This is my first time hatching turkey eggs. I put 4 in the bator but only one developed and it began hatching. Once it hatches, do I need to put it under a heat lamp like chicks?
put some marbles in the water and the food. it will help teach them what to peck at. turkeys are pretty dumb. good luck
I have read on here that they need to be a little warmer than chicks the first couple of weeks, and to keep them up on wire floors from two weeks to sixteen weeks to keep them away from droppings and then they could go outside and be okay to scratch around. I have four Midget Whites that will be two weeks old soon and they are doing great. I am feeding medicated chick starter for the first two weeks and then I am going to start slowly switching them to 28% gamebird starter.
Yes they need heat. No they don't need wire but they do need a surface that has decent traction. Mine were on shavings from day three. They're almost four weeks now. They go out on the grass/dirt with me for sun time and back in. They are NOT dumb. They're smarter than chicks are just can't see as well - they're eyes are less well developed at birth. Marbles really help them see where to peck for food and water they LOVE color and shiny. They are sometimes clutzy and are subject to chilling so maintaining proper warmth is really important. They're affectionate, watch your face, and far more easily tamed than chicks. You are going to enjoy this.
