A century of Turkey talk 2000-2100.

[R2elk]

So I gave some turkey eggs to @BReeder! and one hatched and died. Another has no feet. Just a toenail on each foot. Any ideas as to what causes footless poults? He has 8 more to hatch and Faraday40 has 6 hatching this week. I have 12 to hatch Friday. So I will see if there are any more

Genetics, parents too closely related.

 

[Molpet]

Genetics, parents too closely related.

Thanks
I was afraid of the parents too close.
I guess I need a new Tom

 

[R2elk]

Thanks
I was afraid of the parents too close.
I guess I need a new Tom

It boils down to both of the parents having a hidden recessive gene for the condition. This is more likely to happen when the parents are very closely related.

Just my opinion but I would not use the hen or the tom as breeders in an effort to try to eliminate the recessive gene causing the condition.

 

[R2elk]

R2elk...its the never ending winter! Meanwhile it's in the 80's down here. Blah.

Love the May Day Basket idea! Never did anything like that growing up. But remember my Grandmother talking about May Day celebrations in Germany.

Not as cold out this morning, 28°F but it is white out. Looks like about an inch of the stuff that @CindyinSD decided to share.

 

[Molpet]

It boils down to both of the parents having a hidden recessive gene for the condition. This is more likely to happen when the parents are very closely related.

Just my opinion but I would not use the hen or the tom as breeders in an effort to try to eliminate the recessive gene causing the condition.

Not sure which hen the egg was from.
I got 3 poults in 2017 and they were from the same shipped eggs hatch. The person I got them from said she was told they could be bronze, Bourbon or Palm. So I was hoping they were not too related.
Bred 2 of these last year and kept 6 daughters.and a Jake as a spare No birth defects last year.
This year I think only the dad did any breeding. I locked the jake up during the day but he was in the same coop at night.
Jake is in frig

 

[R2elk]

Not sure which hen the egg was from.
I got 3 poults in 2017 and they were from the same shipped eggs hatch. The person I got them from said she was told they could be bronze, Bourbon or Palm. So I was hoping they were not too related.
Bred 2 of these last year and kept 6 daughters.and a Jake as a spare No birth defects last year.
This year I think only the dad did any breeding. I locked the jake up during the day but he was in the same coop at night.
Jake is in frig

Turkeys have only about half as many genes as do chickens so turkeys are much more closely related to each other to start with than other poultry are.

The problem gets compounded by Backyard breeders who almost always start out by breeding siblings because when they buy their original poults they typically buy them all from the same source.

I did the same for awhile, starting with a single Blue Slate tom and a single Blue Slate hen from the same source. It was a commercial source so it is possible that they were not siblings but there was no way to know. I kept a hen from the first hatch and a couople of years later ended up with a true bug eyed baby. It had pop-eyes completely extended out from its head. Fortunately it did not live too long.

I brought in a new tom and eventually a new line of hens without any more instances of bad genetics being seen.

 

[Molpet]

Turkeys have only about half as many genes as do chickens so turkeys are much more closely related to each other to start with than other poultry are.

The problem gets compounded by Backyard breeders who almost always start out by breeding siblings because when they buy their original poults they typically buy them all from the same source.

I did the same for awhile, starting with a single Blue Slate tom and a single Blue Slate hen from the same source. It was a commercial source so it is possible that they were not siblings but there was no way to know. I kept a hen from the first hatch and a couople of years later ended up with a true bug eyed baby. It had pop-eyes completely extended out from its head. Fortunately it did not live too long.

I brought in a new tom and eventually a new line of hens without any more instances of bad genetics being seen.

I am definitely not keeping any of this years. Have to see what I can find for replacements. I guess there will be enough poults to eat this fall.. don't think I should sell any

 

[duluthralphie]

I mixed my chicks and poults yesterday. Week old chicks seem to be good babysitters for new poults.



Btw I do not spread the feed out like that. They do it all by their selves .

 

[Sara L]

Either I miscounted or the incubator was too warm. My current page of notes say I'm on day 26. Four poults out and one zipping.

 

[duluthralphie]

Either I miscounted or the incubator was too warm. My current page of notes say I'm on day 26. Four poults out and one zipping.
View attachment 1758013

I had a strange long hatch too. From day 26-29.... I checked my temps they were right on..


Day 29 poult had leg issues though.