She said/He said Who's right? Who's wrong? No one!

[RubyNala97]

2 babies out and the last one is zipping. They are quite different from hatching chicks.

They are beautiful!

 

[cppeace]

This is the first time in months that my indoor brooder has had only turkeys in it, no chickens. I had forgotten how sweet and quiet turkeys are compared to chicks!

awww I know If I can get the ones I order to hatch I think I'm gonna love having poults

 

[scflock]

Well I fear I may never go on vacation again. I got the most tragic call this morning every single one of my baby chicks were found dead. They apparently drowned. Day 2 away from home and I lost another 10. This is the roughest time I think I have ever had. I am going to pull my hair out I'm so stressed. I knew I should have smuggled the little ones in the car with me. I know you cant save them all but if I was home I could have at least brought them inside out of the rain. So next time find a crazzy chicken person to babysit them. Then i know they will be right on top of things and worry as much as I do.
Sorry for my rant had to get it off my chest.

I'm just getting caught up and don't want to multi quote from the phone, but I had to respond to this. I am so sorry for you, and I know how you feel. I had 7 silkie chicks drown last year during a storm while I was at work. It's a horrible feeling because you know it could have been prevented. It's not your fault, and I know you feel horrible, I just wanted to tell how it happened to mine so maybe others can avoid it. They drowned in a dust bath that filled with water. If your birds are in a run, try to fill in any low areas if you know a rain is coming. I have dug ditches and built Swales to divert that initial runoff from a heavy rain. I'm so sorry for your loss

 

[WalnutHill]

awww I know If I can get the ones I order to hatch I think I'm gonna love having poults

If I had to choose between chicks and poults, I'd choose poults every time. I still love my feather-legged, puffy cheeked easter egger chicks, but my Narragansett poults are my absolute favorites.

One thing about poults that is different than chicks, you have to be careful with brooder temp the first day or so after hatch. While chicks will move in and out of the heat to be comfortable, poults, like Cornish cross chicks, will tend to lay in the warm spot even if they overheat. If they start to raise their chin and pant, move the lamp higher so that the warmest spot is not over 100F. If they are still laying down after 10 minutes or so, raise it a little more. A freshly hatched poult that is overheated will not seek water and will not seek a cooler spot. If they are very, very quiet, they are probably too warm. If they are cold, they will yell. If they are just right, they will make little two or three note trills to talk to each other. After a couple of days they are much more active and move around a lot more. I think this is why people think poults are "stupid", they are not, they are just different. They are much more snuggly than chicks and love to cuddle, they will walk right into your hand and lay down, and look at you with curious, bright eyes.

When they hatch, if you are watching, if you chirp or whistle they will stumble and tumble right to the window and look at you.

When you mix poults of different ages, the older ones will act as nursemaids to the younger ones, allowing them to snuggle on their backs or under their wings. Male or female doesn't matter, they are very much community creatures. They also don't fight the little ones away from the food.

I was concerned about putting my five week old poults in with the three breeding hens and the tom. They are all fine, the hens poke at the youngsters if they invade the nest area but otherwise they all do just fine. They roost together, they eat together, and the youngsters play tag all around the adults.

 

[RubyNala97]

If I had to choose between chicks and poults, I'd choose poults every time.  I still love my feather-legged, puffy cheeked easter egger chicks, but my Narragansett poults are my absolute favorites.  

One thing about poults that is different than chicks, you have to be careful with brooder temp the first day or so after hatch.  While chicks will move in and out of the heat to be comfortable, poults, like Cornish cross chicks, will tend to lay in the warm spot even if they overheat.  If they start to raise their chin and pant, move the lamp higher so that the warmest spot is not over 100F.  If they are still laying down after 10 minutes or so, raise it a little more.  A freshly hatched poult that is overheated will not seek water and will not seek a cooler spot.  If they are very, very quiet, they are probably too warm.  If they are cold, they will yell.  If they are just right, they will make little two or three note trills to talk to each other.  After a couple of days they are much more active and move around a lot more.  I think this is why people think poults are "stupid", they are not, they are just different.  They are much more snuggly than chicks and love to cuddle, they will walk right into your hand and lay down, and look at you with curious, bright eyes.

When they hatch, if you are watching, if you chirp or whistle they will stumble and tumble right to the window and look at you.

