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I'm really enjoying them. We just ordered day-olds from MMH. We got 15, and lost two to unknown causes in the first couple of weeks. The first one that died was very small, but the second one seemed normal. They both died during the second week.
We have a finished basement with linoleum flooring, and have been brooding everything down there. For the turkeys, we put a 12" cardboard brooder-guard down, in a big circle on the floor, and then filled it with several inches of shavings. Around that we put a 48" tall ex-pen (for dogs). When they started flying around in there, we cut a big piece of chicken-wire on top. We stuck 2x2s through the bars of the ex-pen for them to roost on.
We were paranoid from all the stories of people losing poults, so we kept them inside for about 4 times longer than we do the chicks. They didn't go outside until they were nearly 8 weeks old, by which time I was ready to chuck them out the window!
I don't know what I'd change, unless there was some way to keep things cleaner. These guy really flap around a LOT, and because their wings are so big, they stir up a lot of air. There is a layer of gross "bird-dust" all over EVERYTHING in the basement, now, so a major cleaning is in order down there. I keep putting it off. Yuck.
We have a finished basement with linoleum flooring, and have been brooding everything down there. For the turkeys, we put a 12" cardboard brooder-guard down, in a big circle on the floor, and then filled it with several inches of shavings. Around that we put a 48" tall ex-pen (for dogs). When they started flying around in there, we cut a big piece of chicken-wire on top. We stuck 2x2s through the bars of the ex-pen for them to roost on.
We were paranoid from all the stories of people losing poults, so we kept them inside for about 4 times longer than we do the chicks. They didn't go outside until they were nearly 8 weeks old, by which time I was ready to chuck them out the window!
I don't know what I'd change, unless there was some way to keep things cleaner. These guy really flap around a LOT, and because their wings are so big, they stir up a lot of air. There is a layer of gross "bird-dust" all over EVERYTHING in the basement, now, so a major cleaning is in order down there. I keep putting it off. Yuck.
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