I keep hearing about how fragile poults are for the first 8 weeks or so. There seems to be alot of guidelines such as raising them on wire and things of that nature in order to keep them safe.
Is it much better if they are raised by their turkey momma? If they are on the ground from an early age with momma taking them out to the barnyard and pecking around in the ground and being protected from the others?
Or is there more chance of accidents with them being exposed to the rest of the flock and sort of being on their own more.
I constantly hear conflicting information regarding how poults are always looking for new ways to get themselves killed vs no that never happens to ours.
It seems I hear most of the deaths are from accidents.
To be fair, it does seem like I hear the high death rates from the average joe turkey raiser like myself compared to the never happens to us from the professional turkey raisers, so maybe it has to do with how long you have been doing it for, how prepared you are, or maybe even how hearty the stock is that you raise.
Perhaps ( I really don't know) they let their hens hatch their eggs and brood them. If that is the case then maybe the hen raised does have something going for it.
Tell me if I am way off base here because I am probably just reaching but I find it a little unnerving that I am about to raise something that I have been told already has one foot out the door.
I am just curious as to the mortality rates between one method and the other and if one method has been recognized to be more risky can someone identify what the main reasons are for it and how it can be prevented.
Thanks for any insight you successful or unsuccessful turkey growers can give.
Is it much better if they are raised by their turkey momma? If they are on the ground from an early age with momma taking them out to the barnyard and pecking around in the ground and being protected from the others?
Or is there more chance of accidents with them being exposed to the rest of the flock and sort of being on their own more.
I constantly hear conflicting information regarding how poults are always looking for new ways to get themselves killed vs no that never happens to ours.
It seems I hear most of the deaths are from accidents.
To be fair, it does seem like I hear the high death rates from the average joe turkey raiser like myself compared to the never happens to us from the professional turkey raisers, so maybe it has to do with how long you have been doing it for, how prepared you are, or maybe even how hearty the stock is that you raise.
Perhaps ( I really don't know) they let their hens hatch their eggs and brood them. If that is the case then maybe the hen raised does have something going for it.
Tell me if I am way off base here because I am probably just reaching but I find it a little unnerving that I am about to raise something that I have been told already has one foot out the door.
I am just curious as to the mortality rates between one method and the other and if one method has been recognized to be more risky can someone identify what the main reasons are for it and how it can be prevented.
Thanks for any insight you successful or unsuccessful turkey growers can give.
