How do I get the poults to eat?

[kuntrygirl]

This is a pic of how I set up my day old poults. The shiny marbels in the water reflected in the water and this helped them to drink and a small piece of aluminum foil with some feed on it caused a reflection and they started pecking at the foil and then they started eating.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

If I don't have any chicks or established poults to put in with them we do the "dunk and plunk" several times the first day. Dip their beaks then set them down on top or into their feed. Never had them not figure it out. The first day, maybe two, they may not eat or drink much as they are still subsisting on the last of their yolk sac. After that they'll begin to act more normal.

 

[sweeterdeeter42]

Kuntrygirl, that is how I have the food too, on the foil. I just dont see them really eat. I saw one peck when I poured it in tonight, but then it didnt eat like the chicks do. My smallest poult died today. It never fluffed out all the way and had a "look" to it from the very beginning, so I think maybe it just wasnt strong enough. The other two are big and strong and fluffy, so hopefully they are figuring it out when Im not looking. They had a power outage that lasted 12 hours on day 27 of incubation, so they have had a rough start. I cant find any marbles anywhere though. I sure hope they make it. They were the last of my turkey eggs.

 

[Frosty]

I rip the top off of a paper eggs carton and put the bottom half in with them. I fill the eggs cups on it with feed and put in a one quart chick waterer with a red base. When I put poults in, I dip their beak in the water as they go in and set them by the food. I don't normally put chicks in with them, and leave them alone after I put them in. They always manage to figure it out...

 

[markb816]

So my question is where is the momma turkey while you are doing this?
Or does this series of post relate to incubating and hatching them yourselves?
...Maybe you and the momma turkey got a good relationship, but if I get near Momma Turkey's little new chicks she starts hissing.
I don't want to upset her, but I want to make sure that the chicks are good.
Should I just leave the mothering up to mother turkey?
How can I assist.
I do apologize, but I am all so new to these day old turkey chicks I have.
Thanks

 

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:

sweeterdeeter42 wrote: I have three 2 day old poults, and I have only ever seen one peck at the food. I havent seen any drink, even when I dip their beaks. They just scream and "run" away. I have the food on aluminum foil, and they are with one three day old chick and a two week old chick, so they see them eating and drinking. What should I be doing differently? I have scrambled eggs in there right now to see if I could entice them with that. I hatched them out myself.

You are right when you say to leave the mothering up to the mother turkey. As they say, "Mother knows best". But in the case of hatching them yourself or if the mother does not want to be a good turkey mama, the babies have to be cared for by the human mama or human daddy. Then that is when the human mama or daddy have to figure out what to do.

So there is no need to apologize, we all are here to learn.​

 

[ivan3]

We just waited until the third day and made sure by picking up the most vigorous poult and dipping beak and wiggling finger in food. The hens (Slate was taking a break) are pretty good but I like to be sure. Of course, the hen will hiss (take her a few grapes and moths - ours eat the grapes and drop the moths for the poults). A fluttering moth in the feed trough also works. Ours had been feasting on Cicadas, but the `emergers' have evaporated into the trees

.

Day old Slates are still hiding out under the shared mother.