Baby Turkey? Please help.

[Kedreeva]

So, I just hatched my first turkey baby on Thursday. Actually I wasn't really expecting any of the eggs I put in to grow (I put 15 or so in, and 5 started, and one has hatched, but the eggs were staggered so Sunday is the next possible hatch) and I actually sort of forgot this one went in by itself.

Long story short, I have this adorable little poult (?) that is all by itself and I'm not sure it's not retarded.

It's incredibly friendly (I thought, being a game bird, that it would be more flighty I guess, but all it wants to do is climb on me and snuggle up to my chin. Literally, that's all- it is disinterested in water (unless you count climbing into the bowl and screaming) and seems to not understand the concept of pecking- when I "peck" at the food with my finger to try to show it food, it pecks at random places in the air. It still had yolk to absorb in its fat little butt yesterday, and I think a tiny amount remains which is why it's not acting all dehydrated and starving maybe... but I'm worried the behavior will continue and that I will be inept enough to know what to do differently for this guy over other sorts of chicks I've raised.

If I leave it screams until it's exhausted and falls asleep- but doesn't seem to care at all about the heat lamp. In fact most of the time I come back to find it sleeping away from it and being what I would consider "cold" but it doesn't appear to shiver. I mean, it's not this crazy warm little chick like the chickens, quail, and peafowl; when I pick it up, it's cold, but not shivering either. Do they just need less heat?

I guess I figured they would be a lot like the peafowl chicks I've raised, but so far that doesn't seem to be the case.

So, he's got a pan of medicated chick starter and mashed gamebird crumble (the same mix I give to my peachicks) and a bowl of water opposite the heat lamp. The brooder is 2.5'x2.5' with the softwood bedding I use for my peachicks. The temp is around 100 directly under the lamp, and about 70-80 at the coldest corner.

Anything useful to know about keeping turkeys alive would be nice.

 

[coffeekittie]

Ok, I've only raised turkey poults once - after that I let the mamas do it - but I'll give my input.

Your poult has imprinted on you, so you are it''s mama and all it wants to do as a very young baby is be "under" you for safety and company. When you put it down, it's terribly frightened and alone so it panics. I didn't have to deal with an "only" poult, but I think my solution for my babies might help - use a good sized fluffy stuffed animal for the baby to crawl under. It will help a ton once you have other babies in with it, too. Put those babies under the stuffed animal right away and your poult will get the idea.

As for the heat lamp, the poult will use it when necessary, moving under, or near or away from the direct heat as it needs too. I wouldn't worry about it being cool to the touch - they know when they are too cold and move to the heat. The stuffed animal (and chicks for company) will provide a lot of warmth, too.

Oh, I should mention not putting the stuffed animal too close to the heat lamp! I had to try different positions to make sure mine wouldn't get too hot and singe! Very bad, that

Hope this helps at least a little!

Parker

 

[Kedreeva]

yea, the peachicks and regular chicks do all that, I've worked with "only" chicks before but this is like super unusually attached. I've had imprinted birds before (I still have one peahen who believes everything I do is absolutely her business and climbs on me if I am not giving her enough attention) but this poult is clingy in ways I haven't seen. There's a stuffed animal in there, but it doesn't even care at all. It's terrified of my dad, but loves my mom who sounds just like me. It actually seems to know which side of the brooder I am on even though it can't see me, and will run along that side back and forth.

I'm really more worried about the eating and drinking thing. Peachicks being raised by hand alone need to be shown the food with a finger a couple times a day, but they get how to eat- they pick up food. This thing's just making the pecking motion IN THE GENERAL DIRECTION of the food... lol it would crack me up if I wasn't afraid it's too stupid to eat...

 

[chicken pickin]

From what I have read they like heat and supposedly a little hotter than what a chick would like so lets say the the first week between 95-98ish so maybe coax it toward the heat. For food and water they take longer to learn they need to be taught repeatedly(dip the beak in every hour or 2) you need to show it constantly where food and water is throughout the day for the first week or 2. If your having a hard time maybe put a piece of tinfoil on the brooder floor and sprinkle the food over it and put something shiney in the water dish coins shiney marbles something of that nature. They like shiney things and it may draw them to the food and water also with your assistance and it should eventually learn. And most likely its peeping a lot becasue its alone they are like other social animals and find comfort in others. I hope you have more that hatch out for you.

 

[Kedreeva]

Well, I took the top off the feeder so it's a flat dish now, one it can get into, and that seemed to help some, and swapped the plain water dish for one with patterns on the bottom of it that are apparently fascinating (although now we have a really wet face from attacking the bottom

).

We are downstairs having a Teen Wolf marathon together, and the dishes are sitting on the couch arm where it can't get to them; but I think it gets it, because every 15-20 minutes or so it stops hopping around and starts staring at them, and "tracks" them as I pick them up and offer them, and immediately eats or drinks when I set the dish down and then goes back to playing around me.

Guess it just wasn't hungry before! Thanks for the support I love the BYC forums.