First Annual Cinco de Mayo Turkey Hatchathon- Join us! Set Day: Easter

[yinepu]

I have one of those. SHe can open almost any gate.

Once they are hatched humidity is no longer an issue.

Balancing oxygen and humidity--oxygen wins in my book. I will help a stuck chick if necessary. If gotten pretty good at it!!

X2

I look at it this way.. a chick can get over being a little stuck.. they can't get over being dead from lack of oxygen

some times I wish the incubator manufacturers would leave the vents open and not supply plugs for bators since there is really no real need for them.. so many chicks die during lockdown because someone thought the vents needed to be closed... *sighs*

 

[superchemicalgirl]

I have gotten good advice from SCG on using a broody and I am really tempted so I don't have to keep watching the eggs. Another bonus would be that I wouldn't have to "set" any tutors although would you recommend it so that if the hen is not a "good mommy" they would have some tutors with them if I had to take them away from the hen? My other concern is that one of the broodies has been trying to hatch a golf ball for weeks (I make her get off the nest at least once a day to eat and she must be getting off a little more often since I have not found any broody poo in the nest box) and I am worried about her weight now, let alone five weeks from now.

Last summer I had a hen that wouldn't stop being broody. She ended up being 15 weeks or so on a nest. I took her off daily after she started getting skeletal and gave her 22% protein in water with sunflower seeds on top and a scrambled egg. Her broody poop was lethal from that combination, but the nutrition was effective. She eventually hatched out 3 chicks (when I realized it was chicks or death) which I promptly sold 24 hours after hatch because I'm callous and cold hearted. However I'm now trained and know when she gets broody again I give her eggs immediately. She's serious.

Thank you for the advice Wisher! SCG likes to put up a screen so that they are separated from the flock in a way and to keep the others from laying more eggs in the nest. Do you cage/separate your broodies while they are sitting or only after the hatch?

I'll post what I use - measure your opening and make a box out of scrap wood with wire that fits it. You can use shims to help make it fit. You can also add food/water as needed and protect the mom and/or eggs/babies:

regular nest box hole


with attachment


see use of shim and another one on top in storage




I have multiple covers for nest boxes and my coop is also big enough so that when the Broody Plague is in full swing, I can put cages in the coop, too. Lessons learned: cover the cages, and not with cardboard.



This is why you don't cover in cardboard:


Hope these help.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

Let me play around with it a bit. SCG I might PM you for the "plans" for the small box.

In case anyone else is interested in the plans for the small box:

Step 1: Find a sweet man who is willing to build it for you.

Step 2: Move finished box to coop.

In all seriousness, I do take pictures of the progress for a reason in the guise of "helping":

Build a frame and staple wire into bottom, I think this frame is 2x3 or 2x2.5... it was all scrap so whatever we had.


Do the same thing for the wire on sides and back. Use an old piece of plywood or R-111 for the part in the front where the door won't be (privacy screen). If you aren't going to put it up against a wall in the coop you might also want to do a side with plywood too for extra broody privacy. Plywood for top, with hinges for access. Ours hangs over a bit on the front because we were lazy and didn't want to cut it. Works good like that to keep the poop out. Frame out the door and then cover with wire.








Ta-da!

 

[yinepu]

For those of you losing poults, are you feeding medicated feed? I know they are very sensitive to digestive trouble and medicated starter is recommended by some. Also my hatchery friend says she can't brood her poults and chicks together without the poults dieing for no apparent reason. I have never had a problem with it but there it is. Maybe after the first couple of training days it would be better to separate the chicks from the turkeys? May depend on the organisms you have in your environment. I also don't feed the medicated starter but I do give them clumps of dirt and grass and it seems to help them get the beneficial organisms they need. Haven't lost any yet.

I never use medicated feed.. have had the chicks and poults together since day 1 and haven't lost any..

I have one batch together that range in ages from 3.5 weeks to 4 weeks
another batch that hatched out last week


the main reason the poults get sick and die is from chilling

edited to add.. i suppose I should clarify that

most poults which die in shell die from either low oxygen levels (carbon dioxide poisoning), high humidity during incubation, low humidity during hatch or temp swings during incubation

poults which die within 5 days after hatch usually die from not getting enough to eat or drink.. they start acting weak then keel over within a day or so... if you see a weak acting poult make sure you get something like save a chick in them ASAP and force feed if necessary.. sometimes they are too far gone and even force feeding won't bring them back

older poults usually die from getting chilled.. they can easily develop a respiratory infection (if you see an older poult hunched over it's more than likely respiratory) .. sometimes their body temp drops too suddenly when they get chilled that they just keel over and die and you have no idea why since they looked fine a few hours before.. they aren't like chickens where they can just be put outside when they are feathered out (unless they have their mom to snuggle up to).. so they need more time in a brooder type situation where they are gradually acclimated to the great outdoors...

another tip for healthy poults is to always make sure that very young birds get WARM water to drink... I make sure all of mine under 3 weeks of age always have lukewarm water when I change out their water since cold water can chill them too much

 

[thebirdguy]

I'm in and if we are lucky, I may even have some eggs to sell. I have mostly Black Spanish so those are the ones I might have extras of. PM me if you are interested..

Just a suggestion based on my experience... I would plan on setting some chicken eggs exactly one week after you set your turkey eggs so that they will hatch at the same time.. I have had the best success raising poults when they were raised together with chicks from day 1. Besides, it's the perfect excuse to hatch a few more chicks!!! But Dear, we want the turkeys to do well don't we????

 

[ChooksChick]

I'm in and if we are lucky, I may even have some eggs to sell. I have mostly Black Spanish so those are the ones I might have extras of. PM me if you are interested..

Just a suggestion based on my experience... I would plan on setting some chicken eggs exactly one week after you set your turkey eggs so that they will hatch at the same time.. I have had the best success raising poults when they were raised together with chicks from day 1. Besides, it's the perfect excuse to hatch a few more chicks!!! But Dear, we want the turkeys to do well don't we????

Not that most of us need any encouragement...

 

[superchemicalgirl]

 

[crazypetlady]

I'm in

Now I need to find some turkey eggs!!

Anybody want to trade some turkey eggs for some Serama or Amer. eggs? If so please let me know.

 

[coz74]

If I can find some eggs I will be in. It will give me like 1 day to ready the incubator. This is not an official "I'm in" but rather "I'm looking".

 

[ChooksChick]

Added a few more names- make sure you get your eggs squared away, and if you have eggs to offer, please post and let us know! Pics are always good.