HELP, BABIES DIE EVERY DAY!!!!

[silkiechicken]

Let chicks hatch fully and do not touch them for 24-48 hours. Don't even open that bator. They need to rest.

Remove and place in brooder with heat, food and water, with hot spot at correct temps and cool areas to get away into.

Show where food is. Tap on food, Tap on water. Put in a baby chick to show them food and water. They won't always eat right away because yolk contains all they need for the first few days.

Wait another 24 hours. If they start to decline on day 4. Then maybe, just maybe "help" by encouraging eating. If you feed water by eye dropper, don't put it in their throat unless you know where it is going. Put droplets on the tip or edge of their beak and they will take it in naturally.

Do not over medicate, do not supplement the living day lights out of them.. let them be. LESS is MORE when it comes to new born chicks of any type of animal. Don't force them to do anything. Gurgling = water in airways = most likely will die of infection or lack of oxygen.

Please do more research.

http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/product/guide_to_raising_turkeys.html

 

[chickenlady]

I have been hesitating making a comment because I know the OP has been through alot already and had good intentions but this is really bothering me.

Being educated and responsible for their well being is not something to be taken lightly. Everyone should educate themselves before hatching eggs or trying to raise a new little life.

There is a large number of threads lately where there is a lot of irresponsible hatching and killing of new chicks, ducks, geese, turkey, etc that could be prevented if people would read and learn before ever setting out to raise them. In my opnion this just is not an area where you start out by trail and error and can say, 'oops!' when it all goes wrong. A life is paid for by our mistakes. It is a lot of work being 'born' into this world and these little creatures are being abused at our hands. We humans are full of good intentions but our mistakes cost lives.

Miss Prissy, you said exactly what I was thinking and you said it well. Thank you. Education is key BEFORE playing with lives.

I am sorry to hear about the babies and I wish you the best of luck with the remaining ones.​

 

[rebecca100]

Experience comes with mistakes. That's how we ALL learn. In a few years we will still be making mistakes--just hopefully new ones!!!!!

 

[adoptedbyachicken]

I get 50 to 100 turkeys at a time so there is no way I can teach them to eat or drink, much less spend individual time with them. Yes they need more encouragement to get going so here is what I do. Buy marbles. That's right, go to a dollar store and get colourful glass marbles that are mostly clear with the veins of all colour through them. Get a lots so you can have a batch out for cleaning. Fill the waterer and feeder trough for the first week at least, probably 2 with marbles and let the feed and water be inbetween. Turkeys may be stupid compared to chicks when it comes to figuring out food and water but they are way more curious and peck at anything shinny. Your lights and heat must be right for them too, and I make sure the lights include one natural bulb so that the marbles reflect nice. I phase the marbles out gradually, don't just not have them one day. When I change the water I dump them into a bucket of hot soapy water, geve them a swish and the water tray too, then rince and refull the waterer. Turn it over with your finger on the hole, put the marbles in the tray and then put id in the brooder then let your finger off. Or just put the marbles in after but it will displace some water so do it outside the brooder.

Be sure to remove them long before the poults are of size to pick up the marbles. The ones I have are about 3/4 of an inch so big, not the smallest ones.

About every third batch I have one poult that may need some individual attention on about day 4 to 6, the rest learn from the marbles.

 

[crow]

I would like too know at what age doo you start taking the heat lamp off of your baby turkeys....

I have had mine for 3 weeks now, and they are a lot bigger and have feathers now