I lost 2 turkey poults to the cold rain yesterday!!! :(

[Pumpkinpup]

The weather was terrible yesterday and last night. It poured a cold hard blowing rain steadily. When I went to feed this morning both of my beautiful little penciled palm hens were dead

They have good shelter and nice warm hay to bed down in but they obviously chose not to use it as much as they should have. Now I have one really lonely little Jake without anybody to keep him company.

 

[sandspoultry]

We got the rain last night here in NC, We locked ours in the chicken house so they couldn't get out. Sorry for your loss.

Steve in NC

 

[BeakSanctuary]

I'm very sorry for your loss.

 

[rooster-red]

Sorry for your loss.

It was a really nasty day.

 

[Cason]

Not to be rude, but are turkeys really too stupid to come in out of the rain? I lock mine up at night, but only because of the foxes...

 

[Southerngirl]

Baby turkeys drown because when it rains they will hold their heads UP for some reason. We always had to put ours up because we would lose a few to their "stupidity".

 

[ivan3]

Sorry for your loss. You didn't mention how old they were. Until completely feathered out, they are very prone to succumbing from exposure.

Turkeys, domestic BB's in particular, if raised for several weeks indoors and then allowed outside in the rain might drown, but will probably go down owing to exposure. We've just finished up with the wettest spring/summer on record and the Wild Eastern flocks are actually much larger this year (poults were learning from their mamas).

Below is our Slate hen, off of her nest for her ten minute daily hiatus (toms are hiding out in the shed), during a July gully washer (two+ inch an hour). Observe her stance. I think this has to do with presenting the least vulnerable (smallest surface area) profile (just a hypothesis), but drowning???

ed:sp

 

[sandspoultry]

Quote:
That is an old wives tale and totally untrue. We have been raising hundreds of turkeys for years and that never happened. They are prone to getting cold and chilled however.

Steve in NC

 

[Struttn1]

I would also go along with dying from chill rather than drowning. My turkeys love to be out in the rain so I always make sure my poults are feathered out before allowing them out on rainy days. A young poult that has not feathered is almost guaranteed death if it gets soaked in a rain.

 

[Pumpkinpup]

They were 2 and 1/2 months old and fully feathered but all of the baby fuzz was not completely gone from their necks yet. They were strong and healthy so I was shocked when this occured. Their coop is half covered and half uncovered but it also has a box shelter with hay inside for warmth and to help ward of any blowing rain.