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

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote: Seriously they sound like ducks crapping water, is it normal did I take the chicks away too soon and they drink but not eat or what am I missing!

 

[SilkieSensation]

Quote:

Quote:
Originally Posted by debs_flock

Quote:
Originally Posted by karimw

My hatch finished up with 9 Iowa Blue tutors (4 Silver penciled/5 birchen) and 4 poults. 1 black and 1 slate out of my eggs and 1 brown mottled and 1 yellow out of Ariel's eggs, both marked sweet grass. The other 2 sweetgrass pipped and died over night on day 28, completely in the wrong positions Now I have turkey eggs all over the place, but I'm worried if I hatch now they won't be big enough to butcher this fall. Anyone know if it's too hatch Heritage birds for Thanksgiving?

It just depends on how big a bird you need. They'd only be a month late, supposedly the ones we just hatched should be perfect. I'm planning to put in one more big set of turkeys, since the girls are starting to slow down laying (there's one more batch in the incubator now).

You can also always butcher when ever you decide they are ready & put them in the icebox until you want to use them. (That being said, I need a bigger icebox.)
THat's why I have TWO deep freezers!!

I need another chest & a stand up. All I have is a little 4 footer & there's no way all 19 of these broilers & 2 BBW turkeys are going to fit in there.

Quote: I have fallen in love with the goofy little things! They act so silly it's hard not to like them.

I'm working on selling the hens. I have been since they killed the duckling before it could hatch. The 3 hens that are broody are fantastic mothers. They try to hurt anything that gets near them while they're on the nest. This is the first time I've ever had hens from that line act this way. I'm disappointed.
I pen my turkeys separately from the chickens. THough I haven't had any turkey hens go broody yet. ( I pull all eggs)

Quote: I would love some. Anything heritage is fine by me. I have a trio of slates right now & have a little mixed poult growing out to start a mixed pen with. Just let me know what you would like to swap for. Swap page is in my siggy. I need to update the egg list but everything else is current I think. There is a wait on some of my eggs.

Quote: Recycling!!!!

Reminds me of an impromtu quiz in college in feeds class. Three nutrient profules were written on the black board-- we had to pick the best to feed X animal.

We were ALL wqrong. Cow manure had the best profile.

THe dicussion expanded to note that foals MUST eat mothers manure to develop the healthy gut they need to become good digesters of hay/grass. I have since learned rabbits are the same, though I think the adults also need access. YUK ! lol
Ummmm, yup. Bunnies have to eat momma's poop to get the probiotic effect they need to digest grains & grasses.

 

[mrshaggie810]

HELP!!! The one that I thought was pipping internally yesterday, I am pretty sure actually did...I heard tapping this morning (I thought in 2 different eggs) but now...nothing...no noticeable movement at all...sleeping? is that normal? I am pretty sure one pipped internally, then died...the inner membrane looks dry through the shell around the air sac...I don't want to intervene, but I don't want to lose 1 or 2 of the only ducklings i might get if I can help. What should I do!!!! (I KNOW I have to stay patient, but this little ducky is 2 days past due now, and so are all but 1 of the others, which is 1 day past due.) Temp is at 98-99, humidity is around 73%, but I can't get it to stabilize there...it jumps up to 80, but drops down to 65 too. So...what should I do?

 

[Sally Sunshine]

QUESTION all three chicks have wingsets different on each side! see pic 1 vs pic 3?
they all have like a few droopy long feathers on one side only??????

 

[SilkieSensation]

HELP!!! The one that I thought was pipping internally yesterday, I am pretty sure actually did...I heard tapping this morning (I thought in 2 different eggs) but now...nothing...no noticeable movement at all...sleeping? is that normal? I am pretty sure one pipped internally, then died...the inner membrane looks dry through the shell around the air sac...I don't want to intervene, but I don't want to lose 1 or 2 of the only ducklings i might get if I can help. What should I do!!!! (I KNOW I have to stay patient, but this little ducky is 2 days past due now, and so are all but 1 of the others, which is 1 day past due.) Temp is at 98-99, humidity is around 73%, but I can't get it to stabilize there...it jumps up to 80, but drops down to 65 too. So...what should I do?

HANDS OFF THE BATOR!!! Every time you open to candle you mess up humidity & temps. Leave them alone for another day or 2 & see what happens. Humidity is actually a bit high for still air but that range is fine for forced air.

QUESTION all three chicks have wingsets different on each side! see pic 1 vs pic 3?
they all have like a few droopy long feathers on one side only??????

Mine have all done that for a least a couple days too. Think it's just part of poult development. They all fixed themselves within a few days. 1 even did it on both wings. Someone correct me if this isn't typical please. I don't have a lot of experience with poults.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Thanks SS, I am a worry wart with all this new stuff, the buttons scare me they are so tiny! I lost one in that tiny waterer! drowned! but she was smallest and weak and I think the other boogers trampled her! I want to make sure these guys get the best care, and I certainly appreciate all the help I can get with them all! When can you tell a male from female?

 

[chicken pickin]

The weird split hanging wing thing is normal in poults. One of my Toms had it when he was a poult and he grew out of it. and now a few of my newly hatched poults are doing the same thing. Itll stay like that for a while but nothing to be concerned about.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

I found this on sexing them but only after 8 weeks

Sexing Turkeys—Toms vs. Hens​

By Alicia Moulton, USU Extension Ag/4-H Agent
http://fithfath.com/farm/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Sexing-turkeys-toms-vs.-hens.pdf

 

[Sally Sunshine]

The weird split hanging wing thing is normal in poults. One of my Toms had it when he was a poult and he grew out of it. and now a few of my newly hatched poults are doing the same thing. Itll stay like that for a while but nothing to be concerned about.

split wing, interesting! Thank you!

 

[chicken pickin]

I found this on sexing them but only after 8 weeks

Sexing Turkeys—Toms vs. Hens​

By Alicia Moulton, USU Extension Ag/4-H Agent
http://fithfath.com/farm/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Sexing-turkeys-toms-vs.-hens.pdf

I have heard you can sex then young by the shape of their heads. A female will have a triangle shaped head so the the beak will start the point. And the males will have a blockier head not such a straight line from beak to back of head if that makes sense. Ill see if I can take pics of my poults. Again this is not 100% accurate just something I heard but oddly I was able to sex 9 poults last year accuratley using this method. It may have just been pure luck though.