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

[Noncentzter]

Whats Up With The Male Pattern Baldness!!!!!!!!!!" Sometimes nature isn't kind, if there are any other fellas here you know what I am talking about!

Yep, know all about that!

 

[Arielle]

Quote:

We think a like--- I figured maybe the girls needed a secure home with a clean, ample sized nest box just for the 3 girls and the tom. Guess it means I need to build an enclosed run, too.

Survival of the chicks/poults is a numbers game; birds that have a lot of young do so because the mortality rate is high. And combine that with hens that are not parent material . . . . so I'll be brooding mine so the hens can keep laying.

 

[zookeeper15133]

Yesterday I cleaned out an old dog crate, the all plastic with a mesh window type, and hauled it over to the turkey coop. It didn't fit thru the door!!!! I started to unhinge the top and bottom sections but ran into bolts.

Guess I'll make a wooden nesting box instead. TRying to give the hens a clue!!

Mine liked an old garbage can I laid on its side until their eggs started disappearing. After I started running out of places to nest, I went to the craft store and bought some ceramic eggs, they even have a hole in the bottom. But it fools them enough that they keep laying there, the duck too.

 

[craz e laid e]

Quote:

We think a like--- I figured maybe the girls needed a secure home with a clean, ample sized nest box just for the 3 girls and the tom. Guess it means I need to build an enclosed run, too.

Survival of the chicks/poults is a numbers game; birds that have a lot of young do so because the mortality rate is high. And combine that with hens that are not parent material . . . . so I'll be brooding mine so the hens can keep laying.





It's amazing that the ones in the wild survive. So often, I've seen a hen with 10 or 12 young. The next time, there will only be 8 or 9, then fewer and fewer. They are lucky if they end up with 1 or 2. I've noticed that after awhile, a few hens will band together with their remaining chicks, and that seems to help. Maybe if the "fathers" stuck around to help, like the Canadian Geese I see, maybe more of the chicks would survive.

 

[craz e laid e]

Quote:
Since I got all shipped eggs for the Easter Hatch, I thought about some of my ring-neck pheasants, but the "guy" at the feed store said they would be too small and the turkeys would accidentally kill them. I wouldn't think they would be much smaller than Silkies. Did you have any problems? He also said turkeys and chicks needed different feed, so what do you feed that accommodates both?

 

[superchemicalgirl]

If it makes a difference I feed unmedicated 22% protein crumbles to chicks and ducks... it's Blue Seal Chick N Game Bird Starter. I've had strong, gorgeous chicks and ducks from feeding it. I don't and won't feed the lower protein chick food and still feed the 18% protein food most of the time even to my adult chicken flock. They do great with the extra protein.

 

[dsqard]

I do start them out on medicated feed but it is the gamebird starter. I forget the protien content but it works just fine for the chicks as well. Extra protien isn't going to hurt them. In fact I keep my flock on 22% gamebird feed all the time. It is more expensive, and if I had a bigger flock I might consider feeding the chickens the lower protien, but they all do really well on it. Of course the older birds are not on medicated. You can get unmedicated starter as well so I change them over to unmedicated at about 8 weeks. I don't know how small pheasant chicks are. The turkey poults hatch out bigger than LF chicks so you would have to decide on whether to mix the two breeds. Poults really don't care what they step on and I think I remember they used to think the chick's toes were food. They kept grabbing their toes. Had to remove a poult that was "attached" to a chick one time. I think that lasted about a week until they really understood what their food looked like.

 

[EnnisLakeFarm]

Another good indicator is as they mature the males loose all the feathers on their heads and the females keep theirs to some extent (although it is still sparse) and the "feather line" is higher........ Whats Up With The Male Pattern Baldness!!!!!!!!!!" Sometimes nature isn't kind, if there are any other fellas here you know what I am talking about!

Whats Up With The Male Pattern Baldness!!!!!!!!!!" Sometimes nature isn't kind, if there are any other fellas here you know what I am talking about!

Yep, know all about that!

Oh you poor guys! If it makes you feel any better I lost about half of my hair after I started having kids, but no bald spots.

 

[dsqard]

Oh you poor guys! If it makes you feel any better I lost about half of my hair after I started having kids, but no bald spots.

I got my first grey hair when I started dating my ex......does that count?

 

[EnnisLakeFarm]

HELP!
I ordered my hatching eggs from a gal on E-Bay (royal palms) and she was supposed to ship them out today. I figured they would get here about Thursday or Friday. Well some how or another they got here TODAY!!
I have chicken eggs in the incubator for the Easter Hatchalong and lock down on Wednesday. I can't go out and buy another incubator DH wouldn't like that idea.
On a good note, they all (7) arrived in beautiful condition. What do I do?
I have never hatched turkeys before (the Easter hatch is my first) Right now I have them air cell up in a 53-57 degree room (the pantry). Would they be okay if I put them in at lock down and just didn't start turning them until Sunday? They were shipped from Iowa to Montana.