First Annual Cinco de Mayo Turkey Hatchathon- Join us! Set Day: Easter

[yinepu]

Fingers crossed for a RP hen hatching.

I have 6 out now. 4 Are with the tutors and doing well. Number 5 was stuck, and we helped. Its not fluffed up very well, it looks like its fluff is dried together, its a little better now than when we went to bed, maybe the higher humidity when number 6 hatched helped. Can I give it a gentle warm bath, or lightly scrub with a warm damp cloth to get the dried stuff off it so it would fluff up better ?

Number 6 that hatched overnight has some of the yolk sac left, I hope he makes it.

yeah you can give him a bath.. hold him under warm running water and try to get the goo off.. but make sure he stays warm after you're done since a wet chilly poult = a dead poult

 

[mlm Mike]

yeah you can give him a bath.. hold him under warm running water and try to get the goo off.. but make sure he stays warm after you're done since a wet chilly poult = a dead poult

Thanks, we'll give that a try.

 

[karimw]

Gratuitous turkey picture:

 

[cmfarm]

Gratuitous turkey picture:

What a pretty picture. That would make a nice post card. I like how the setting sun light looks on them.

 

[Arielle]

I finally gave up on my last 2 turkey eggs from LotasPaint.

I did an eggtopsy. Of course I carefully cracked the shell as if assisting just in case someone was still alive.

Both quit at the same time. Yolk was not absorbed, poult well developed; too much moisture in the shell. One poult upside down--how strange considering these were kept in an egg carton since arriving from the USPS.

Would like to ask if anyone sees a difference in moisture loss between non-shipped and shipped eggs??

 

[dsqard]

karimw, very nice picture! I love the different colored plumage on them!
Arielle, I noticed that the shipped eggs usually have larger air cells but that could just be because they are a few days older when they are set? Eggs start losing moisture after they are laid so it would make sense the older they are, the larger the air cell will be when you set them.

 

[Wisher1000]

Well, that's it then, I have no more turkeys. The second poult (the "not RP's) died during the night.

I still don't know what the problem was but want to find out. Will they not regulate the heat they need like chicks do? Is there a chance that they both followed the tutors too much and got chilled? They seemed fine the day before each died, only maybe a bit slower. If it was Blackhead, would the head be black? What else could it have been? They were on wild game bird starter and were about 4 weeks old. The tutors are all doing great. Any advice?

 

[yinepu]

Well, that's it then, I have no more turkeys. The second poult (the "not RP's) died during the night.

I still don't know what the problem was but want to find out. Will they not regulate the heat they need like chicks do? Is there a chance that they both followed the tutors too much and got chilled? They seemed fine the day before each died, only maybe a bit slower. If it was Blackhead, would the head be black? What else could it have been? They were on wild game bird starter and were about 4 weeks old. The tutors are all doing great. Any advice?

sorry your second one didn't make it

was they having a hard time breathing?...
Normally a poult will go back to the heat source to stay warm.. but if it got damp and chilled it's a lethal combination.. were they still in a brooder or out on the ground?

Blackhead symptoms don't show a "black head" .. and it's highly unlikely that your poults would have picked it up unless they were outside running with other birds

 

[Arielle]

Well, that's it then, I have no more turkeys. The second poult (the "not RP's) died during the night.

I still don't know what the problem was but want to find out. Will they not regulate the heat they need like chicks do? Is there a chance that they both followed the tutors too much and got chilled? They seemed fine the day before each died, only maybe a bit slower. If it was Blackhead, would the head be black? What else could it have been? They were on wild game bird starter and were about 4 weeks old. The tutors are all doing great. Any advice?

Sorry.

 

[dsqard]

Wisher here is what I could find on blackhead for symptoms:

Behavior

According to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment, early signs of blackhead in turkeys include anti-social behavior in the birds, including lethargy. Their heads might draw inward to the body or be tilted downward toward the chest. The turkey's feathers will remain ruffled and the wings will droop. The National Wild Turkey Federation notes that the turkey's eyes might be closed or partly closed and the bird may react if you disturb it, but will quickly become passive again. Blackhead is an old name for the disease, and while the comb of some infected turkeys will turn black, blackening of the comb is not a reliable symptom.

Bodily Functions

Infected turkeys will stop eating and scratching, becoming emaciated and weak over time. Diarrhea will occur as the disease progresses and the vent feathers will become soiled, according to the Queensland Government Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation. As blackhead impacts a turkey's liver, its fecal matter will turn a sulfur yellow color and may appear frothy.



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I don't know if you are up to or willing to check this last part but I figured I would include it just in case:

Post-Mortem

After death, turkeys can be examined internally to verify blackhead infection. Two areas of the bird will be affected, including the ceca, which are two pouches located at the lower end of the small intestine, and the liver. One symptom of blackhead disease includes enlargement of the ceca, which become filled with a creamy cheesy material that ranges in color from whitish green to brown. This material may be streaked with blood and might also have a foul odor. The liver will display areas of dead and dying tissue that look like half-inch yellow-colored rings. Smaller rings will be swollen. As the disease progresses and the rings grow, they may appear sunken and be circled by several rings.
Examination of ceca and liver tissue under a microscope will reveal the presence of the parasite Histomonas meleagridis, which causes blackhead disease.​