Naturally Hatching Heritage Turkeys

Funnyfarm101

Hatching
May 17, 2022
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0
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Hello, I’m new to this forum and am looking for some advice regarding my newly hatching Sweetgrass Heritage Turkeys. My hen has been doing a great job nesting for the past 4 weeks and I have 8 chicks that have hatched out today. There are still about 7 or 8 eggs under the hen and my concern is that she won’t get up to show the babies where to eat and drink. This evening I dipped all their beaks in water and they drank but I’m wondering how long they can go with out food before I need to intervene?
 
Hello, I’m new to this forum and am looking for some advice regarding my newly hatching Sweetgrass Heritage Turkeys. My hen has been doing a great job nesting for the past 4 weeks and I have 8 chicks that have hatched out today. There are still about 7 or 8 eggs under the hen and my concern is that she won’t get up to show the babies where to eat and drink. This evening I dipped all their beaks in water and they drank but I’m wondering how long they can go with out food before I need to intervene?
If you are concerned about the poults, put them in a brooder.

I take the poults as soon as they are dry. There are just too many things that can happen to them in the general population during their first two weeks.

If I am going to let the hen raise them, I put the hen and poults in my grow out pen with water and high protein turkey or game bird starter and leave them alone.

If you take the poults the hen will be more likely to finish the hatch rather than abandoning the unhatched eggs.
 
If you are concerned about the poults, put them in a brooder.

I take the poults as soon as they are dry. There are just too many things that can happen to them in the general population during their first two weeks.

If I am going to let the hen raise them, I put the hen and poults in my grow out pen with water and high protein turkey or game bird starter and leave them alone.

If you take the poults the hen will be more likely to finish the hatch rather than abandoning the unhatched eggs.
My hen and babies are in a separated pen away from gen pop so there are no concerns with the other birds bugging her. I had 2 hens laying in the nest before the 1 went broody so I’m unsure of how long the eggs that are still under her will take to hatch. I assume the mother will not start moving around and teaching the poults where to eat and drink until the other eggs hatch or I take them away?
 
My hen and babies are in a separated pen away from gen pop so there are no concerns with the other birds bugging her. I had 2 hens laying in the nest before the 1 went broody so I’m unsure of how long the eggs that are still under her will take to hatch. I assume the mother will not start moving around and teaching the poults where to eat and drink until the other eggs hatch or I take them away?
Don't assume anything. In my experience the poults pretty much teach themselves to eat. They naturally peck at things on the ground. This is why when I start poults in the brooder I sprinkle the starter feed on the sand bedding I use. They start eating right away but may take several days before they realize the stuff in the feeder is food too.

The hen is more likely to abandon the eggs in the nest than she is to abandon the poults. If you want to make sure she abandons the eggs, take the remaining eggs, candle them and put the viable ones in the incubator.
 

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