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

[CayuseRanch]

How is that even possible?????????? I am afraid that HENN needs to coordinate a massive EB to CayuseRanch!!

maybe for my husbands sanity I should clarify. I have lots of eggs! My problem is I keep increasing my flock, but I never sell. Not even eggs lol!! There's lots that holds me back.. I have never shipped eggs. my Cochin breeding pen is under development. my buff Brahma trio would take me a week to get six eggs. They don't lay much my cuckoo marans pen is my best looking birds but for some reason I think fertility is down. Two hatches and no chicks yet and no signs of development. Giving it one last shot here in another week, I'm hoping that was an adverse effect of worming. So...no egg bomb necessary unless....well I am looking for dark Brahma, favorelles and lots of turkeys lol

 

[yinepu]

Quote:
since he was a BB the protein was too high.. I've had them die from the same thing when the protein was too high for them.. But Heritage turkeys do better on the higher protein feed... just gotta watch those broad breasted guys.. they will start out limping then keel over on you very quickly
I have a BBW poult that had funky wings when she came from the hatchery & started limping almost right away. The wings have mostly straightened out but her 1 knee is really bad & her toe tucks under on that side. I feed a mix of 22% & 18% mixed with corn, oats, sweet mix & beef chop (over 3/4 is crumbles) & she is the only bird with a problem with her legs. Pretty sure her's was poor breeding to begin with since she arrived with issues. She gets around ok, but limps really bad.

sounds like her issue is genetic.. or a niacin deficiency

bad legs on a normal weight bird (for it's age) are usually caused by a lack of niacin, bad genes, or injury like a predator attack..
but if you have a "healthy" bird that is gaining weight rapidly (which is what the high protein feeds will do) their weight will cause leg issues since the bone isn't strong enough to support their weight.. in those birds a heart attack or flip usually comes soon after their legs start having issues... some will just up and die before that if too much bulk (fat usually) builds up around their hearts

the niacin issue can show up in both heritage and broad breasted birds (as well as other poultry like emu, ducks and geese)
but "flip" from too much protein is restricted to the fast growing birds like cornish cross, some strains of the 'freedom ranger" type birds and broad breasted turkeys
Not a high protien issue & she's almost exactly the same weight as the other poult from that hatch date so either they are both way too small or they are both girls. They are about the same weight as the red broilers who are a week older & the white broilers that are 3 weeks younger. To he that says 2 hens. I had another poult in that order that had wing issues & it only lasted about 2 days. I didn't think this 1 was going to make it either, but she's a fighter. She just has a bad leg & foot. Could be niacin I guess, but I would think that would affect the other poult & all of the ducks as well & they are all fine. I use an "all-flock" style feed so it should have plenty of niacin for ducklings & poults.

Nope..niacin deficiency is an individual thing

From Metzer Farms
"What if only a few of my birds have leg problems? Variability within a flock is normal. Each bird varies on how well it forms niacin from tryptophan, either due to genetics or the different microflora in their gut. It would not be unusual to have a single flock of birds, with some exhibiting a niacin deficiency and others walking perfectly normally - but all eating the same feed. "
Hmmmm...could be niacin then. She gets around ok for now but probably won't once she gets heavier. Kinda figured she would just end up getting processed early, or is this something that will kill her before she's big enough to process.

if she goes down on her legs she may very well end up dead .. if from nothing else than being able to move about and feed properly..
so long as she's still moving around ok you can try giving her extra niacin and see if you can catch it before it gets any worse... but if it's a genetic issue extra niacin won't help
I will have to separate her to make sure she gets the niacin. I have her in with 19 broilers & about 20 other chicks. Trying to remember what works best for niacin. Yeast

or am I not remembering right.

How old is she?..

