How long do they take to eat and drink on there own.

[Jay262]

Its been around 24 hours now and after some horriable luck with my incubator and some power outages the list goes on and on, I managed to save a lone Narragansett and royal palm poult. Anyhow these are my first turkeys I have raised chickens and ducks for years. These turkeys for a lack of a better word seem a little dumb........how long until they figure out the eating and drinking on there own? Is there anything I can do to intice them to do so? I been going back and forth all day forcing them to drink and eat just wondering when they finally pick it up or am I doing something wrong.

 

[redneck farmer]

Put food on tin foil they will peck the shinny foil an find the food,
The water just pick them up an dip there beaks in it BUT MAJE SURE YOUR NOT PUTTING THE NOSE IN THE WATER an they should drink

 

[Lagerdogger]

Or just scatter some food on a paper towel. They will start picking at it. Don't be surprised if you seldom see them eat. They will be eating all the same. I have never had a turkey just sitthere and starve to death. Some people will say they need a chicken chick to show them how to eat. This is not true. If you cover the floor with paper towels, and scatter feed over all of it, and put a feeder at one end, they will be eating out of the feeder in no time.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Are they eating yet?

 

[birdeo]

They don't need food , or water really, until the 3rd day, they are living off their yolk sacs until then .
However, you can offer water on day one .

 

[Jay262]

There eating and drinking on there own now seem to be doing much better. I haven't owned heritage turkeys I assume they grow slower then the commercial ones.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Glad that they are eating and drinking.