Egg with no shell??

[Chicks R Friends NOT Food]

I feel like a bad turkey mom....
I have 2 turkeys....3 or 4 months old. We are pretty positive one is a Tom and one is a hen (are female turkeys called hens?). I saw on the ground yellow yolk-looking, liquidy goo. I can't describe it other than an egg yolk color and consistency, but spread like an eggwhite that's been cracked into a cold pan. It also had a red chunk I guess you could call it, in the center. Mixed in were a few white membranes. I could only guess that this was an egg without a shell.... I've been feeding them Purina Flock Raiser mostly. They also have gotten some fresh Romain lettuce and watermelon the past couple of days.

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

At 3 to 4 months months old I don't think it was an egg, turkeys don't lay until late 6 to 7+ months old depending on the size. What you saw was poo and not healthy poo.

Steve in NC

 

[threehorses]

If the dropping was a sulfur color, and you have chickens with your turkeys, you might ask some of the more experienced people about the possibility of blackhead or other illnesses.

Blackhead is tricky to get meds for. I just ordered some online as you can't often get the treatments as they're banned except for prescription in the U.S. You can only get preventions, and then I hear something you have to sign for them. There is medicated feed to help prevent blackhead, but the treatment is different once they get it.

So I'd definitely ask around. I'm just learning myself. I do know, however, that chickens can be carriers of it without necessarily being effected. It's spread by a worm that gets into the cecum that releases protazoa (which is why the treatment is tricky).

 

[Struttn1]

Quote:
Purina Flock Raiser is not high enough protein for heritage turkeys. You need a 28% or higher. Flock Raiser is only around 20%.

 

[KOTurkeyRanch]

Quote:
Purina Flock Raiser is not high enough protein for heritage turkeys. You need a 28% or higher. Flock Raiser is only around 20%.

if they are 3-4 months old they dont need 28% 20% is fine...plus on a free range protein from wild stuff and insects

 

[Harp Turkey Ranch]

if they are 3-4 months old they dont need 28% 20% is fine...plus on a free range protein from wild stuff and insects

Feeding heritage type turkeys a low protien feed at a young age will not let the turkey be able to get the growth to get its full size potential. They will grow alot slower on the lower protien feeds as well. You will not have a good fleshed out turkey for the table in 28-32 weeks and they will be under the suggested weight of a young turkey, which is taken around this time. All depends what you are doing budget backyard pets you are fine with the lower protien, good fleshed out table birds in the proper grow out at maturity, this will not be a good choice on the low protien diets.​

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

Quote:
Feeding heritage type turkeys a low protien feed at a young age will not let the turkey be able to get the growth to get its full size potential. They will grow alot slower on the lower protien feeds as well. You will not have a good fleshed out turkey for the table in 28-32 weeks and they will be under the suggested weight of a young turkey, which is taken around this time. All depends what you are doing budget backyard pets you are fine with the lower protien, good fleshed out table birds in the proper grow out at maturity, this will not be a good choice on the low protien diets.

Harp,
Not everybody grows turkeys for "good fleshed out turkey for the table at 28 to 32 weeks" The suggested weight you speak of is for market turkeys. 98% of BYC's don't grow turkeys for the table in 28 to 32 weeks. We all understand you want yours to gain as much weight as possible in the shortest amount of time and that is great for your market needs however... the high protien feed is not needed to reach full growth or weight, feeding lower protien will only take more time to reach the end weight.

After 4 months 20% protein feed is fine.

Steve in NC

 

[Harp Turkey Ranch]

98% of BYC's don't grow turkeys for the table in 28 to 32 weeks

HUH R U sure about that ??? Seems a lot ask about how to grow a bird out for the holidays !!

The suggested weight you speak of is for market turkeys.

No this is the weights that are in the American Standard of Perfection, that I refer to.

According to the American Standard of Perfection the weight of a

Bronze & White Holland
young tom is - 25lbs & young hen 16lbs

Bourbon, Narragansett,Slate & Black
Young tom - 23 & Young hen 14lbs

Beltsville White
Young Tom - 17lbs & young hen - 10 lbs

However, many birds may be smaller than
the standard because many flocks have not been selected for production attributes, including
weight gain, for years.

Which all are defined by a bird that is not mature, and that are hatched before Jan 1 of that year.

So if one does the math they hatch in March (avg) grow till December ?? 9 months to my math ??

Also defined as:
juvenile males will have beards that are shorter than 2 inches.

Old toms will have beards of 7-10 inches

We all understand you want yours to gain as much weight as possible in the shortest amount of time and that is great for your market needs however.

Wrong again Steve. We raise all our poultry to the standards. We practice the same husbandry that the "old timers" used, same goes with weights growth etc. We use the same selection of our breeders as all other good breeders do !!

Our breeders guidelines
1-Rate of Growth
2-Mature size
3-Color
4-Fertility and Vigor
5-Egg-laying Ability

the high protien feed is not needed to reach full growth or weight.

Well to make any shows they would, as weight points are one of the major points and also used as tie breakers in judged birds.​

 

[threehorses]

Just to clarify something Harp Turkey Ranch said - if they're referring to something (a weight goal for example) for breeders, they're raising for longevity as losing chosen breeder stock would be a great loss indeed.

 

[Harp Turkey Ranch]

Just thought of this article published on the ALBC site. This is from the "old skool" breeders

Just as the amount of food consumed affects the rate at which a bird grows, so does the quality of the feed provided.
Higher protein diets are to be preferred
for birds that have access to range and which are
expected to grow at significant or reasonable rates. Low
protein diets can reduce the rate of growth by as much as 50% and cause adult size to less than the genetic potential – not to mention that lower protein diets often cost more money in the long
run, as the birds will often eat more total pounds of feed
for pounds gained.​