You can use regular niacin from the store (human vitamins)
if you use a 500 mg tablet you can just break it into quarters and add 1/4 of the tablet to the drinking water (one tablet is good for about 4 gallons of water.. so 1/4 tablet per gallon)
I usually just crush the tablets up and sprinkle it into everyone's feed since I don't separate them from their buddies.. But then again our chick starter is lacking in niacin for the ducks.. and I use gamebird starter for the turkey poults.. (our gamebird starter has enough niacin for the poults).. so i use it as a preventative.
if you're adding it to the feed keep in mind that one 500 mg niacin tablet has enough niacin for around 45 to 50 ducks.. so you would only need a pinch for the poult if he eats all his food.. otherwise some of the niacin will settle to the bottom of the dish.. so a bit more never hurts

I would have to check the dosage for Brewers yeast since I don't normally use it.

an alternative is liquid B vitamins.. if you use a brand that delivers 20 mg of niacin per dropper.. so a half dropper would work for a poult that's around 4 weeks of age if you're direct dosing

 

[Wisher1000]

Finished the second breeder pen today, well, almost finished. It was needed for the lone Campine roo so that I don't have to move him morning and night. Just after finishing for the evening, I went to take care of the flock. I am two short because of the white EE I lost yesterday to a predator and a BCM hen I gave to my buddy Stumpy this afternoon. I didn't finish the coop cleaning, but I checked the broody and she has chicks hatching under her! Five out so far, and there is one in the bator that she cracked and I put wax on and stuck it in with this hatch's eggs. I will have to see if it needs to be locked down. Anyway, now I need the breeder pen for her and her brood!

 

[superchemicalgirl]

5 out of 7 turkeys developing here!

6 out of 6 meaty crosses.

12 out of 12 corning in the incubator less than 24 hours.

 

[tazcat70]

Oh, you are SOOOOOOOO in trouble. I have 91 chicks brooding in my house right now (I'm not counting anything already outside), 80 eggs hatching right now, 100 quail eggs hatching right now, 200 more in the incubator and today is set day.............. Just saying, better be careful......... ................LOL

And this is why I am thinking about turning off the incubator.

I'm hoping to put them in my brooder tonight. I'd love to not have to set up a separate brooder for 2-3 poults, plus I'd love for the poults to have the benefit of tutors. Only problem is, my chicks are now 12 days old and quite active. I was going to do it after dark when they're all snuggled under the EcoGlow, and hope in the morning they don't notice the new arrivals but I dunno....What is everyone's thoughts on whether these babies are too little to be put in with chicks of that age? This was a brilliant idea! After reading it, I took them down and showed them to broody Mama. She looked alarmed and I set them down with some trepidation, ready to snatch them back up if she showed the slightest sign of aggression. They immediately ran over to her (well, as much as a staggering drunken sailor can "run"). As they tried to get under her, she kept backing away from them, alternately making distress calls and cooing to them. For several minutes they desperately tried to keep up with her as she moved around inside the hoop coop "nursery", showing her chicks the kinds of things that can be eaten. Then she settled down to let them nap, and I grabbed the turkeys and slipped them under her. They stopped whutting, presumably to take a nap, and she settled them unîder and didn't seem to mind them being there at all. When nap time was over, she tried to show them how to eat from the feeder, but they didn't partake. I'm guessing having hatched only hours ago, it is not yet essential that they eat, and their main priority must be to learn how to walk without falling down. I've spent the last couple of hours with them and don't feel they are in danger from the hen - only from not being able to keep up yet. I'm really thinking that after a good night's sleep, they'll be much stronger tomorrow. Naturally I will be making sure they are tucked under her securely at bedtime, just in case, although at the last nap time they were able to find their way under her by themselves. Meanwhile, a third was busily hatching and is now resting in the incubator. I figured the fourth egg to be a dud, so turned down the humidity to allow the duck eggs to compensate, and removed that last egg, candled to be sure and.....it peeped at me. Now THAT is the coolest thing - to be holding an egg, hearing it peep, seeing the little beak moving, feeling it tap-tap-tap against my hand. Needless to say, the humidity is now back up and it is back in. Hopefully it will hatch soon - I'd like to get these two under the hen while she is still willing to accept them.

Wonderful!!!

