New to turkeys, any advice is appreciated.

[GoosesGeeses]

Hi all,
i ordered 10 turkey poults for 4-H, they are arriving the 18th. This is my first time raising turkeys, so any help and tips are appreciated.

 

[R2elk]

Hi all,
i ordered 10 turkey poults for 4-H, they are arriving the 18th. This is my first time raising turkeys, so any help and tips are appreciated.

I am guessing that since they are for 4-H that you ordered broad breasted turkeys.

I start poults at 90°F measured at the bedding level and reduce the temperature by 5°F each week until they are at the ambient temperature.

I use sand for bedding in the brooder mainly because I live on a sand dune. I do not recommend starting poults on wood chips. They can eat the wood chips but cannot digest them if they have no appropriately sized grit. Without the grit, they can develop blockage and die.

I do not recommend brooding them with anything but poults to avoid imprinting them by other kinds of poultry.

I feed poults a 30% protein turkey or game bird starter that has the other elevated levels of lysine, methionine and niacin that they need. For broad breasted poults you may want to switch to a grower feed after the first 2 weeks.

@Bantambird can give pointers on the 4-H side of things.

 

[GoosesGeeses]

Broad breasted white

 

[GoosesGeeses]

@R2elk do you mean wood shavings or wood chips?
We have both.
Also, we have wood pellet bedding, but i guess they would eat that too.

 

[R2elk]

@R2elk do you mean wood shavings or wood chips?
We have both.
Also, we have wood pellet bedding, but i guess they would eat that too.

I wouldn't use any of the wood shavings, wood chips or wood pellets. If you do use them, make sure that the poults have access to appropriately sized grit.

One of the benefits I get from using sand is that I can sprinkle the starter feed directly on the sand. Turkey poults instinctively peck at things on the ground. I have no problem getting poults to eat by sprinkling the starter directly on the sand. Mine usually start eating within minutes of being placed in the brooder. It may take them a few days to figure out that the food in the feeder is the same food that they have been eating off of the sand. Once I see them eating from the feeder, I stop sprinkling it on the sand.

 

[GoosesGeeses]

Okay, thanks!

 

[GoosesGeeses]

So you recommend sand?

 

[R2elk]

So you recommend sand?

If I didn't live on a sand dune, I would use dirt.