The turkeys keep dying!

[Littlecimarron18]

my cousin ordered some baby turkeys from a hatchery i have never heard of before. they keep dying. they are in my brooder room, and truthfully it makes me really sad when i go in there and find dead ones. Just now i walked in to find one on its back so i reached down and nudged it back to its feet but it was really acting bad so i picked it up and held it in my hands to try to warm it up, it layed all floppy for a while and kept kicking out, so i didnt figure it would live long, but then it just opened its eyes real big and died RIGHT IN MY HANDS. ugh. i dk what to do.

 

[elliemay0305]

thats so sad! im sorry for your lose. i would call the hatchery asap! and tell them whats going on. maybe they can suggest something and they need to give you a refund! as cute as babies are, sometimes i hate buying them. i have lost so many things i have order its horrible. i hate seeing it to.

 

[Littlecimarron18]

yeah my cousin called the first day when a bunch died but they hatchery would only replace those 10. now they keep dying everyday. I think they are sick or something.

 

[Plain_View_Farm]

Was it Ideal Hatchery by any chance?

David

 

[corancher]

Turkey poults are fragile for the first week or so. They have to be kept out of drafts. They don't always find food & water and have to be shown sometimes several times. I like to put a couple of chicks with them to show them the ropes. It is common to lose them and likely not a problem with the hatchery.

Sorry about the loss of the little ones.

 

[Littlecimarron18]

I m not sure of which hatchery it is. Last time we got them from murray mc murray. but my cousin wanted to do this the "organic way" so he ordered from a different hatchery. they are like a month old so i think they have the food and water situation figured out. but since they keep dying im just kinda at a loss

 

[Harp Turkey Ranch]

That sucks.

Let's go over some of the details of your set up, any pictures might help too.

- What is the temp in the brooder ??

- Temp under heat light ??

- How many poults ?

- Size of heat lamp ??

- Size of brooder ??

- Type of litter ??

- litter covered or uncovered ??

- Type of feed ??

- Feeder size ??

- Are they staying under the heat source ??

for the first week or so you should keep a ring/barrier around the heat source so they can not wander too far away.

- waterer size ??

- Anything else that might help figure out the problem ??

I would ASAP mix 1TSP of molasses and 2TSP of Apple Cider Vinegar in a gallon warm water. Make sure to dip each of their beaks in to the water at least two times a day too make sure they are getting water.

Then boil a couple eggs, and then crush them up to a crumble mixture and place on something and give that to them with their feed mixed in on a piece of cardboard or plastic lid.

Then set up a ring or barrier that extends about 18-24 " from the heat source,to block the poults from getting too far from the heat. I would then lower the heat light down till it is about 16-18" from the litter.

 

[Littlecimarron18]

the brooder room is prolly around 60 degrees there are 3 heat lamps and some of the smaller poults are confined to troughs with heat lamp. the litter is some straw and some wood chips. its kinda mixed together. They are getting organic poultry feed and chick started also depending on thier size there are 2 big feeders in the main brooder and each trough has a chick feeder in it that gets fresh feed 2xs a day. they arent sticking around the heat source much, kinda the normal distance from it. there are 3 gallon waters in the main brooder and 1 gall on waterer in each trough. They never got medicated feed, which i usually give for the first 2 weeks...

 

[sandspoultry]

Quote:
If they are a month old, 100F is to hot for them, that heat level will probably kill the rest
Steve in NC

 

[MandyH]

Mine never get medicated feed their whole life. Turkeys are just REALLY fragile, some more than others. Were these birds shipped at one month old? That may be the problem.