New turkey keeper with day old poults and questions!

[Gypsy07]

I got a bunch of day old Bronze poults today. Going spare at the place I work - they were hatched to order for a guy who got his collection dates mixed up and realised he didn't actually want them till next month!

So I got a few questions...

I'm treating them pretty much the same as I would chicks - same brooder set-up, same temperature, basic chick crumb for now but I've got turkey starter on emergency order at my local feed store and will be picking it up at the start of next week. Is all this okay or do turkeys have any special requirements (apart from the feed) that are different to chicks? I've had a quick look online but there isn't nearly as much info about turkeys as there is about chickens...

I'm a bit worried because I've been told that poults are sillier and more accident prone than chicks, more likely to kill themselves in completely unfeasible ways and also much more fragile and more likely to get chilled and/or sick. Is any/all of this true?

Also, can they be sexed? I see that some of them have little fleshy bumps above their beaks and some of them don't. Is this a male/female thing or do some of them just have big noses? LOL!

Many thanks for any/all info...

P.S. I also brought home a couple of runts that weren't going to make it. One weakling that hatched late and one that got dried up in the shell while hatching. They were both in the powered down and cold hatcher as I was getting ready to clean and sanitise it this morning. Instead of culling them, I popped them back in the incubator to warm back up then helped the egg to hatch. The poult was glued solid to the shell and looked rather lifeless but once soaked and peeled out it perked up almost instantly. The other one doesn't look as good but is still alive. It looks like it's got curled toes. Can these be straightened out the same way I would with a chick?

 

[PekinBantam]

I got a bunch of day old Bronze poults today. Going spare at the place I work - they were hatched to order for a guy who got his collection dates mixed up and realised he didn't actually want them till next month!

So I got a few questions...

I'm treating them pretty much the same as I would chicks - same brooder set-up, same temperature, basic chick crumb for now but I've got turkey starter on emergency order at my local feed store and will be picking it up at the start of next week. Is all this okay or do turkeys have any special requirements (apart from the feed) that are different to chicks? I've had a quick look online but there isn't nearly as much info about turkeys as there is about chickens...
Everything seems fine but keep in mind that turkeys need more protein than chickens

I'm a bit worried because I've been told that poults are sillier and more accident prone than chicks, more likely to kill themselves in completely unfeasible ways and also much more fragile and more likely to get chilled and/or sick. Is any/all of this true?
From what I've heard on other threads, poults seem to have a habit of doing bad decisions and have a sense of direction that isn't as good as a chick.
I wouldn't know if turkeys are sensitive to cold, these are my first turkeys and the temperature in the Phillipines rarely goes below 28 C.

Also, can they be sexed? I see that some of them have little fleshy bumps above their beaks and some of them don't. Is this a male/female thing or do some of them just have big noses? LOL!
Yes, turkeys can be sexed, just post some pics and it should be decided quickly.

Many thanks for any/all info...

P.S. I also brought home a couple of runts that weren't going to make it. One weakling that hatched late and one that got dried up in the shell while hatching. They were both in the powered down and cold hatcher as I was getting ready to clean and sanitise it this morning. Instead of culling them, I popped them back in the incubator to warm back up then helped the egg to hatch. The poult was glued solid to the shell and looked rather lifeless but once soaked and peeled out it perked up almost instantly. The other one doesn't look as good but is still alive. It looks like it's got curled toes. Can these be straightened out the same way I would with a chick?
It should, but this has never happened to me so I can't be 100% sure.

 

[maidenwolfx80]

x2 on the needing higher protein. I keep my turkeys and chickens together so I treat them the same except give a middle range protein so they both get what they need. Turkeys can get chilled before they feather out and die or get very sick. After they feather out they are fine. Since turkeys are bigger than chickens and built differently they are a bit clumsy but they learn quickly and love a good challenge of a new puzzle to solve. They are curious and brave which can get them in trouble sometimes but is great for protecting a flock. They have great personalities and just like to be social, I have a narragansett who will lay beside my chair while I sit and read just like a dog and when I get up he is right by my side. Yes turkeys are great

 

[geepy]

Turkey poults are young and dumb. They do need higher protein or they will have leg problems. You might be able to straighten out the toes, But don't get your hopes up. hahaha now your gonna be hooked.

 

[Gypsy07]

TBH I think I was hooked the first time I heard a bunch of turkeys all shouting at their owner as he went over to their pen to feed them. Saw it on a TV programme a while back and have had a hankering after them ever since. They're just hard to track down over here (I'm in the UK) and also expensive. But I got these ones as overtime payment for working an extra daythis week. Basically I was paid a turkey an hour yesterday!

Thanks for the info guys. Reason I was asking about heat and stupidity is because I use an electric hen rather than a heat lamp - brooder is kept at basic room temperature with just a little hotplate for the birds to huddle under and keep warm. Been doing it for years with chickens as I find it makes them feather up quicker and they're usually off heat and outside by 6 weeks old. Guess I was a bit worried that for some reason it might not be suitable for turkeys.

But I just got up at 7am and they're all still alive and looking good. Thanks again!

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

Awww! I love turkeys! You'll get so attached. Are these keepers or dinners?

 

[frank53061]

I got my Poults at 3 days old from the Hatchery and brought them up with some Chicks I incubated to hatch at the same time the Chicks helped in the teaching or reminding the Poults to eat and drink.
There are other people who had great Ideas about doing this with out Chicks such as putting the feed on a shiny aluminum pie pan and putting red or shiny marbles in the water this seems to attract there attention to the feed and water.
I don't know this for a fact but people here have said that Poults have poor eye sight for awhile and this helps.
I did the same thing raising my Poults as raising my Chicks but feed the Poults Game bird starter for the extra protein they need for 8 weeks then I changed them over to laying pellets mixing with laying pellets for 2 weeks till I stopped the Game Bird feed.

Good Luck with the new Poults.

 

[maidenwolfx80]

I got my Poults at 3 days old from the Hatchery and brought them up with some Chicks I incubated to hatch at the same time the Chicks helped in the teaching or reminding the Poults to eat and drink.
There are other people who had great Ideas about doing this with out Chicks such as putting the feed on a shiny aluminum pie pan and putting red or shiny marbles in the water this seems to attract there attention to the feed and water.
I don't know this for a fact but people here have said that Poults have poor eye sight for awhile and this helps.
I did the same thing raising my Poults as raising my Chicks but feed the Poults Game bird starter for the extra protein they need for 8 weeks then I changed them over to laying pellets mixing with laying pellets for 2 weeks till I stopped the Game Bird feed.

Good Luck with the new Poults.

I have a mixed age flock with chicken and turkey so I mix 16% grower with a 20 % gamebird or all flock and just supplement the oyster shell for my girls when they are ready. They are 19 wks cant wait for eggs

 

[Gypsy07]

Awww! I love turkeys! You'll get so attached. Are these keepers or dinners?

Well, I'm hoping to pick out the best ones and keep them for breeding, and sell the spares for Xmas dinners. I don't think they'll be full size by this Xmas though so there's every chance I'll end up keeping them all if they're friendly and they've all got different little turkey personalities.

 

[Gypsy07]

Oh, another question:

Do turkeys mate up like chickens or like geese? Like, do they pair off or does one male need several females?