When you mix poults of different ages, the older ones will act as nursemaids to the younger ones, allowing them to snuggle on their backs or under their wings.  Male or female doesn't matter, they are very much community creatures.  They also don't fight the little ones away from the food. 

I was concerned about putting my five week old poults in with the three breeding hens and the tom.  They are all fine, the hens poke at the youngsters if they invade the nest area but otherwise they all do just fine.  They roost together, they eat together, and the youngsters play tag all around the adults.

Walnut, you're killing me!! I was googling turkey breeds yesterday and the wheels were spinning. I'd love to hatch some! Maybe keep one or 2 and sell the rest. What breed to you think is the most sellable? Do the females lay eggs regularly and can you eat the eggs, are they similar to chicken eggs?

 

[rossfam06]

This is the first time in months that my indoor brooder has had only turkeys in it, no chickens. I had forgotten how sweet and quiet turkeys are compared to chicks!

I have to try Turkeys next along with ducklings.

awww I know If I can get the ones I order to hatch I think I'm gonna love having poults

Good Luck!!!! LoL!!!

 

[WalnutHill]

Walnut, you're killing me!! I was googling turkey breeds yesterday and the wheels were spinning. I'd love to hatch some! Maybe keep one or 2 and sell the rest. What breed to you think is the most sellable? Do the females lay eggs regularly and can you eat the eggs, are they similar to chicken eggs?

Which is the most marketable depends on what your market wants.

For lawn ornaments, Royal Palms, hands down. But they are pretty small if you want to eat them. My Royal Palm hens were only 7-8 pounds and the toms around 14, and very light and lean.

Narragansetts are also gorgeous birds, and grow bigger than Royal Palms. I have a breeding pair of Narragansett and a pair of Golden Narragansett (a single red gene makes the color "gold" instead of silver). They sell VERY well in my market for backyard birds, but they aren't the most efficient meat birds as they don't grow as big as Bourbon Red or Bronze any more...there were only 7 of them just 20 years ago, and breeding programs haven't yet brought them back where they ought to be. They do lay well and have excellent temperaments, but the laying season is only spring and summer for my birds here in Michigan. One of my hens was broody all spring, the other was not at all. And yes, the eggs are similar to chicken eggs, they don't taste different, but the texture is different, the yolk is thicker, and they are EXCELLENT for making pasta, the noodles don't crack as easily.

I have been breeding them and improving my stock for the past few years, they have great conformation but the hens are still around 12 pounds and the toms around 20 live weight.

If you are raising turkeys for the Thanksgiving market like I do, and want to raise heritage turkeys, the Bourbon Red and Standard Bronze grow the biggest in the allotted time. They are also plentiful and pretty birds in their mature plumage.

I've also raised Black, Slate, Midget White, Broad Breasted Bronze and Broad Breasted White. Midget White are supposed to be good layers, mine are not old enough. If I had to choose one breed for the farmstead for all purposes, it would be the Narragansett. But that's just my opinion, they are all wonderful birds.

Here are my Narri toms after a full season of breeding. They're looking a little rough, but they are refeathering now.

Narragansett

Golden Narragansett

And don't keep just one. Keep at least two if you have chickens or ducks, or at least three if you don't. They need social interaction, and if they don't get it from birds they will get it from you. Free ranging, they will sit on your back porch and wait for you to come out if they don't have friends of their own kind. My tom, even though he's a mature tom and father of many, still gobbles a greeting to me every time I pass the doorwall.

 

[chicapee]

If I had to choose between chicks and poults, I'd choose poults every time.  I still love my feather-legged, puffy cheeked easter egger chicks, but my Narragansett poults are my absolute favorites.  

One thing about poults that is different than chicks, you have to be careful with brooder temp the first day or so after hatch.  While chicks will move in and out of the heat to be comfortable, poults, like Cornish cross chicks, will tend to lay in the warm spot even if they overheat.  If they start to raise their chin and pant, move the lamp higher so that the warmest spot is not over 100F.  If they are still laying down after 10 minutes or so, raise it a little more.  A freshly hatched poult that is overheated will not seek water and will not seek a cooler spot.  If they are very, very quiet, they are probably too warm.  If they are cold, they will yell.  If they are just right, they will make little two or three note trills to talk to each other.  After a couple of days they are much more active and move around a lot more.  I think this is why people think poults are "stupid", they are not, they are just different.  They are much more snuggly than chicks and love to cuddle, they will walk right into your hand and lay down, and look at you with curious, bright eyes.

