Mama Heating Pad Cave for Turkey Poults?

[DuckDuckSook]

Hello there!
I'm thinking about adding some turkeys to our flock this year. I've already raised chicks and ducklings. I love using a Mama heating pad cave set up for my chicks and ducklings. Would that work for turkey poults? Would they need additional heat too like a heat lamp? Thanks!

 

[azygous]

As with brooding under a broody hen, using a heating pad cave depends on coverage. As long as all your poults can fit under the heating pad, all is good. As they feather out, they need less heat, so projecting ahead what size they would be at age three-four weeks, you will know if your system can accommodate them until they feather out.

In the past, I've had staggered ages of chicks so used a second heating pad for each group. You are always able to stick another heating pad cave in the brooder should some poults find it too crowded under the one pad.

 

[DuckDuckSook]

As with brooding under a broody hen, using a heating pad cave depends on coverage. As long as all your poults can fit under the heating pad, all is good. As they feather out, they need less heat, so projecting ahead what size they would be at age three-four weeks, you will know if your system can accommodate them until they feather out.

In the past, I've had staggered ages of chicks so used a second heating pad for each group. You are always able to stick another heating pad cave in the brooder should some poults find it too crowded under the one pad.

Thank you so much for your response. I love the idea of having more than one pad to help with crowding and comfort. Do you have any other tips for raising young turkeys? Like I said in my original post, I've never raised turkeys, just chicks and ducklings.

 

[azygous]

My uncle used to raise turkeys back in the 1950s, but I don't know anything about poults myself other than they would have similar heat needs until they feather out.

When I used two heating pads at the same time, I found that all the chicks, older and younger, wanted to crowd under the same cave since they are, by nature, transiently thigmotactic. So, taking a cue from that, if you employ two heating pads, arrange them side by side with a common entrance so all of them will be able to crowd under the two pads.

 

[Huntmaster]

Do you have any other tips for raising young turkeys?

They need a higher protein feed than chickens, like 28% to 30% for first 8 weeks or so then at least 20% after. I use a 28% game bird feed for first 12 weeks and then I switch to a 24% game bird grower and free range with supplemental garden veggies/zucchini, cabbage, pumpkins, etc. on occasion. Young poults can be a little more delicate than chicks so dry heated brooder is very important for first few weeks, and I keep mine in brooder a little longer with heat than chicks. Depending on what you want turkeys for will be deciding factor on what variety you should choose. I raise heritage varieties of turkeys. They live longer more natural lives can fly and breed much easier and more natural than Broad Breasted. Broad Breasted are a meat bird that grow very fast and processed at much younger ages but can have many more health issues.

 

[Molpet]

I raised 2 BBB under mhp. I had 6 to 8 inches of shavings and kept removing some underneath it. The turkeys used it longer than the chicks in there. They would crawl under it and the 6 chicks on top. They got so big but still used it until about 8wks. They would stand up under it and lift it up.
I feed 28%
Keep corid on hand.
I now have heritage that the hens raise and have problems with coccidiosis. The stand around hunched like they are cold and then they are dead. My chickens don't get it.
https://www.porterturkeys.com/poultstartingtips.htm

 

[yesterDAYNE]

I've used a MHP for all of my poults except maybe my first two, it's always worked great as long as they have enough room to get under. They used it even after they were feathered, I feel like they like the safety feeling they get from it too. I'd recommend a cone top if you can get one because they absolutely LOVE standing on them and pooping all over it, unless you don't mind cleaning it off which is fine. I definitely agree with having corid on hand, usually I'm fine but this last year I had a lot of issues with sudden poult death and reoccurring coccidia and had to use a bit of it.