Nine Week Old Poults Old Enough for Outside?

[Lagerdogger]

It may in part be due to time of year. Laying doesn't begin until about March 10 for me. So the earliest I can hatch anything is around April 10. Six weeks later is May 15 or so. It can still be pretty cold, and we can still get frost, but its not usually less than 35 by then. Maybe a little warmer most of the time.

My original birds all came from Murray McMurray. Maybe there are stock differences between Iowa birds and birds from further south. The adults do quite well outside when it's -30.

 

[retlaw]

It may in part be due to time of year. Laying doesn't begin until about March 10 for me. So the earliest I can hatch anything is around April 10. Six weeks later is May 15 or so. It can still be pretty cold, and we can still get frost, but its not usually less than 35 by then. Maybe a little warmer most of the time.

My original birds all came from Murray McMurray. Maybe there are stock differences between Iowa birds and birds from further south. The adults do quite well outside when it's -30.

I would say you have something there.
The difference would be the longer days and shorter nights the farther north you go.
Shorter nights means less down time.

Canada, snow and blue geese all take advantage of the 24 hr light far up north for raising their offspring.
It has many advantages.

Where I live on june 21 it gets light at 4:30 am and dark at 11:00 pm.
Only 5 1/2 hrs of night.

 

[Celie]

I would say you have something there.
The difference would be the longer days and shorter nights the farther north you go.
Shorter nights means less down time.

Canada, snow and blue geese all take advantage of the 24 hr light far up north for raising their offspring.
It has many advantages.

Where I live on june 21 it gets light at 4:30 am and dark at 11:00 pm.
Only 5 1/2 hrs of night.

WOW !

 

[kuntrygirl]

I didn't think of myself as too adventurous, but I get my turkeys out of the brooder and into their fenced pasture at six weeks. If its cold, they just pile together. I worried about temperatures at first, but I don't anymore. My brooder has a screen porch that I start letting them onto at about three weeks. At first, they go back in a night, but by five weeks they want to stay outside, rain or shine. If its raining I make them go inside at night, but they can stay out if it's dry regardless of temperature. Then at six weeks, out they go. No problems.

Maybe you have heartier turkey breeds up in MN, but I have had too many poults, catch a chill and die, before I learned what was causing it.

I agree.

I moved my 2 and 3 week old poults that I took from out of the house (my kitchen) and put in the garage. Our temps yesterday were in the 50's. I watched them for a while and they remained bunched up. They never moved around. So their behavior told me that they were cold. So, I turned on the heat lamp and slowly but surely they came out of the huddle and started moving around. As the day went on and night time came, it got even colder (40's). If I would have not turned on the heat lamp, they would have froze to death over night. I don't take chances either Celie. I'm with you.

ETA: This is what they looked like right before I turned on the heat lamp.