baby turkeys from my experience with raising them (about a year experience).

Materials
1- Light
2- Shelter (Cage or Cartoon Box)
3- Waterer and Feeder (With water and food)
4- Medicine--It is not necessary unless they are sick.
5- Sand or Wood Shaving--I prefer Sand, although, some people don't.

*I think it depends from climate region to climate region what is the best flooring for the poults to walk on. In an Arid or Semiarid or any other dry region, sand is preferred. On wet regions, wood shavings is preferred.

*I only raised poults in a dry climate, but I have knowledge that wet regions prefer wood shaving instead of sand.

Procedure
1- Prepare the Poult's shelter with water, food, light, and flooring.
2- Put the poults in their shelter.
3- Enjoy

*Don't forget to clean the flooring when it gets dirty (almost every 2 days).

*When the poults reach seven weeks of age, they should move to another larger shelter and they should be treated and raised as adult Turkeys.
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May I ask why you prefer sand for the flooring? I just got five day-old blue slate poults last evening. I put them on wood shavings. I live in PA. Also, I was told to feed them medicated chick starter. Is that okay?

Thanks for you help in advance. My little turkeys are so cute, but way different than chicks.
 
Poults need gamebird starter! They have a vastly increased need for protein, 28 or 30% not less.

While a poult might "appear" fine on lesser protein, you cannot see poor bone development and organ damage. There's a REASON they make and recommend it for poults and other game birds.

Turkeys aren't chickens.

As to sand or shavings. I use sand indoors because of the less mess thing. No shavings falling out, into the water etc. I use pellets for chicks but baby poults often need better footing that first week.

Some people say poults will choke on sand... or shavings but not that I've seen, or dirt even and not to let them outside on dirt til they're months old. Umm I didn't do that, they went out part of the day on warm days since they were babies. A man who raises turkeys for a living let's them go out on pasture with mom. Hi Steve
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They're fine. The next generation is fine, the babies on the sand are still fine...the ones on the cedar (gasp) shaving are also fine. Well ventilated or open brooders and coops are safe with cedar - I have over a hundred pairs of feet of living proof. Closely enclosed and heated brooders should not contain cedar. Then pine works or sand or pellet.

Flooring is a matter of preference. And while the errant stupid chick or poult might eat and choke on something sand or shavings or broken pellet - though it's never happened here, I don't think normal ones do. Some dogs choke on rocks or eat them and die. It doesn't make most dogs unsafe around rocks.
 
Thank you for all your advice.
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I have two 7 week olds and three 3 week olds...

I know more about ducks and chickens then I know about poults....

So, I'm always looking for others experiences.....
 
I absolutely love turkeys. I never knew my first three would turn into such a wild addiction but OMG. I'm in love, even more than my precious chickens.

I love watching a poult figure things out and then look you in the eyes, all calm and thinking. I hang out with mine a lot. I have this whole new brooder full to tame, the calicos are a tad flightier than the BRs.
 
I got my first adult BS last year, but the tom died and I have been unable to get another one. So, I ended up ordering these five poults hoping one of them is a tom.....

I am amazed at how different they are compared to a chick. The turkeys seem so calm and laid back.

I'm going home after work tonight and will start them on their new food and playing with them.
 
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Sand is preferred because it is better for cleaning the shelter. If their is about two inches of sand, the poults poop will get mixed with the sand and it will prevent bad smell. Also, little and big turkeys like sand.
 
Quote:
Actually, when I said light, I meant light and heat.
Anyway, I live in a dry climate that already support heat for the turkeys.
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