I need some help/advice for raising poults

At what age are they dieing? Do they die all at once? Do they have normal poop? Any external signs on the bodies? What are you feeding them/protein content?

Sounds like a saying I heard the other day...If a turkey is given a chance to die it will! The three basics for turkey poults are heat, food and water. Poults like it hot...in the high 90s. They need lots of protien, 28% and good water. They will need to be shown both food and water (dip their beaks in it) and may need to be reminded a few times before they catch on.

This is a pretty good article that covers a lot on raising poults - http://www.motherearthnews.com/The-Happy-Homesteader/Raising-Turkey-Poults.aspx

We use the 30% Purina Game Bird Starter.  They really need a higher protein level than the chooks.  Also, effects of lower than required temps during first three weeks (especially) can result in problems later on (spraddle leg, for instance).

Hah, yep I have a poultry book somewhere that turkeys spend their spare time thinking of ways to die.


Keeping young turkeys dry is really important too.  Also vaccinate them for fowl pox,(around 6 weeks I think ). fowl pox can be ugly and can stunt and sometimes kill them.  The vaccine only costs 7-12 dollars and you can only use it once after to mix it but its enough to do about a thousand birds but its worth it even if you only have 3 or so. And its a two prong wing punch needle, not like a shot.

That's really all you need to know!  Poults are no harder than chicks if you keep them warm and dry.  I was told also they were hard to hatch and hard to raise also so I was a little worried at first.  Sever years ago I got some local turkey eggs.  I put them in my LG bator and 9 out of 10 hatched.  I kept them in my brooder with a couple of guinea keets that hatched with them.  The keets were great trainers for the poults to learn to eat and drink.  Also, keets need 28-30% protien feed for the first 12 weeks.  After 12 weeks they can go to a 20% feed.  Remember that in these first 12 weeks, good feed(28-30%), clean water, warm and dry!  I have come a long way from those first eggs.  I now have 2 cabinet incubators and a hatcher and hatch 25-50 poults a week from March-July.  If I evere loose any, it is a shocker.  Don't feed them what the chickens eat, get them turkey or gamebird starter!  Keep them clean, dry and warm for the first 12 weeks.  You won't have any problems.

I personally raise mine with chicks, together.  The reason I do this is because the breeder I bought mine from told me that's what he does.  He said the chicks are smarter/quicker and they show the poults what to do.  When I watch them together, I do see that the poults seems slower....I was worried at first too because I thought that (from what I read) poults are very hard to raise.  But they weren't.  I've never lost a poult.

They do like temps about 5 degrees higher than chicks do, and also, you need the very high protein food.....I feed mine game bird starter for about the first week, then I got to the chick starter that is 24% protein, and they do very well with that. 

Good luck and do try again,

Sharon

I also agree with you Sharon but I think the 28-30% for the first 12 weeks is important.  That's why I use guinea keets as they need the same feed.  I found that chicken chicks sometimes get pasty butt on the high protien feed.  Thats why I don't use chicks but they do work as great trainers.  Baby poults are like any other animal and a good start will help them thrive.  I see people all the time who tell me their 6-8 week old puppy is already eating adult dog food!  Will the puppy live?  Yes, but will it thrive?????

I do use chicken chicks as my pea chick trainers as they both eat 20% starter.