 

[ThaiDye]

Quote: They do, but we are in a debt elimination program & cannot have any kind of credit right now. I had my sister apply, but she was not approved either. My husband is going to see if one of his brothers can qualify for a card.

As for the dog, not positive, but coyote comes to mind. We are right smack dab in the middle of a game trail. We always put the pups inside at night, but we weren't going to be that long (or so we thought) and it was warm out, so we let them have extra out time. There were 4 other dogs with her, but it is a large yard, so I don't know. Her injuries didn't look too bad, but she was in shock already & ultimately that was what killed her.

 

[Loghousemom]

They do, but we are in a debt elimination program & cannot have any kind of credit right now. I had my sister apply, but she was not approved either. My husband is going to see if one of his brothers can qualify for a card.

As for the dog, not positive, but coyote comes to mind. We are right smack dab in the middle of a game trail. We always put the pups inside at night, but we weren't going to be that long (or so we thought) and it was warm out, so we let them have extra out time. There were 4 other dogs with her, but it is a large yard, so I don't know. Her injuries didn't look too bad, but she was in shock already & ultimately that was what killed her.

It is so hard to have sick animals, or ones that tragically leave this world. We lost out little chihuahua this past November from liver and kidney failure. She was fine one day, the next she couldn't walk. I should have put her down right then, but the vet convinced me to give some medications a go... She died the following evening in her sleep. I cried for days, but she lived a good long life. (15 years). Now her buddy, my big golden retriever is going into his 17th year soon! His arthritis is getting bad, but hopefully spring will come soon and maybe warmer weather will allow him to get around a bit better.

Hopefully you can find a way to get the kitty treatment. It stinks that vets are so pricy!

 

[tazcat70]

I just moved here last September, and the house had been empty for a long time. It was basically a foreclosure property, so you have no idea what you have. At least I don't, so everything is strange. It would have been easier to have been able to ask someone about this or that.

Anyway, today we were working on the garden pond. Vandals had thrown the majority of the rocks into the pond, so we have been pulling them out, and raking, what seems to be 5 years worth of leaves, and trash. Today we finally got the pond completely drained. I moved some rocks on the waterfall part, and am working on placing the rocks around the edge of the liners. I plan on getting some gravel for the "stream" from the waterfall to the pond. After getting the rocks and gravel in we will refill it. I had no idea what I had or if it was any good. So unfortunately all the irrigation and spot lighting was torn out. We have spent lots of hours out there working on it and while it is changing, so far it isn't looking much better. I have wanted a pond FOREVER, so it is a labor of love, but darned if it isn't kicking my butt!

 

[Razadia]

Finished the second breeder pen today, well, almost finished. It was needed for the lone Campine roo so that I don't have to move him morning and night. Just after finishing for the evening, I went to take care of the flock. I am two short because of the white EE I lost yesterday to a predator and a BCM hen I gave to my buddy Stumpy this afternoon. I didn't finish the coop cleaning, but I checked the broody and she has chicks hatching under her! Five out so far, and there is one in the bator that she cracked and I put wax on and stuck it in with this hatch's eggs. I will have to see if it needs to be locked down. Anyway, now I need the breeder pen for her and her brood!

During my first gamefowl hatch this year (part of the 16 chicks I sold to the feed store) my hen Honey crushed the side of an egg fighting me over a chick. I left it under her and it hatched. I think it may have internally pipped before it ended up broken.

