Poult Eating Problem

[Girl43]

Hi. I need some advice. I hatched out three white beltsville poults five days ago. They are in their brooder box, drinking and being baby turkeys. Here is my problem. They haven't figured out that food = survival. I have turkey starter in there...they ignored it. I decorated it up with shiny marbles, they played with the marbles (this was day 2 and 3), I boiled an egg, crumbled the yolk and served it on a lovely shiny piece of tinfoil, they pooped on that and ignored it as well. I used my fingers to show them the starter, again and again and again. No go. They were making such a fuss last night so I got some whole wheat flax seed bread moistened with warm water and put that in...NOPE. I picked it up in my fingers to show them and finally they caught on (poor little things were rabid with hunger). So my problem is over you say then you realize that we are dealing with turkeys. They will NOT eat the bread on the ground, on a dish (or in a box with a fox) they only eat it out of my hand. What in heck do I do now? I've showed them from my hand to dish but they don't think it is the same thing. I really need some help here. Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[Scottingitup]

If you have already tried all of that I would say go with the tried and true. Get some baby chicks and put them in with the poults - the chicks will teach them to eat.

 

[ivan3]

Make a goopy slurry with a little bit of the crumbles/water and smear some on fingers. Dip the poult's beaks into the feeder while daubing a little of the food paste on tips on beaks (or just wet tip of beaks with drops of water and then dip beaks into crumbles (some will stick and they'll randomly succeed with a few random crumbles). Meal worms, dampened with water and dropped in feeder usually get their attention. Try placing a little square of foil, shiny side up, with edge stuck under feeder - spread some crumbles on that.

They usually can't avoid getting the goopy feed paste into mouths (use very small amounts and don't get into nostrils). They are eating from your fingers already so just keep up the `guidance'. Squash a bit of HB'ed egg yolk with the bread -also, let them see you placing tiny chunks of the wetted bread into the crumbles and then lead them to it.

They should do fine.

ed: sp.

 

[turkeyguy123]

Try dipping their beaks into first water then the food so it sticks

 

[chicks and hens2]

if you have any baby chicks they will show them how to eat. I had the same problem last week so I bought some chicks and put them in the brooder.Now they will eat the egg either out of my hand or out of a lid of a container and they are eating the started now too

 

[TOP KNOT]

Oh my gosh! I just went on to see how I could get my dumb dumb turkey chicks to eat & here is the post that I need! They will drink... They act really hungry... but da!

They peck EVERYTHING but their food!!

When I dip my finger in the water then their food they will eat it off of my finger. Now they will eat out of my fingers with no water, but not out of the feeder! After reading the advice here,I put 2 of my speckled sussex chicks in with them this morning. They all seem at home together...now the "how to eat" schooling needs to begin!!!! I really hope they teach them.

I got 43 chicks..easy!..if I had 43 turkeys I would go nuts!! (I only have 5 turkey chicks) Thankyou everyone for the advice!!

 

[TOP KNOT]

Ok well the turkeys chicks are watching the sussex every move and have started to peck at the food!!

I am thinking in couple of days they should have the hang of it! Thanks!!

 

[kuntrygirl]

Ok well the turkeys chicks are watching the sussex every move and have started to peck at the food!! I am thinking in couple of days they should have the hang of it! Thanks!!

 

WOW!!! You have some very slow learners. Glad that they are coming around . WHEW!

 

[casportpony]

Peachicks are even worse!

 

[TOP KNOT]

Peachicks are even worse!

Yikes!! I can't imagine! Tonight a piece of whole corn was somehow in their feed...they attacked it and got beakfuls of food in the process! (Never got the piece of corn down) HA!