?Turkey Poults?

[Fluffbutts84]

I have made the decision to remove the turkey poults as soon as they hatch because all I am finding when I leave them in the coop with the hens is dead poults from either eye pecking or being stepped on. The hens that are sitting are great moms, but the casualties are just too much. I have moved them into a brooder with water with electrolytes and chick starter feed. Is there anymore advice for taking poults from the hen and moving them into a brooder? I feel as though it's not the same as if you would order chicks and they are shipped directly from being hatched. They usually arrive ready to drink and eat and are pretty peppy....every time I take babies from the mother at about 2 days old, I don't notice the same behavior. I dip their beaks and they really don't drink and they just lay around not doing very much. Was just wondering if there is any advice or anything different I should do when removing them from the hens?

 

[R2elk]

I have made the decision to remove the turkey poults as soon as they hatch because all I am finding when I leave them in the coop with the hens is dead poults from either eye pecking or being stepped on. The hens that are sitting are great moms, but the casualties are just too much. I have moved them into a brooder with water with electrolytes and chick starter feed. Is there anymore advice for taking poults from the hen and moving them into a brooder? I feel as though it's not the same as if you would order chicks and they are shipped directly from being hatched. They usually arrive ready to drink and eat and are pretty peppy....every time I take babies from the mother at about 2 days old, I don't notice the same behavior. I dip their beaks and they really don't drink and they just lay around not doing very much. Was just wondering if there is any advice or anything different I should do when removing them from the hens?

1. Chick starter is not appropriate for turkey poults. In addition to not having a high enough protein content, it lacks the proper amounts of lysine, methionine, and niacin. The niacin and thiamine deficiency alone can cause leg issues due to perosis.

I normally take the poults as soon as they are dry. There are just too much bad things that can happen to newly hatched poults in the general population. I set the brooder temperature at 90°F measured at the bedding level for the first week and decrease it by 5°F once a week.

I use sand in my brooder. I sprinkle 28% protein turkey or gamebird starter on the sand. It does not take very long for the poults to start pecking at it. It can take several days before they realize that the stuff in the feeder is food.

I dip each poult's beak in the water one time when I put them in the brooder and then leave them alone.