Heartbreaking and stressful

[Damummis]

My 2nd White Midget died today.

It was about a week old. It was doing fine then went downhill. I can't take the horrible way I feel. I have 4 left and I am worried sick that they are going to die too. They are eating and drinking. I have been watching, maybe too much, and they all seem healthy and strong. I am just paranoid now.

Sorry had to vent.

 

[redhen]

Sorry..

 

[Lotsapaints]

That can happen even when you do everything right. Always get more turkeys than you think you need..that way you fit right in with the rest of us. Sorry for your loss just make sure they don't get chilled and that they are drinking and eating. I worry about mine they are the same age as yours I just hatched mine so they didn't have as much stress. Tomorrow I get my Midget Whites and I hope I don't lose too many either had to order 15 so I hope they do okay.

 

[PatS]

I feel your pain, having lost two MW a few days ago. I hope the rest stay well.

 

[longranger]

Even when you hatch them yourself there are too often losses that seem unexplainable. There are reasons to be sure such as bad immune systems, weak hearts, brain not quite wired correctly, etc.. but you can't really gauge that. All you can do is provide the best environment you can and enjoy the ones that you have. Whether ordered and shipped or hatched at home some batches of poults thrive without any losses and others keep you paranoid with healthy appearing poults dead the next morning. It can happen to anyone regardless of knowledge or experience.

One of the advantages of breeding your own is you can select for vigor. No doubt the poults sold by Steve and Sharon will have offspring that on the average have lower mortality than your average hatchery run. If you plan to keep your poults as breeding stock it really pays dividends to buy the best genetics you can. That being said that is not always the biggest or prettiest example of a given variety that has the best vigor. It's a lot like dogs. Often the healthiest and best mannered animals are mutts.

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

 

[SilverPhoenix]

Oh, I'm so sorry! That's so sad and disappointing, especially when you don't have many poults to begin with.

I think Longranger posted a great post, though--it's true that no matter how well you care for them and how hard you try to keep everything perfect, losses happen to all of us. Sometimes there are just things wrong that we'll never know about. I lost a week-old chick today, too, so I know the feeling. All you can do is care for them as best as you can and hope---stressing and worrying won't do any good.

Best of luck with your remaining four--I hope they thrive for you!

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

I agree it is always sad to loose them. and it is hard to raise them for the first time. If it's any help once you get a system down it makes it alot easier. I was looking at our last hatch this morning and made a mental note to move them to the next size brooder box soon. It's just from experience and that comes with time on raising them and picking up tips here and there and what works for you. Once you get them to the point of breeding them yourself then you can really improve the flock overall. We use the "black band method" if they don't grow as fast, or have trouble etc they get moved to the cull flock and after a while you will find that flock getting smaller and smaller.

Steve