is it worth it?

[Frosty]

If I recall, what I heard about was more specifically turkeys and foot problems, not the spraddle leg or hip problems. I really can't remember and would like turkey guru's take on it, too.

 

[melissa41927]

was that steve from s and s poultry? why did he get banned?

sorry, i couldn't remember clearly.

 

[Frosty]

I don't know, but I think S & S poultry, not Sand Hills.

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

Quote:
Never had any foot problems in poults. They can be bad about the other though, especially in the first month or so. They grow so fast and put on so much weight, that is not fed properly, their bone structure wont be able to support the weight and will cause spraddle leg or hips to blow out. Also, like I said, slick hatchers will get every one of them in a matter of hours, so watch that in the hatchers! Also you can get problems if the humidity is too low and they take too long to get out of the shell. Like Guru said, I run my turkey incubators a good bit higher than chickens on humidity, 65% during main period, 70 or better during hatch, any lower and my hatch rate plummets
Bumble foot can be a problem in older birds too, but thats another subject...

 

[turkey guru]

turkeys have leg problems, my incubators are digtil control! I get a reading about 6 times every 60 seconds, heat recovery is the key, how many times you open it, to put in water, load ,unload, how long it takes to get back to temp once you open it ! I pump fresh outside air to my incubators,and I only put in warm water 90% plus! I stop eggs at day 25 lay on side, I rest them on a small rubber band circle so they can't roll or be pushed by a poult being hatched next door! this all adds to the % of hatch I get! my poults that hatch early or late have most of the problems! told once that a hen moves her eggs 245 times a day??? I have seen them move them more than fifty times!! move by adjusting them while they sit on them, I have also seen turkey hen climb in water dish then go set on eggs dripping wet on a warm day!!! tom

 

[KOTurkeyRanch]

Quote:
Have you ever had leg problems with a hen-hatched poult?

 

[onthespot]

What eggs go for varies quite a bit by region. Around here $4/egg seems to keep me cleaned out of eggs. I have only been able to sneak two midget white eggs into my bator last week. Everything else is sold, and has a waiting list. I sold nearly two dozen eggs today for $80. they wanted 40 but 23 was all I had. He said "I'll take 'em!" and he did. Some other fella in NV wants the next dozen. Why would I even THINK of selling eggs for $2.50 if I can sell them for $4? I wouldn't.

That is besides the point though. You are at a high altitude, and I have read here that to hatch eggs at a high altitude, you need to buy eggs that were laid at a high altitude, that it has to do with the amount of calcium laid down on the shell, the amount of oxygen that can get to the embryo. Combine that with shipping trauma and I think you would be WAY ahead to buy poults. Way... Good luck with whichever way you decide to go. I vote poults because of your unique situation. Once you get yours, you can have all the eggs you want next year. If you want hens, choose poults with slender shanks and smaller, narrower skulls. Not for sure determiner, but it could help stack the deck in your favor of getting hens. Then pick one with the thickest shanks and biggest feet and head and hope it is a tom. Good luck! You will not regret getting turkeys! There is no downside to them.

 

[Dust Bunny]

Quote:
The true turkey guru was Steve untill he got banned

?

 

[Dust Bunny]

Quote:
i think you need a hug

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

Quote:
Very True, I am in the same boat, cant get them laid fast enough right now. $4 per egg is about average for domestic strains, so of mine on ebay frequently hit $6 or better, and the wilds have gone to $20