Turkey Talk for 2014

[chicken pickin]

I remember the garlic conversation. Our garlic is popping up too. They'll be fine. They love this weather.

Thanks! Im glad to hear that.

 

[TherryChicken]

How do you incubate turkey eggs?

 

[chickadoodles]

First poult of the year has hatched, and another is pipped! Yay, babies!

Congrats it is so cute!

 

[Arielle]

Garlic shoudl be fine. as I remember my mother lets it grow until fall and then pulled and dried it. THen I braided the dried "stalks". I would think the garlic will be ok.

 

[Sydney Acres]

How do you incubate turkey eggs?

Here's a link to Porter's page for hatching: http://www.porterturkeys.com/egghatchingtips.htm

If you read back a few weeks on this thread there was a long discussion about turkey egg incubation also.

 

[yinepu]

Quote: and there's also the link in my signature for my page on it...

 

[Reyvaughn]

Alright. A lot was posted and my multi-quote isn't working.

I can't get anything higher than 20% protein feed. Even Flock Raiser is only 20%. I raised my BBBs on 16% last year and they were fine. They grew slow and I really liked that. I raised all my heritage birds on 16% and they were all fine. All feed is crumbles.

I have raised poults with and without other birds. I have lost poults in both cases. I know these poults are eating and drinking - I check their crops daily. I laid feed out on paper towels to make it easier for them as well. I don't understand why poults that are acting healthy are suddenly dying. I do have a hypothesis on why some of the last ones died. I had the light hung low because of the low temps and suddenly we went from 20 at night to a 60 degree day. I know poults are not smart. I think at least the last 3 fried themselves under the light.

After the 4th day I stopped adding sugar and nutri-drench to their water. Once the first poults died, I started adding it again and stopped again after another 4 days.

This is discouraging because I had planned on selling all but 3-4 poults when they came to size. If I sold them at $1.50 per pound with an average of 30# per bird, we are talking over $675 in future sales I lost. Considering our finances are part of the reason I am depressed, this really does not help. I am down to 7 of 22 poults. I can't keep any for myself now - especially if I plan on making back at least what I invested.

As for my depression - there are many factors and the season is not one of them. Like I said to SydneyAcres in our PM, I know what I should be doing but I don't want to. I have no friends to talk it out with and my family... I am watching them fight over what they are getting from my great grandfather that just passed away. Not that our family was tight knit to begin with. I am quite the hermit, not because I don't want friends and human connection, humans are ugly. They lie, backstab, connive, deceive and use. Humans are always disappointing me and I try not to set myself up for another let down.

Back to the poults - I have raised all my poults pretty much the same. The feed has changed since last year but everything else is pretty much the same. My BBBs were hit hard with leg deformities and a rat that ate quite a few of them in the night until I finally found all the ways it could get into that pen. Only 3 were sudden and unexplained out of the 12. The 2 Bourbon jennies I lost before they were a week old and that was because they were not eating. They were in with chicks and other poults that were eating. This year is something else. If it is a disease, I have no idea what it could be.

ETA: I have read Porter's poult raising page at least 6 times to see if I am missing anything. I know I don't supplement with vitamins and I don't use ACV. I can, I have it all... But I don't.

 

[Momhunter]

I have 2 palm hens hatched last year. 1 has been laying for the past 2 months, along with the slate hens, but I haven't seen an egg (for sure) from the other yet.
Your slate/palms will be mottled this generation. Breed them together or back to palm to get blue & lavender palms.

Thanks, I haven't decided if I'm going to keep any for breeding. Thinking of just keeping some more RP hens and adding beltsville small whites that I've been looking at. I like the idea of a small turkey ready to process the same year as hatched.

 

[TherryChicken]

Thank you!

 

[Momhunter]

Alright.  A lot was posted and my multi-quote isn't working.

I can't get anything higher than 20% protein feed.  Even Flock Raiser is only 20%.  I raised my BBBs on 16% last year and they were fine.  They grew slow and I really liked that.  I raised all my heritage birds on 16% and they were all fine.

I have raised poults with and without other birds.  I have lost poults in both cases.  I know these poults are eating and drinking - I check their crops daily.  I laid feed out on paper towels to make it easier for them as well.  I don't understand why poults that are acting healthy are suddenly dying.  I do have a hypothesis on why some of the last ones died.  I had the light hung low because of the low temps and suddenly we went from 20 at night to a 60 degree day.  I know poults are not smart.  I think at least the last 3 fried themselves under the light. 

After the 4th day I stopped adding sugar and nutri-drench to their water.  Once the first poults died, I started adding it again and stopped again after another 4 days.

This is discouraging because I had planned on selling all but 3-4 poults when they came to size.  If I sold them at $1.50 per pound with an average of 30# per bird, we are talking over $675 in future sales I lost.  Considering our finances are part of the reason I am depressed, this really does not help.  I am down to 7 of 22 poults.  I can't keep any for myself now - especially if I plan on making back at least what I invested.

As for my depression - there are many factors and the season is not one of them.  Like I said to SydneyAcres in our PM, I know what I should be doing but I don't want to.  I have no friends to talk it out with and my family... I am watching them fight over what they are getting from my great grandfather that just passed away.  Not that our family was tight knit to begin with.  I am quite the hermit, not because I don't want friends and human connection, humans are ugly.  They lie, backstab, connive, deceive and use.  Humans are always disappointing me and I try not to set myself up for another let down.

Back to the poults - I have raised all my poults pretty much the same.  The feed has changed since last year but everything else is pretty much the same.  My BBBs were hit hard with leg deformities and a rat that ate quite a few of them in the night until I finally found all the ways it could get into that pen.  Only 3 were sudden and unexplained out of the 12.  The 2 Bourbon jennies I lost before they were a week old and that was because they were not eating.  They were in with chicks and other poults that were eating.  This year is something else.  If it is a disease, I have no idea what it could be.

ETA:  I have read Porter's poult raising page at least 6 times to see if I am missing anything.  I know I don't supplement with vitamins and I don't use ACV.  I can, I have it all... But I don't.

Any feed store that carries purina feeds should be happy to order you their turkey starter for you to have the higher protein.
This is only my second year to raise poults but ( knock on wood) I have had 100% survival so far and I'm not doing anything other than keeping them the right temp, fresh water and turkey starter. I'm not adding anything to the water. It might just be luck but I'm sure not changing anything.