A century of Turkey talk 2000-2100.

[R2elk]

At what age can a juvenile turkey survive outside in the winter without a heat lamp?

Depends on the situation. How many are there to huddle together. What the ambient temperature is. Definitely need to be fully feathered.

 

[R2elk]

What happened to her? I hope she is okay.

No one knows.

 

[R2elk]

 

[Amer]

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She’s beautiful.

 

[kfelton0002]

Depends on the situation. How many are there to huddle together. What the ambient temperature is. Definitely need to be fully feathered.

There is 11 of them. January and February is our coldest months. I will likely keep a heat lamp available to them until they are 3 months old just in case.

 

[R2elk]

There is 11 of them. January and February is our coldest months. I will likely keep a heat lamp available to them until they are 3 months old just in case.

Keeping the heat lamp on too long prevents them from properly preparing for ambient temperatures. Cooler temperatures promote feather growth especially the down feathers.

All of my poultry are off of supplemental heat by 6 weeks old. But I do not brood poults in the fall.

 

[Bantambird]

I also try not to brood poults or chicks in the fall. I am, however, getting ready to start hatching chicks by February so my daughter can have some chickens ready to show in August. Would have started a little sooner but I caught a bad flu this year and was feverish for over a week! Therefore I am late to getting everything running this year.

 

[Bantambird]

Instead of a heat lamp, I use a infrared panel heater that they can potentially get under. It allows them to duck under and get warmed up when they get cold like their mother would warm them, but also does not warm up the ambient temperature, allowing them to feather out as though they were with their mother instead of a heated brooder. Since poults tend to be so temperature sensitive, this self regulation suits them really well. My baby brooder is set up like this on a small scale to prevent them getting too far away from the infrared panel. The big brooder, from week old to 4 weeks, has a huge panel on one end and is outside. When it gets below zero, i put bricks across half the front to block any drafts so they can really snuggle under there, but they still must come out for food and water, which forces them to acclimatize. The old bricks will absorb and radiate heat back out to under the panel. The big brooder is in an unheated hay barn, and it does get morning sun which helps cut the cold early. After 4 to 6 weeks, they go to the growout, depending on the weather and their feathering and how many birds I have coming out of the hatchery. I send aging out poults and chicks to the growout pen, it also has a infrared panel heater against the northern wall where they can get reprieve if they need it.

 

[kfelton0002]

Keeping the heat lamp on too long prevents them from properly preparing for ambient temperatures. Cooler temperatures promote feather growth especially the down feathers.

All of my poultry are off of supplemental heat by 6 weeks old. But I do not brood poults in the fall.

It dropped down into the twenties last night and my brooder building was in the 50s but my poults did okay under the heat lamps. I got nervous moving them out of the 69-70 degree house to the building. But they were doing well in the house without a heat lamp. They are nearly fully feathered now. We frequently brood chicks in the winter and they have always been hardy and done well. This is my first winter with turkey poults and I just don't want to lose any if it can be avoided.

 

[kfelton0002]

I also try not to brood poults or chicks in the fall. I am, however, getting ready to start hatching chicks by February so my daughter can have some chickens ready to show in August. Would have started a little sooner but I caught a bad flu this year and was feverish for over a week! Therefore I am late to getting everything running this year.

My son and my husband both had flu B around Thanksgiving and it was really bad. My son didn't eat for 7 days and lost 14 pounds. I hope you are feeling better!!