Poults and Chicks Issue

[Ruralhideaway]

So I don't have turkeys and know nothing about them. I'm incubating some for a friend. I learned here it's a good idea to have some chicks as trainers to help the poults learn to eat. So I set a few chicken eggs to hatch today, turkeys by Sunday.

Here's the problem. The friend who is getting these turkeys heard that chickens will give the poults blackhead. I know that's true but also trust the advice I was given.

Can anyone clarify if/when this will become a concern? I'd like to understand and also either reassure my friend OR find someone who wants chicks as I really don't at the moment!

Thank you, I hope this is adequately on topic.

 

[R2elk]

So I don't have turkeys and know nothing about them. I'm incubating some for a friend. I learned here it's a good idea to have some chicks as trainers to help the poults learn to eat. So I set a few chicken eggs to hatch today, turkeys by Sunday.

Here's the problem. The friend who is getting these turkeys heard that chickens will give the poults blackhead. I know that's true but also trust the advice I was given.

Can anyone clarify if/when this will become a concern? I'd like to understand and also either reassure my friend OR find someone who wants chicks as I really don't at the moment!

Thank you, I hope this is adequately on topic.

Newly hatched chicks do not have Blackhead and cannot transmit it to anything. If Blackhead is not present, the chicks will not be able to contract it and neither will the turkeys. If it is present the chicks will first have to contract from the parasite before it can be passed on to the turkeys.

"Histomoniasis (or histomonosis), also known as blackhead disease, is a commercially important disease of poultry, particularly of chickens and turkeys, due to parasitic infection of a protozoan, Histomonas meleagridis."

 

[Ruralhideaway]

Newly hatched chicks do not have Blackhead and cannot transmit it to anything. If Blackhead is not present, the chicks will not be able to contract it and neither will the turkeys. If it is present the chicks will first have to contract from the parasite before it can be passed on to the turkeys.

"Histomoniasis (or histomonosis), also known as blackhead disease, is a commercially important disease of poultry, particularly of chickens and turkeys, due to parasitic infection of a protozoan, Histomonas meleagridis."

So am I understanding correctly that the chicks couldn't hatch with this disease? They would need to contract it from soil, which would equally risk the poults directly contracting it from their future home?

Thank you.

 

[R2elk]

So am I understanding correctly that the chicks couldn't hatch with this disease? They would need to contract it from soil, which would equally risk the poults directly contracting it from their future home?

Thank you.

That is correct.

 

[Ruralhideaway]

Follow up question...

Day 26 and all of the speckled eggs are starting to hatch. 3 have externally pipped away from the aircells. The white eggs, all set together, stil look like Monday as I'd expected.

Is this unusual?

 

[R2elk]

Follow up question...

Day 26 and all of the speckled eggs are starting to hatch. 3 have externally pipped away from the aircells. The white eggs, all set together, still look like Monday as I'd expected.

Is this unusual?

It is very common for turkey eggs to hatch on day 27 and possibly a little earlier if the incubator is running a little high.

Turkey eggs are speckled, I do not know what your white eggs are.

 

[Ruralhideaway]

It is very common for turkey eggs to hatch on day 27 and possibly a little earlier if the incubator is running a little high.

Turkey eggs are speckled, I do not know what your white eggs are.

My temp is calibrated in carefully but it's been a very hot May so yes high sometimes.

The white ones are a bit larger and possibly just lightly speckled. Looks like small grayish imperfections. These are crosses of several breeds, royal palm, narragansett, bourbon red, wild. At least that's what I'm told.

Maybe I'm really hatching pterodactyls?

 

[R2elk]

My temp is calibrated in carefully but it's been a very hot May so yes high sometimes.

The white ones are a bit larger and possibly just lightly speckled. Looks like small grayish imperfections. These are crosses of several breeds, royal palm, narragansett, bourbon red, wild. At least that's what I'm told.

Maybe I'm really hatching pterodactyls?

If they were pure white with no speckles, I would suspect duck or goose eggs.

 

[Ruralhideaway]

If they were pure white with no speckles, I would suspect duck or goose eggs.

I'll keep you posted. They are pretty white. Speckles look like calcium deposits.

 

[Ruralhideaway]

Here's the white eggs. Not shaped like ducks or geese to my eye. The others are already hatched and gone.