**~~>>Second Annual Cinco de Mayo Turkey Hatchathon<<~~**all poultry welcome!

[SilkieSensation]

what about ancona duck! I know someone who will have eggs in summer! hint hint

I have 15 Anconas in the bator developing beautifully & due the end of the month...but I could potentially be persuaded to add some other bloodlines

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Congrats on the Peas Mike!

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote: YAY!!!

 

[mlm Mike]

I was just thinking of all the cool pictures you could post! .........but you'd better check them out .... they are noisy....but beautiful!!

Maybe after I do some downsizing. Now outside to build some breeding pens for the breeds I'm getting rid of.

 

[HEChicken]

For anyone wondering if you have to separate your chicks and poults as they get bigger, I have always brooded mine together the whole time. In fact my grown turkeys live with my adult chickens full time. I just feed the whole flock gamebird food. I haven't noticed any liver problems or chickens growing too fast. The only thing you have to worry about is if you have blackhead in your area when it comes to keeping them all together. We don't have it here so they all are in one pen. BTW, if you haven't raised turkeys before, the heritage breeds can fly really well and they like to roost high. I don't have any trees so I haven't had to get them out of a tree and I am thankful that they haven't discovered the rafters in the barn.

I do clip the hen's wings to try to keep them in the pen though.

My turkeys also live with my chicken flock. When they were growing up, I fed them gamebird feed but once the turkeys were grown, I switched the whole flock to layer food and the turkeys seem to have done fine on it. They are RP's and perfectly capable of flying, as dsqard said. In the fall, my hen went through a stage of sleeping on top of my horse shelter, which involved a jump/flight to 12' off the ground. The tom is much bigger and heavier and is quite convinced he is incapable of the same feat, so his chosen sleeping spot was the 5' fence underneath the horse shelter. I don't want something climbing up and getting him in the night, so every night I go out and make him get down, and herd him into the coop where he sleeps on the roost with the chickens. At some point the hen I guess got tired of sleeping alone so she now voluntarily goes into the coop every night and gets on the roost. She hasn't slept on the horse shelter for months now.

The other interesting thing about raising them all together....a friend of mine also has RP's and she complained they aren't interested in treats. She has tried offering them numerous things but they won't even try them - all they eat is their feed. Since my turkeys are with the flock, they picked up on the chickens' excitement any time I carry kitchen scraps out there, and they are in the fray, trying to be the first to grab the best stuff and run off with it - just like the chickens. My hen's personal favorites are apple cores, peppers (the core with the seed, usually) and egg salad sandwiches!

 

[Sally Sunshine]

For anyone wondering if you have to separate your chicks and poults as they get bigger, I have always brooded mine together the whole time. In fact my grown turkeys live with my adult chickens full time. I just feed the whole flock gamebird food. I haven't noticed any liver problems or chickens growing too fast. The only thing you have to worry about is if you have blackhead in your area when it comes to keeping them all together. We don't have it here so they all are in one pen. BTW, if you haven't raised turkeys before, the heritage breeds can fly really well and they like to roost high. I don't have any trees so I haven't had to get them out of a tree and I am thankful that they haven't discovered the rafters in the barn.

I do clip the hen's wings to try to keep them in the pen though.

You know I would ask about what "blackhead" is!

 

[superchemicalgirl]

Someone asked about what to feed. I always feed hatched chicks and turkeys 22% protein crumbles, non-medicated. Ducks get less protein although mine start on the 22% for a few days. All my adults and juvies (chickens, turkeys, ducks) eat 18% protein pellets, and in the morning the chickens and turkeys get a mash of the 16% protein layer pellets (with the calcium) and some flax seeds in water. Hot in the winter, cool in the summer. It helps get them outside in the winter and gives them something to do/pick at to relieve boredom.

My chicks grow well and strong and I do not have problems with them as adults. I think the extra protein does them well. That's my management style.

I also add regular white sugar to their water when they first hatch for the first few days. It gives them an energy/calorie boost. It does increase the risk of poobutt so you have to watch for that, but I don't brood chicks or turkeys without sugar water. I add a tablespoon of sugar to the first day or two quart of water. Then a teaspoon for a day or two, then one-half teaspoon, then nothing.

 

[yinepu]

Quote:
24% will work fine.. i usually shoot for 26 to 28% for poults.. a few people on here are lucky enough to have 30% turkey starter available in their area (I'm not one of them.. no turkey starter to be had in this neck of the woods)

 

[dsqard]

You know I would ask about what "blackhead" is!

Here is a link to a description of the disease. It is not a big issue for chickens but it is pretty bad for turkeys.
http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153-10370_12150_12220-26481--,00.html

 

[yinepu]

Quote:
I use the same waterer that I use for chickens

same kind of brooder too


turkeys do best on game bird starter or turkey starter if you can find it (both have higher protein than chick starter)... the game bird starter won't hurt chicks for being on it while in the brooder.. but i wouldnt keep them on it long term (causes them to grow faster and long term can put a strain on their liver)

turkeys can be on regular chick starter.. but they won't get all the nutrition they need so they will grow slower.. and many chick starters lack the niacin that turkeys need.. so if you go with chick starter add some niacin to the water to help avoid leg and joint issues in the poults.

I try not to use medicated feed for any of my birds.. but some times that's all that's available. It won't hurt them.. I just prefer to stay away from medicated feeds.
yinepu (what does that mean btw?)
Is it ok if I add your specialty incubating links to my Hatching 101 notes? I think I already have been using the scovy one and for the ancona I hatched NYears! https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/hatching-eggs-101
you can link them,.. just be sure to give me credit since I always specify who I learned the info from .. lol.. i believe in giving credit where credit is due... I also need to write up one for Mandarins (entire incubation in incubator and not with broody assist) plus one with assorted tips.. (not hatching exactly.. more like bits I have figured out on my own.. like my egg storage method and air test for bators)