Illinois...

[Molpet]

Turkey time!
I took a bunch of pics, but can't really see any difference - other than one is white. LOL

Group shots:
View attachment 1493651
View attachment 1493654 View attachment 1493659

White:
... a decent sized snood, right?
View attachment 1493661
good neck photo - but can't tell if it means female or too young.
View attachment 1493653

I think these following browns are the same turkey
View attachment 1493655 View attachment 1493657





and this the other brown poult
(However, they kept moving, so I can't be sure.
View attachment 1493656 View attachment 1493658

Too soon. It is frustrating LOL

 

[Life is Good!]

Sleepy here, two chicks missing from their first day outside with the bigger chicks. Spent a lot of time considering where they are.

Hoping to hear their cheeping when I get out into the coop....

 

[Molpet]

@Faraday40 4 New chicks... one is rather grey.. might be Dinners child... they all might be... the other roo in that pen is getting too top heavy to get the job done

 

[Molpet]

well yesterday one of the white poults with the turkey hen was sitting by itself a lot....
yep it was dead and slightly warm this morning when I opened the coop.

fyi another way to sex turkeys
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/science-sushi/2017/11/23/sexing-turkey-poop/#.W2hCuigzpPY

 

[Life is Good!]

One of two missing chicks was found! The other is still missing. With yesterday's heat, I do not hold out any hope for it.
But we still have way too many new chicks, so in a way, it's okay.
Just kicking myself this morning. Chicks are going to be secured in their coop for at least another week before I try again. Poor things are a little bored.
Anyone know of good chick distractions or 'toys'? They're too little for a flock block, but live mealworms were a huge hit this am.

 

[Molpet]

One of two missing chicks was found! The other is still missing. With yesterday's heat, I do not hold out any hope for it.
But we still have way too many new chicks, so in a way, it's okay.
Just kicking myself this morning. Chicks are going to be secured in their coop for at least another week before I try again. Poor things are a little bored.
Anyone know of good chick distractions or 'toys'? They're too little for a flock block, but live mealworms were a huge hit this am.

steel mirrors, cabbage on a string hung from the coop roof, something to play 'king of the mountain' on

 

[Molpet]

View attachment 1494896
@Faraday40 4 New chicks... one is rather grey.. might be Dinners child... they all might be... the other roo in that pen is getting too top heavy to get the job done

well she hatched seven, 3 yellow and 4 black

My broodies don't seem to like to take others chicks.

I have a broody I may have to break.. none of her eggs hatched Saturday.. since the other hen hatched 7 saturday.. today I took 2 and put in with her... the hatcher one decide to take the rest of her chicks out about 1/2 hr later.. one came running and the hatchless hen was pecking at the 2nd chick... so back it went to the hatch mom.
I have 6 other broodies, one supposed to hatch today and 2 tomorrow, so I may try it with younger chicks at night... if they have anything hatch.

 

[Faraday40]

@Molpet
Congrats on the cuteness!
My guess is the black chicks are likely Dinner's. Lav orps are actually black orps with a double dose of the recessive lav gene - which dilutes the black to make it look lavender. Dinner has 2 lav genes - so he looks lav & passes on his lav genes. However, unless the biological mama also gives a lav gene, the babies will look black. I doubt you'd get any lavs this year.... but all of his offspring will carry the lav gene, so likely you'll hatch some lavs in the next generation.

DD's silkie's going broody for the 3RD time & PR is joining her for a 2nd time this summer. I gave them some eggs.... but the big incubator is packed away and I'm hoping it stays that way. The Hovabater has some quail eggs due to hatch next week, then that will also get packed away. Many of our quail will be 2 yrs old this fall, so they will be retired. I plan to sell all (or most) of what hatches. I may be talked into keeping 6 young quail over the winter, to get us started again in spring..... But it's also easy to buy eggs from someone else.

 

[Molpet]

@Molpet
Congrats on the cuteness!
My guess is the black chicks are likely Dinner's. Lav orps are actually black orps with a double dose of the recessive lav gene - which dilutes the black to make it look lavender. Dinner has 2 lav genes - so he looks lav & passes on his lav genes. However, unless the biological mama also gives a lav gene, the babies will look black. I doubt you'd get any lavs this year.... but all of his offspring will carry the lav gene, so likely you'll hatch some lavs in the next generation.

DD's silkie's going broody for the 3RD time & PR is joining her for a 2nd time this summer. I gave them some eggs.... but the big incubator is packed away and I'm hoping it stays that way. The Hovabater has some quail eggs due to hatch next week, then that will also get packed away. Many of our quail will be 2 yrs old this fall, so they will be retired. I plan to sell all (or most) of what hatches. I may be talked into keeping 6 young quail over the winter, to get us started again in spring..... But it's also easy to buy eggs from someone else.

I get some black chicks out of the white CX mix too, usually they are hens... get barred ones too.

 

[chickendreams24]

Hey everyone been a crazy one here!

Crazy few days really.

Anyhow I was wondering if anyone could give me ideas on the genders of my two turkey poults.

@Molpet
@Faraday40

The first one is quite a bit smaller and has a higher pitched cry. I don't know if that is significant or not. As you'll see it also seems to have a different feather pattern and a snood so small it's invisible in most pictures.

The second one is meatier and has a larger snood. The color on the neck seems about the same to me but it does seem to have fewer feathers down the back of the neck which I think points to male right?