Feeding Newly Hatched

[thaiturkey]

Our second hatch has just begun and given rise to a debate between Mrs. Thaiturkey and me.

The poults and unhatched eggs are under two hens in the main coop. We will need to move them elsewhere under mozzie netting and away from the bigfoots. I want to do it now, as we did last time, and Mrs. T wants to wait until all of the poults are hatched. I'm concerned that they can't get out of the nesting baskets to feed.

My question to the experts in nature's way of hatching, please, is how long can we safely leave the poults in that condition without food and water? It's hot during the daytime here, by the way.

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

Poults can go up to about 5 days without food and water (5 days is pushing it) That's how the hatcheries can ship fresh hatched.

Steve

 

[thaiturkey]

Thanks Steve.

We now have ten hatched out of twenty eight so I'll try to persuade the boss that tomorrow will be a good day to move them all.

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

Quote:
You can never have enough turkeys running around

Steve

 

[thaiturkey]

Quote:
You can never have enough turkeys running around

Steve

I'm OK with that but Mrs. T isn't so sure when they damage her carefully nurtured plants!

 

[thaiturkey]

Mrs. T is determined that they will stay put for a bit longer. She sneaked out to the coops earlier and put small bowls of feed in the nests and the ones who have appeared from under the mothers' wings so far today are eating. There's no water in the nests but it's cool and drizzling outside this morning so I guess they'll be OK.

 

[thaiturkey]

Fifteen have now hatched. We managed to get food and water into the nests and watched as the mothers demonstrated how to feed.

Whilst they can all hide under the mums' wings they are safe from mozzies so Mrs. T is still getting her way and we aren't moving them yet.

A hen that we bought mature prefers the jungle method of childbirth. She made a nest in a quiet spot between a wall and the lake. We still get rain and built for her a lean-to against the wall using spare coop roofing straw. She seems quite happy with it but the fun will start for us when hatching begins!