Quote:
since he was a BB the protein was too high.. I've had them die from the same thing when the protein was too high for them.. But Heritage turkeys do better on the higher protein feed... just gotta watch those broad breasted guys.. they will start out limping then keel over on you very quickly
I have a BBW poult that had funky wings when she came from the hatchery & started limping almost right away. The wings have mostly straightened out but her 1 knee is really bad & her toe tucks under on that side. I feed a mix of 22% & 18% mixed with corn, oats, sweet mix & beef chop (over 3/4 is crumbles) & she is the only bird with a problem with her legs. Pretty sure her's was poor breeding to begin with since she arrived with issues. She gets around ok, but limps really bad.

sounds like her issue is genetic.. or a niacin deficiency

bad legs on a normal weight bird (for it's age) are usually caused by a lack of niacin, bad genes, or injury like a predator attack..
but if you have a "healthy" bird that is gaining weight rapidly (which is what the high protein feeds will do) their weight will cause leg issues since the bone isn't strong enough to support their weight.. in those birds a heart attack or flip usually comes soon after their legs start having issues... some will just up and die before that if too much bulk (fat usually) builds up around their hearts

the niacin issue can show up in both heritage and broad breasted birds (as well as other poultry like emu, ducks and geese)
but "flip" from too much protein is restricted to the fast growing birds like cornish cross, some strains of the 'freedom ranger" type birds and broad breasted turkeys
Not a high protien issue & she's almost exactly the same weight as the other poult from that hatch date so either they are both way too small or they are both girls. They are about the same weight as the red broilers who are a week older & the white broilers that are 3 weeks younger. To he that says 2 hens. I had another poult in that order that had wing issues & it only lasted about 2 days. I didn't think this 1 was going to make it either, but she's a fighter. She just has a bad leg & foot. Could be niacin I guess, but I would think that would affect the other poult & all of the ducks as well & they are all fine. I use an "all-flock" style feed so it should have plenty of niacin for ducklings & poults.

Nope..niacin deficiency is an individual thing

From Metzer Farms
"What if only a few of my birds have leg problems? Variability within a flock is normal. Each bird varies on how well it forms niacin from tryptophan, either due to genetics or the different microflora in their gut. It would not be unusual to have a single flock of birds, with some exhibiting a niacin deficiency and others walking perfectly normally - but all eating the same feed. "
Hmmmm...could be niacin then. She gets around ok for now but probably won't once she gets heavier. Kinda figured she would just end up getting processed early, or is this something that will kill her before she's big enough to process.

if she goes down on her legs she may very well end up dead .. if from nothing else than being able to move about and feed properly..
so long as she's still moving around ok you can try giving her extra niacin and see if you can catch it before it gets any worse... but if it's a genetic issue extra niacin won't help
I will have to separate her to make sure she gets the niacin. I have her in with 19 broilers & about 20 other chicks. Trying to remember what works best for niacin. Yeast

or am I not remembering right.

How old is she?..

You can use regular niacin from the store (human vitamins)
if you use a 500 mg tablet you can just break it into quarters and add 1/4 of the tablet to the drinking water (one tablet is good for about 4 gallons of water.. so 1/4 tablet per gallon)
I usually just crush the tablets up and sprinkle it into everyone's feed since I don't separate them from their buddies.. But then again our chick starter is lacking in niacin for the ducks.. and I use gamebird starter for the turkey poults.. (our gamebird starter has enough niacin for the poults).. so i use it as a preventative.
if you're adding it to the feed keep in mind that one 500 mg niacin tablet has enough niacin for around 45 to 50 ducks.. so you would only need a pinch for the poult if he eats all his food.. otherwise some of the niacin will settle to the bottom of the dish.. so a bit more never hurts

I would have to check the dosage for Brewers yeast since I don't normally use it.

an alternative is liquid B vitamins.. if you use a brand that delivers 20 mg of niacin per dropper.. so a half dropper would work for a poult that's around 4 weeks of age if you're direct dosing
I wonder if B vitamin tablets would work for a duckling? If it hatches I know I'll need something to help it get what it needs.

