Feeding turkey poults

[farmerlor]

Well, so far the last little guy is hanging in there. Thanks everyone for the advice.
Pam from Heritage Turkeys told me that she always starts her turks on water with a little molasses in it so I just did the same thing.

 

[Harp Turkey Ranch]

Pasty butt is caused by the stool being to soft and runny and sticking to the vent feathers, why would a laxative help?

Chilling and overheating are common causes of bowel trouble in young poults/chicks. Diarrhea may appear, followed by pasting of the vent. To prevent further trouble a gentle laxative is needed, such as molasses in the drinking water. Give this for several days.

Pam from Heritage Turkeys told me that she always starts her turks on water with a little molasses in it so I just did the same thing.

Smart lady she gave you great advice.


Compared to chicks, poults are more difficult to brood. They do not learn to eat so readily; they are more subject to fright, crowding, and piling; they do not take kindly to changes in feed or equipment; and they are more easily chilled.

During the Brooding Period If turkey poults do not grow rapidly and feather evenly, or if a heavy mortality occurs, the following pos- sible sources of trouble should be considered.

1.The feed:

(a)Poor formula for starting mash:
1.Too-low protein content---below 20%.
2.Too-low fiber content---below 4%.
3.Lack of vitamins A, B, D, E, G or other essential factors.
4.Too finely ground or sticky when wet.
5.Too coarsely ground, containing large hulls or particles. 6.Possession of undesirable ingredients.
7.Ingredients out of proportion. (b)Staleness or decomposition of the mixture or its ingredients, especially the animal products and the dried alfalfa products. (c)Possession of poisonous substances (rare)

2.Failure of poults to learn to eat. Check the amount of feeding space and type of feeders

3.Failure of poults to learn to drink or to obtain a sufficient quantity of water. Check number and type of waterers, making sure the poults can actually reach the water.

4.Insufficient feeding space.

5.Overcrowding under hover or in brooding quarters.

6.Dampness under hovers.

7.Insufficient heat under hover or in brooding quarters (poults need plenty of heat during the first few weeks).

8.Unsuitable litter

9.Poor ventilation in brooder house or under hover.

10.Disease

11. Sometimes it all starts at the hatch, the poults can not get off to a good start and tend to see loses in the first 30 days. Caused by unhealthy poults from the very get go of their life.​

 

[sandspoultry]

Quote:
They are fragile because they can get pushed away from the feed and "starve out". Once they stop eating it can be hard to get them eating again and they just waste away. By the time you notice it alot of times it's to late. We raise ours with chicks as they are all the time pecking at the food and water and keeps the turkeys interested. After you have raised a few batches and know what to watch for they aren't hard to raise at all. We have them all over the place right now from 3 months down to just hatched.

Steve in NC

 

[DawnSuiter]

Spook - their immune systems are much more like humans than chickens, in that they take 3 months to develop most of the immunity they need to survive the world... especially when raised in brooders as opposed to "in the wild" with momma hen.

I think chickens are the heartiest thing I've ever raised... seem pretty much indestructable after day 4