This is a picture of my Red Bourbons who arrived today. This guy seems to be saying "Just because my 14 brothers and sisters are sleeping doesn't mean I have to slow down!"
These are my first turkey poults. I read so many horror stories about turkey poults being hard to get started eating and drinking, so I was a little worried. I put in some of my 4-day-old ducklings to provide a little guidance as to what to do with food. All of the turkeys were eating and drinking well within an hour. Then I put in about 4 dozen crickets from the pet store, and they all went wild trying to catch and eat them. (I had read that wild turkeys can be hard to start on grains because their natural diet is bugs, so I thought the crickets would go over well, and they were a big hit.)
I'm going to leave the ducklings in with the poults for a few days, since they seem to enjoy each other's company. (The ducks are nibbling at the turkey wing feathers a bit, and the poults are pecking at the duck's feet a little, but they just seem curious and aren't determined about keeping at it.) The ducklings will be fine eating turkey starter for a couple of days, and I'll take them out when they start getting the brooder too wet for the turkeys.
I thought this was interesting: I've read that turkeys like things a little warmer than ducks. Ducks usually like the brooder to be a little under 90 degrees for the first week, and with turkeys it's supposed to be more like 95. Sure enough, as you'll see in this picture, the turkeys are right under the lamp, where the thermometer reads 95, and the ducks are off to the side where it is a little cooler. (When they were awake, they were all mingled together, not in separate groups, so I'm pretty sure it's the heat.)
Aren't they just the cutest?
These are my first turkey poults. I read so many horror stories about turkey poults being hard to get started eating and drinking, so I was a little worried. I put in some of my 4-day-old ducklings to provide a little guidance as to what to do with food. All of the turkeys were eating and drinking well within an hour. Then I put in about 4 dozen crickets from the pet store, and they all went wild trying to catch and eat them. (I had read that wild turkeys can be hard to start on grains because their natural diet is bugs, so I thought the crickets would go over well, and they were a big hit.)
I'm going to leave the ducklings in with the poults for a few days, since they seem to enjoy each other's company. (The ducks are nibbling at the turkey wing feathers a bit, and the poults are pecking at the duck's feet a little, but they just seem curious and aren't determined about keeping at it.) The ducklings will be fine eating turkey starter for a couple of days, and I'll take them out when they start getting the brooder too wet for the turkeys.
I thought this was interesting: I've read that turkeys like things a little warmer than ducks. Ducks usually like the brooder to be a little under 90 degrees for the first week, and with turkeys it's supposed to be more like 95. Sure enough, as you'll see in this picture, the turkeys are right under the lamp, where the thermometer reads 95, and the ducks are off to the side where it is a little cooler. (When they were awake, they were all mingled together, not in separate groups, so I'm pretty sure it's the heat.)
Aren't they just the cutest?