 

[yinepu]

Quote:
since he was a BB the protein was too high.. I've had them die from the same thing when the protein was too high for them.. But Heritage turkeys do better on the higher protein feed... just gotta watch those broad breasted guys.. they will start out limping then keel over on you very quickly
I have a BBW poult that had funky wings when she came from the hatchery & started limping almost right away. The wings have mostly straightened out but her 1 knee is really bad & her toe tucks under on that side. I feed a mix of 22% & 18% mixed with corn, oats, sweet mix & beef chop (over 3/4 is crumbles) & she is the only bird with a problem with her legs. Pretty sure her's was poor breeding to begin with since she arrived with issues. She gets around ok, but limps really bad.

sounds like her issue is genetic.. or a niacin deficiency

bad legs on a normal weight bird (for it's age) are usually caused by a lack of niacin, bad genes, or injury like a predator attack..
but if you have a "healthy" bird that is gaining weight rapidly (which is what the high protein feeds will do) their weight will cause leg issues since the bone isn't strong enough to support their weight.. in those birds a heart attack or flip usually comes soon after their legs start having issues... some will just up and die before that if too much bulk (fat usually) builds up around their hearts

the niacin issue can show up in both heritage and broad breasted birds (as well as other poultry like emu, ducks and geese)
but "flip" from too much protein is restricted to the fast growing birds like cornish cross, some strains of the 'freedom ranger" type birds and broad breasted turkeys
Not a high protien issue & she's almost exactly the same weight as the other poult from that hatch date so either they are both way too small or they are both girls. They are about the same weight as the red broilers who are a week older & the white broilers that are 3 weeks younger. To he that says 2 hens. I had another poult in that order that had wing issues & it only lasted about 2 days. I didn't think this 1 was going to make it either, but she's a fighter. She just has a bad leg & foot. Could be niacin I guess, but I would think that would affect the other poult & all of the ducks as well & they are all fine. I use an "all-flock" style feed so it should have plenty of niacin for ducklings & poults.

Nope..niacin deficiency is an individual thing

From Metzer Farms
"What if only a few of my birds have leg problems? Variability within a flock is normal. Each bird varies on how well it forms niacin from tryptophan, either due to genetics or the different microflora in their gut. It would not be unusual to have a single flock of birds, with some exhibiting a niacin deficiency and others walking perfectly normally - but all eating the same feed. "
Hmmmm...could be niacin then. She gets around ok for now but probably won't once she gets heavier. Kinda figured she would just end up getting processed early, or is this something that will kill her before she's big enough to process.

if she goes down on her legs she may very well end up dead .. if from nothing else than being able to move about and feed properly..
so long as she's still moving around ok you can try giving her extra niacin and see if you can catch it before it gets any worse... but if it's a genetic issue extra niacin won't help
I will have to separate her to make sure she gets the niacin. I have her in with 19 broilers & about 20 other chicks. Trying to remember what works best for niacin. Yeast

or am I not remembering right.

How old is she?..

You can use regular niacin from the store (human vitamins)
if you use a 500 mg tablet you can just break it into quarters and add 1/4 of the tablet to the drinking water (one tablet is good for about 4 gallons of water.. so 1/4 tablet per gallon)
I usually just crush the tablets up and sprinkle it into everyone's feed since I don't separate them from their buddies.. But then again our chick starter is lacking in niacin for the ducks.. and I use gamebird starter for the turkey poults.. (our gamebird starter has enough niacin for the poults).. so i use it as a preventative.
if you're adding it to the feed keep in mind that one 500 mg niacin tablet has enough niacin for around 45 to 50 ducks.. so you would only need a pinch for the poult if he eats all his food.. otherwise some of the niacin will settle to the bottom of the dish.. so a bit more never hurts

I would have to check the dosage for Brewers yeast since I don't normally use it.

an alternative is liquid B vitamins.. if you use a brand that delivers 20 mg of niacin per dropper.. so a half dropper would work for a poult that's around 4 weeks of age if you're direct dosing
I wonder if B vitamin tablets would work for a duckling? If it hatches I know I'll need something to help it get what it needs.

yup.. since our local starter feed for chicks, ducklings and goslings is deficient in Niacin I add either niacin or the B vitamins to their feed and water from the first feeding..
the chicks do fine on it... but if I don't supplement the waterfowl they start getting weak legs

however if your feed has plenty of niacin.. then you shouldnt need to supplement unless you have the odd bird that has a hard time utilizing it