Turkey Talk for 2014

[Momhunter]

 THe cuteness!

I know right!!!! It's hard to let them go to their new homes

 

[Sydney Acres]

Quote:
Here's a link to hatching info in the BYC site. There is specific information on shipped eggs also. This is for chickens, but much of what is included applies to turkeys.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/hatching-eggs-101

 

[AmericanMom]

Day 18 of goose, chicken and turkey eggs..
pulled two more Turkey eggs last night, one looks to have quit last week, another looks like an early quitter, wasn't even an embryo 9 more looks good...

lockdown next week

5 Goose eggs doing really good, its cool to see them and the two chicken eggs are fine...

Gearing up for lockdown next week...

Incubator #2... 22 Turkey with 4 possible clears and 7 of my barnyard mix chickens.. Day 8 today and will measure the air cell Friday but so far all looks well.. Complete dry hatch, humidity hovers around 27-29% with super steady temps of 99-100 I am sold on the styro with the fan, I almost never have to tweek this one!

 

[Sydney Acres]

Quote: That's a good point. Most of mine went through that stage, and not all at the same time in their growth. Turkeys have such long wings compared to their body early on, that they seem to go every which direction at first. Of my 7 poults, 6 had "problems." I thought I had purchased birds from a really bad line. But with each new molt the wings were different, and they all have perfect wings now.

 

[uphilljill]

I'm hosting a contest for the Cinco de Mayo hatchathon, but it's open to all BYC members. Thought you guys might be interested.


https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...-third-annual-cinco-de-mayo-turkey-hatchathon

 

[chickadoodles]

They are so adorable Momhunter! Thank you for posting pics

 

[chickadoodles]

I just got back from picking up my BBB and BBW poults I only got a few to see how they do and if we like them. They are so cute!

 

[memphis]

Aww...they are really cute!

 

[desertmarcy]

I was wondering if anyone could shed some light on poult raising for me. This is my 2nd year with poults. I raised 5 of 12 BBWs to processing (2 were deformed and processed early) and many of the ones that didn't make it were victims to deformities or the rat. I raised 2 out of 4 poults hatched from heritage breeds last year. I hatched but lost a single poult after that. This year, I bought those 20 surplus broad breasted poults from Meyer. Of course, I lost the first 4 (they sent 22, btw) because of shipping. A couple days after, I lost a few. A couple more days, a few more... I was down to 13. Then 3 more died... then just a couple days ago, 3 more died! I am down to 7 poults now. They are eating and drinking - I am checking their crops. The last 6 to die were running around, happy and healthy looking the day before they died. The whites are being pecked at, but they are not dying from that. I blu-koted them last week and the pecking stopped before the last 6 died.

They are in a 4x5 pen w/ a heat lamp about 2.5' off the floor. They are 3wks old now. I kept them on brown sugar water for their first 3 days - always warm water. Bedding is flake shavings. They are getting Dumor's 20% chick starter/grower and I am getting some angel wing.

I have a poult I hatched from my heritage BRs (father was the last owner's Narragansett) that's in with all my chicks and is now over a week old and doing well. Same food, no sugar and no warm water, same bedding and tighter living space.

I am getting disgusted. I can't hatch eggs and when I do, the poults mysteriously die. I don't think my hatching issues are bacteria or I'd be losing a lot of chicks, too. after my initial clearing of the infertile eggs, I am hatching at least 80% of the eggs left. Out of this last round of over 30 chicks, only 3 eggs didn't hatch. Not to be melodramatic, but I have been having a rough month and I am seriously considering just selling everything. I don't know if it's the depression setting in or how I really feel, but I have no interest in my birds right now. I have no interest in even getting out of my bed. These losses are not making things better.

You may have some disease issue that is just affecting turkeys, so I agree with another post about checking with vet school. That you are only feeding them a 20% protein feed is a red flag to me. Turkeys need a lot more than that to get started well and thrive. 28% is what is recommended.

 

[chickadoodles]

Aww...they are really cute!

Thank you