complete novice... is this how a turkey sits? lol

[ashleymarie06]

so, i'm a complete novice when it comes to keeping any type of poultry. i some how ended up with turkey eggs that i was asked to hatch which resulted in the hatching of only two eggs, of which only one survived. now i have a 4 week old bourbon red poult that i'm some what considering keeping. as i don't really know anything about turkeys in general i don't know what's normal and what is not. right now Last Chance is living in a big box in my living room. i clean his bedding daily and give him fresh food and water. i have noticed in the past two days a new behavior that i'd just like to ask about. i have rolled up shirts in his box with him that he's always laid on. now he doesn't lay on the shirts, he's been laying on the ground somewhat crouched on his stomach. i've never seen him do this before so im just a little concerned (and somewhat paranoid due to the loss of all of the other eggs and turkeys from his batch). when he was born, he had what i have come to know as Flip Over Syndrome. since then he has recovered and seems from what i know to be quite normal. he does seem a bit lethargic today, but he was up from about 5am-7am squawking and jumping around in his box so i'm thinking maybe he's just tuckered out? lol i don't know! he's also been very clingy today so i'm not sure if he's just lonely or if that's a sign he's ill...

is there any specific behaviors i should watch out for? being completely new to this, everything new he does troubles me. he did eat a lot of grass and other ground items yesterday when i had him outside with me in the garden. right now as for food he gets mana pro chick starter and cooked crumbled egg yolks a few times a day. thanks for any info guys

 

[chicmom]

Well, turkeys need more protein than chicks. Lots more. So I would suggest you buy some game bird starter. The egg yolks should help with the protein, although I've never fed any of my poults that before. They also require a bit more heat than chicks. He looks very cute indeed! Looks well cared for. Maybe he just needs more protein. I always raise my poults with chicks because chicks just seem quicker and more perky than poults. The poults then learn to eat and drink from the chicks.

Good luck with him. He might be lonely.....Can you put a few chicks in with him?

Sharon

 

[ashleymarie06]

aww i wish i had chicks i always wanted to raise chickens for the eggs! i don't have any and i don't think dear boyfriend would allow me anymore animals lol. we kind of got these turkeys dumped on us by a (well meaning) friend and i just couldn't turn them down. last chance is on the mana pro chick starter only because that is what our friend told us to buy but if there is a better brand i would happily buy something else. last chance loves his egg yolks... we call it his "turkey crack" because he goes insane when he knows you're getting it out of the fridge... and yes, he knows when you're getting it for him... he's a trip! maybe i will take a ride to the feed store and see what i can find. are turkeys like dogs? do you need to mix their food so they can get used to it or is it safe just to switch over? he does have a 60 watt light fixture clipped on to his box so he stays extra warm, he usually lays right under it. hopefully he perks back up... i think i have some more turkeys on the way today... seems like i have some turkey eggs trying to hatch premature! lol i have a lot of turkey drama going on today.

he's waiting on his egg yolks to cool now lol

 

[chicken pickin]

Im new to turkeys also and am trying to learn all I can Ive been reading on the computer non stop about everything i can find. I do know like someone else said that chick starter is not appropriate feed. He needs to be on a turkey or gamebird starter because the diet needs for chickens and turkeys differ Turkeys need higher protein. I also have read in numeruos places not to let your poults touch outside ground or eat outside things until between 8-12weeks of age. Turkeys take longer to build up immunities to diseases.

edited to say Yes i believe that is normal turkey sitting behavior

 

[Cosmos]

Well, turkeys need more protein than chicks. Lots more. So I would suggest you buy some game bird starter. The egg yolks should help with the protein, although I've never fed any of my poults that before. They also require a bit more heat than chicks. He looks very cute indeed! Looks well cared for. Maybe he just needs more protein. I always raise my poults with chicks because chicks just seem quicker and more perky than poults. The poults then learn to eat and drink from the chicks.

Good luck with him. He might be lonely.....Can you put a few chicks in with him?

Sharon

Protein in egg yolks? I'm sure the protein is found in egg whites. There is iron and fat in the yolks.

 

[frank53061]

I have Red Bourbon Turkeys 12 weeks old now and they have been out for the last 4 weeks and they love it I dont know what I would have done if I had waited till 12 weeks of age they are so big now here is a picture at 12 weeks there 2 feet tall or more.

 

[DeannaOR]

Most of the feeding guidelines for turkeys seem to be based on people raising turkeys for eating. I've spoken to several who say if you are raising them to breed or keep they don't need as much protein. I've been feeding my turkey poults Chick starter that is 20% with a little game bird tossed in. It is also organic, non gmo, corn and soy free.
Your turkey being the only one will see you as the Momma...and he will get lonely being all alone. I put chicks in with Freebie and she could have cared less..she just wanted the peoples =) As she got a little older she began enjoying the chickens company. Now she hates to be separated from them. In a perfect world the chickens and I would be in her presence always!

 

[ivan3]

DeannaOR wrote: Most of the feeding guidelines for turkeys seem to be based on people raising turkeys for eating. I've spoken to several who say if you are raising them to breed or keep they don't need as much protein. I've been feeding my turkey poults Chick starter that is 20% with a little game bird tossed in. It is also organic, non gmo, corn and soy free.

Gamebird feeds (particularly the higher protein starter) are formulated to come close to the amount of `animal' (insect, etc) protein that poults/chicks would be consuming in the wild (under optimal conditions). Most chicken feed is standardized for layer/broiler outcomes. It will work, but it is good to add whatever might be fluttering past (moths and grasshoppers are boffo). Layena is good to avoid, in poults, owing to the high calcium level. Last year's first hatch coincided with the 13 yr. Cicada flush. These poults, were our `Cicada cohort'. The hens got so sick of cicadas that they wouldn't eat any more. They'd `beak' them up and call their offspring (never got tired of them). The amount of Starter per poult was about halved during those 5 weeks. Though targeted at commercial gamebird breeders, this ref., from UC Davis, is useful: http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/pdf/8155.pdf Moths are excellent for training 8 week old poults to fly up on one's forearm (`no, you're mistaken, it's not a turkey, it's a falcon.... ).