When they hatch, if you are watching, if you chirp or whistle they will stumble and tumble right to the window and look at you.

When you mix poults of different ages, the older ones will act as nursemaids to the younger ones, allowing them to snuggle on their backs or under their wings.  Male or female doesn't matter, they are very much community creatures.  They also don't fight the little ones away from the food. 

I was concerned about putting my five week old poults in with the three breeding hens and the tom.  They are all fine, the hens poke at the youngsters if they invade the nest area but otherwise they all do just fine.  They roost together, they eat together, and the youngsters play tag all around the adults.

I made a mamma heating pad for the brooder, from @blooie, just turned it on

 

[RubyNala97]

Which is the most marketable depends on what your market wants. For lawn ornaments, Royal Palms, hands down. But they are pretty small if you want to eat them. My Royal Palm hens were only 7-8 pounds and the toms around 14, and very light and lean. Narragansetts are also gorgeous birds, and grow bigger than Royal Palms. I have a breeding pair of Narragansett and a pair of Golden Narragansett (a single red gene makes the color "gold" instead of silver). They sell VERY well in my market for backyard birds, but they aren't the most efficient meat birds as they don't grow as big as Bourbon Red or Bronze any more...there were only 7 of them just 20 years ago, and breeding programs haven't yet brought them back where they ought to be. They do lay well and have excellent temperaments, but the laying season is only spring and summer for my birds here in Michigan. One of my hens was broody all spring, the other was not at all. And yes, the eggs are similar to chicken eggs, they don't taste different, but the texture is different, the yolk is thicker, and they are EXCELLENT for making pasta, the noodles don't crack as easily. I have been breeding them and improving my stock for the past few years, they have great conformation but the hens are still around 12 pounds and the toms around 20 live weight. If you are raising turkeys for the Thanksgiving market like I do, and want to raise heritage turkeys, the Bourbon Red and Standard Bronze grow the biggest in the allotted time. They are also plentiful and pretty birds in their mature plumage. I've also raised Black, Slate, Midget White, Broad Breasted Bronze and Broad Breasted White. Midget White are supposed to be good layers, mine are not old enough. If I had to choose one breed for the farmstead for all purposes, it would be the Narragansett. But that's just my opinion, they are all wonderful birds. Here are my Narri toms after a full season of breeding. They're looking a little rough, but they are refeathering now. Narragansett Golden Narragansett And don't keep just one. Keep at least two if you have chickens or ducks, or at least three if you don't. They need social interaction, and if they don't get it from birds they will get it from you. Free ranging, they will sit on your back porch and wait for you to come out if they don't have friends of their own kind. My tom, even though he's a mature tom and father of many, still gobbles a greeting to me every time I pass the doorwall.

Do you ever sell hatching eggs?

 

[cppeace]

If I had to choose between chicks and poults, I'd choose poults every time. I still love my feather-legged, puffy cheeked easter egger chicks, but my Narragansett poults are my absolute favorites.

One thing about poults that is different than chicks, you have to be careful with brooder temp the first day or so after hatch. While chicks will move in and out of the heat to be comfortable, poults, like Cornish cross chicks, will tend to lay in the warm spot even if they overheat. If they start to raise their chin and pant, move the lamp higher so that the warmest spot is not over 100F. If they are still laying down after 10 minutes or so, raise it a little more. A freshly hatched poult that is overheated will not seek water and will not seek a cooler spot. If they are very, very quiet, they are probably too warm. If they are cold, they will yell. If they are just right, they will make little two or three note trills to talk to each other. After a couple of days they are much more active and move around a lot more. I think this is why people think poults are "stupid", they are not, they are just different. They are much more snuggly than chicks and love to cuddle, they will walk right into your hand and lay down, and look at you with curious, bright eyes.

When they hatch, if you are watching, if you chirp or whistle they will stumble and tumble right to the window and look at you.

When you mix poults of different ages, the older ones will act as nursemaids to the younger ones, allowing them to snuggle on their backs or under their wings. Male or female doesn't matter, they are very much community creatures. They also don't fight the little ones away from the food.

I was concerned about putting my five week old poults in with the three breeding hens and the tom. They are all fine, the hens poke at the youngsters if they invade the nest area but otherwise they all do just fine. They roost together, they eat together, and the youngsters play tag all around the adults.

Thank you very much for this info. I'm sure I will need it