Turkey Talk for 2014

[NewToFarming]

I've never had a bird taken by a predator without leaving evidence, usually lots of feathers. (Some people disagree with this, but I've been told that the only predator that can carry off a bird without leaving obvious evidence is a human. If you don't find her or any evidence of a struggle, ask your neighbors if anyone was around today.) I've had birds (chickens) not be in the right place 8-10 times at bed time. Usually they were either on a nest or roosting in a tree. Once a hen was trapped under a tarp that my husband had put over a tractor (found her the next afternoon because I just didn't believe she could vanish without a trace, and started looking everywhere, even the places that I knew she couldn't be). Once a hen was trapped in a locked room in the barn, found the next morning. Once a bird jumped in a friend's camper shell, but was found before he got too far down the road. A few times I never found the bird despite extensive searching, but she was waiting by the food bowl in the morning -- never figured out what happened. I've never had a broody leave for weeks and then show up later with a clutch of chicks, but I hear it happens all the time. (But that would seem unlikely in your situation, as this hen lays eggs in the barn.)

All you can do is keep looking. Get family and friends and lots of flashlights, and keep looking until you find her or evidence that a predator took her. If it's already dark she's not going to budge from her hiding spot when called, no matter how tempting the food treat rattled in her bowl. When looking up in trees, sometime looking with a flashlight is best, and sometimes without a flashlight is best. Different eyes see things differently, especially in the dark, so have multiple people look over the same areas. My husband has very poor night vision but sees birds hidden at night with a flashlight better than I do. I have excellent night vision, but using a flashlight in a tree makes me focus on the near branches, so I see shapes in the center of a tree best without a light. However you use your flashlight, be sure that the batteries are new to get your best visibility.

If you or a friend have a dog with a good nose, that's probably your best option, as long as the dog won't injure the bird.

Or, in the unlikely event you or a friend has a FLIR unit, you can use that to search for her. A FLIR unit is a thermal scanner that picks up hidden heat. Most people think of it as being used by military special forces or SWAT units to determine how many bad guys are hiding in a room behind closed doors, but lots of contractors, building inspectors, plumbers, realtors, energy use consultants, etc use a non-military version to evaluate heat loss in homes, leaky pipes, drafts, etc. If you know someone that has one you might be able to find her hiding when you can't see her.

Good luck on your search. I know you always think the worst, but as long as you don't find evidence that she's been killed, there's always hope.

Thank you! I had looked everywhere and I can't imagine her roosting anywhere other than her usual perch in the barn. Her nightly ritual is to jump on the lower perch and mess with the chickens for awhile and then she goes on her perch. There was someone here to drop off the lawn mower blades he sharpened for us. I know she was there prior to his arrival to the house and I didn't see him actually leave and my first thought was he took her. Me seeing her and her disappearing all happened within a matter of 2 hours. This disappearance is very unusual for her. My other 2 hens and the Tom were there in the barn tonight. I looked in and under everywhere with no sign of her or something happened to her.

 

[wild flocks]

Quote: hmmmm wait till morning and if shes not back ask the guy. several times i have had turkeys wander to far into the woods and not make it back on time but show up the next morning and stay for good. But these are Rio-eastern wild cross turkeys.

the thing about this is i live in the middle of nowhere with one neighbor for 10 miles around

 

[Reyvaughn]

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.

 

[Sydney Acres]

Quote:
Is she tame enough for a stranger to pick her up? Or was she in an area where she could easily be trapped and captured? Do you know who the lawn mower blade guy is, or where he lives? If you don't know him specifically, do you know his employer? If she's a pet and you really think he might have her, you need to act asap, before he has a chance to slaughter her. He may not have her, but if he does then she may not be around by morning. Do you have a way of tracking this guy down??? Or perhaps the sheriff does? Hope that's not the case.

 

[Sydney Acres]

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.

It sounds like two things are going on: something is killing your poults but not your chicks, and you're feeling overwhelmed and powerless.. Sometimes people feel stronger if they have a logical plan. You're in PA, and the vet school at Penn State has a fabulous poultry pathology department. Call them and find out what your options are for getting necropsies done if any more die. The state labs are available at very low cost (usually around $30). Lots of states have poultry medicine specialist available for consults at either no cost, or very low cost. Knowing what's going wrong will make you fell better, and will help you make informed decisions to resolve the situation. Here's a link to start you out: http://vbs.psu.edu/adl/services/diagnostic-tests/tests-1/pathology. Here's some contact information: http://vbs.psu.edu/adl/services/diagnostic-tests.

Good luck. I hope they can help you figure this out.

 

[sonderah]

yours

My tom is a royal palm, & my hen is a blue slate. I've just purchased a royal palm hen about a month ago, but she STILL isn't laying!

 

[NewToFarming]

Is she tame enough for a stranger to pick her up? Or was she in an area where she could easily be trapped and captured? Do you know who the lawn mower blade guy is, or where he lives? If you don't know him specifically, do you know his employer? If she's a pet and you really think he might have her, you need to act asap, before he has a chance to slaughter her. He may not have her, but if he does then she may not be around by morning. Do you have a way of tracking this guy down??? Or perhaps the sheriff does? Hope that's not the case.

My girl is tame enough to be picked up and she is the one to be the first to greet people when they come here. I am really hoping she will show up this morning when it is light out. This has me very upset and if that guy did take her, I will do everything I can to make him pay. My husband is going to pay him an unannounced visit today! Now will the others wander off to look for her? She is like the ring leader of the group.

 

[randerson846]

My eggs have arrived but my incubator is arriving tomorrow so how do I store them and how long should I leave them at the most
Please help

 

[sonderah]

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. 

I hope the other lady's info helps u figure out what's going on with ur birds! Just plz make sure you also take care of yourself!!! This transition to Spring is supposed to be one of the most beautiful times of the year, but it ALWAYS causes me depression. Its seasonal depression I get every year. And this year its even more difficult do to spring coming and going and not settling in. If I'm not aware of myself at all times and let myself go to far, I have became suicidal. So plz be aware, & no matter how difficult it is, force urself out f bed and around people who can make u smile and laugh normally. Find a project u know u r good at and keep ur mind occupied. My favorite motto is "fake it til u make it!" And finally, always remember, u r not alone!!

 

[wild flocks]

Quote: give her a month i have a wild that is still not laying but last year she hatched out 11 pouts