first timer to turkey rasising: single poult help please

[melissa41927]

i hatched out 1 slate blue poult 2 days ago. it was the only one out of 5 to hatch. i put it in the brooder and dipped its beak in the water and gave it some game bird starter. i have not seen it try any of the food or drink on its own. it will peck at the food when i put my hand in the box with it and i shows interest in the water when i wiggle the water around. other than that all it does is stand in the box and peep. it will quieten down when somebody walks by and it will stretch its neck up to full length to see who it is. i don't have any chicks its age and i don't know anybody with any. how do i get it to eat and drink on its own?

 

[HennyJenny]

I had the same problem a week ago. This is a repeat performance. The poult needs you to show him several times a day. Put brightly colored marbles in the water dishes. As near as I can tell they learn everything by accident and repetition. He stops cheeping when someone walks by because he's lonesome. You will need to be the company and the teacher until you can acquire an adequate replacement. Only one of my turkey poults hatched and then the chicks didn't hatch until almost five days later. That was an interesting integratioN! Turkey babies seem to require a little bit of "love". The food and water thing - you are just going to have to show him over and over until he gets it! You must do this soon. He'll need to be picking it up by tomorrow sometime or you'll have a starving baby problem.
Good Luck.
Jenny

 

[HennyJenny]

Cleared due to multiple posting.

 

[HennyJenny]

Edited for multiple odd posting problem.

 

[ccrawf]

I had nearly the same problem. I went to the hatchery and bought 4 chicks to go with it, to help show it what to do and keep it company. Made all the difference in the world and now it is doing great. They do need company or they get lonely and cheep all the time. I have found that as poults, they aren't really bright and need some help and demonstration. But after the first week or so, they do really well.
Hope this works out for you. I have another batch due to hatch on the 13th and then again on the 25th.
Clay

 

[melissa41927]

i went to all the hatchery around and none would sell to individuals. i checked all the local newspaper still no chicks. so i got some green food coloring and added that to its food and water, and i put green marbles in the water. it will peck at the green food and then spit it out. it won't try the water. i gave it some boil egg and it gobbled some pieces of the white up.

 

[Plain_View_Farm]

Melissa,
Do you have a small stuffed animal you could put in there to keep your Poult company?
Perhaps if you held the stuffed animal with it's face pecking the food and getting near the water
it may mimic that action and begin eating.
You may have to take an eye dropper and give it water that way.
squeezing some on the tip of it's beak but nto so much you get it in it's nose. Also dip the end of the dropper in
the food and hold that to it's beak sometimes they will peck it off.

Good luck to ya,
David