A century of Turkey talk 2000-2100.

[R2elk]

What are y’all’s thoughts on he or she?
Roughly about 5 months old Royal Palm (so I was told)

Thanks

Tom

 

[Berd Man]

So I was gifted this hen some time ago, can’t remember when exactly, but it was sometime around mid to late August.

I believe her tail feathers were cut as they are all straight at the same location like someone just chopped them all. She also had her back feathers scratched out and had rubbed her breast feathers out in the cage she had been in before I got her. She is nearly bald underneath as a result…

I have been feeding her well using a 30% poult starter, then a 28% starter, and now a 22% turkey grower. I had kept her with some poults for several weeks since she was “new” and that was when she was eating the point starter.

In any case, I am perplexed that she does not appear to be feathering out after several months of being here. Some of my toms get their feathers plucked out and they have already regrown them all. Do hens replace their feathers as readily as toms? I did get a hen saddle for her, but she absolutely goes nuts wearing it and then basically gets bullied by all the other turkeys so I removed it.

Any tips for helping this girl grow her plumage back? Could this have been from malnutrition? I’m just scratching my head wondering why she’s not looking better by now.

 

[R2elk]

So I was gifted this hen some time ago, can’t remember when exactly, but it was sometime around mid to late August.

I believe her tail feathers were cut as they are all straight at the same location like someone just chopped them all. She also had her back feathers scratched out and had rubbed her breast feathers out in the cage she had been in before I got her. She is nearly bald underneath as a result…

I have been feeding her well using a 30% poult starter, then a 28% starter, and now a 22% turkey grower. I had kept her with some poults for several weeks since she was “new” and that was when she was eating the point starter.

In any case, I am perplexed that she does not appear to be feathering out after several months of being here. Some of my toms get their feathers plucked out and they have already regrown them all. Do hens replace their feathers as readily as toms? I did get a hen saddle for her, but she absolutely goes nuts wearing it and then basically gets bullied by all the other turkeys so I removed it.

Any tips for helping this girl grow her plumage back?

Give her time. The feathers won't grow back until she molts.

My adult toms are just finishing their molts. My laying hens have not started molting yet. A hen that quit laying early on molted during the summer.

 

[Molpet]

I believe her tail feathers were cut as they are all straight at the same location like someone just chopped them all.

I had a hen who picked a small nest box with her head sticking out. She broke off her tail feathers in a line.

The only hen that has been molting was the hen I cut feathers on one wing in beginning of September. She flew over my head last night when I was trying to get her in the coop.

 

[Molpet]

Similar to r2elk way to keep water from freezing, but more work

 

[R2elk]

Similar to r2elk way to keep water from freezing, but more work

No electricity used for this one.

Alternate method to prevent water freezing.

 

[Apis mellifera]

Similar to r2elk way to keep water from freezing, but more work

It doesn't work unless you're in a more southern location and I haven't tried the R2elk compost method which seems more likely to keep water from freezing. Electricity works best for me.

 

[R2elk]

It doesn't work unless you're in a more southern location and I haven't tried the R2elk compost method which seems more likely to keep water from freezing. Electricity works best for me.

I have done my method using fresh horse droppings which limited the ice formation to less than 1/8" outdoors in -30°F temperatures. The birds quickly learned to peck through the ice and would keep the water open during the day.

With chicken droppings which I am currently limited to, and the bucket located in the middle of the coop, no ice forms until -20°F temps are consistent. I break and remove the ice from the top of the bucket in the morning and the birds keep the water open the rest of the day.

I have been through -40°F using this method.

 

[Molpet]

x doesn't work unless you're in a more southern location and I haven't tried the R2elk compost method which seems more likely to keep water from freezing. Electricity works best for me.

Yes if you have electric available that's the most convenient. I have half a dz waterers and would have to run extension cords from one 20 amp outlet. It's easier to just swap waterers out when I check for eggs before they freeze. Besides if there's snow they tend to eat it before they look at the waterers.
The YouTube I posted is in North woods , So they should get cold. But he did an update and ended up with a solar pump and bucket over it at -3. Which isn't cold, I get much colder at night.

 

[R2elk]