How to care for baby turkeys?

ChickenGuy53

In the Brooder
Feb 5, 2015
31
0
32
Middle of nowhere
Please help!!!! My momma turkey just hatched 12 baby turkeys 4 days ago they are bourbon red and slate cross. They are in my smaller chicken house and are looking good but I've never seen the baby's eating or drinking. Right now I'm just feeding them regular chicken layer feed and have a gallon waterer in for them. Don't know what I should feed them or if there is anything special to do for them. So i need experienced peoples knowledge!!!!!

THANKS FOR ALL THE HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Hi,
I have the same problem, there are various sites out there that can tell you info. You want to feed a high protein diet, I have mine on the food I bought for my runner ducks.

What I would like to ask is that I want to move mum and her babies to somewhere clean, it has got messy where she has been sitting so long, how do I do this without disturbing her? Would she go crazy and abandon her chicks or anything like that, I realise I will get pecked as she seems very protective of them. So, any tips on moving mum and babies somewhere cleaner? She has hatched the babies out on a shelf in the shed and she seems happy there but I worry they are going to fall off the shelf, so while they are small I was going to put mum and babies in a very large plastic dog basket.

Please help :)
 
I feed my poults 27 to 30 percent gamebird starter. Poults need higher ptotein than chicks.

If you left the poults in with momma hen she will teach them to eat and drink.

Yes I would say you will be fine to move then hen and her babies. She won't abandon them in fact most of the broody hens I had would adopt chicks and poults from other hens.

Most turkey hens are good mothers.
 
Please help!!!! My momma turkey just hatched 12 baby turkeys 4 days ago they are bourbon red and slate cross. They are in my smaller chicken house and are looking good but I've never seen the baby's eating or drinking. Right now I'm just feeding them regular chicken layer feed and have a gallon waterer in for them. Don't know what I should feed them or if there is anything special to do for them. So i need experienced peoples knowledge!!!!!

THANKS FOR ALL THE HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DO NOT feed them layer feed, it's way to high in calcium for them. Best to feed them a turkey or gamebird *starter*. If you can't find that, I guess you could feed Purina Flock Raiser or chick starter. No scratch, no whole grains, no pellets and no layer feed, feed only starter crumbles, preferably with a protein over 22%.

-Kathy
 
I went on a adventure going to feed stores around my area out in the farm towns, for organic turkey starter, well no one has it. Then I got desperate and just looked for regular turkey starter again no stores have it and none will order it. Seems turkey raising is my area is extremely low.

I am not seasoned in turkey raising but this is what I plan on doing. My ducks are on a 24% gamebird. but that little 5lb bag is expensive when you loading up 3 to 5 bags of it at a time. which I would have to do even if half my turkey eggs hatch in the incubator..

So i went and purchased a 50lb bag of organic chicken starter that is easily obtainable in my area. I read in the AM to mix yogurt with starter for their morning meal and when gone, for the rest of the day feed just chicken starter. Also raw milk can be used in place of yogurt or whey. Which I also have because I purchase raw milk weekly for cheese making and our milk consumption

I have to do some more research on this other method I came across in a book which said to get floating catfish food which is 32 to 36 % protein..and i found organic of it easily. crush is all up and mix with chick starter. accordingly if the figures are right this would make 27.5 % protein starter. again I have not researched this enough however it is something I ran across that might be useful information. Thought i would put it out their for you to research as well.

The individuals i know locally mix kitten kibble in chick starter however i read alot of options not to use cat-food. So i was looking at other options to make my own starter for turkeys.
 

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