Turkey Talk for 2014

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SilkieSensation said:
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So do I if I can.
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Turkey poults are unfortunately too dumb for words. When raised by a hen, they do a lot better but most folks have them in a brooder and when in there they seem to find the strangest ways to kill themselves. Like playing in the water until they die from cold or breaking their necks in feeders
 
JJSS89 said:
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Turkey poults are unfortunately too dumb for words.  When raised by a hen, they do a lot better but most folks have them in a brooder and when in there they seem to find the strangest ways to kill themselves.  Like playing in the water until they die from cold or breaking their necks in feeders
[/quote
]That is one of the stupidest things I ve heard maybe it has to do with the breed but I have raised hundreds of blue slates and Narragansetts in brooders and with hens and have never lost a single one.
Perhaps it's the breeder
 
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glad I could earn that title. Sorry to ruffle your feathers.

I like turkeys and having poults but having raised pheasants, chukar, quail, chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys, I can confidently say that I believe turkey poults are the most "suicidal" and do the goofiest things. Some of my experiences are as follows

1) I watched four turkey poults about two weeks of age follow a duckling into my pond. The jumped right off the bank. These were a Royal Palm/Bourbon Red cross and raised by a Bourbon Red mother.

2) I had a Royal Palm who hatched out 11 poults. It started pouring down rain and two of the poults would not stay under the shelter despite her fussing over them and re-gathering them.

3) I had a poult who had a bloody toe in the brooder so I removed her to be on her own for a few days while it healed. I figured it was from her broodmates. Come to find out it was she who was pecking her own toe and she ended up pecking it until the toe fell off. I still have the hen.

These are only a few examples from the past year I am sure I could dredge more from memory. Turkey babies are lovable yet goofy as all get out.
 
JJSS89 said:
Turkey poults are unfortunately too dumb for words.  When raised by a hen, they do a lot better but most folks have them in a brooder and when in there they seem to find the strangest ways to kill themselves.  Like playing in the water until they die from cold or breaking their necks in feeders
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I have raised hundreds of poults, both hatched and bought, broad breasted, heritage, and wild.

I had one "suicide", it was Eastern Wild turkey on the mom's side (mom was crazy) and Narragansett on the tom's side. The little female poult was capable of 2' vertical leaps within days of hatch, and when the flock moved out to the coop she went over the chicken wire and through the welded wire and got out of the coop. While we've had heritage poults get out, they generally want back in after a few minutes of exploring. This one took off and went right in with the laying hens. They got to her before I did.

I've never had any normal, healthy poults starve, drown, pile up, fall off roosts, or any of the things attributed to "stupid turkeys". On the contrary, I find them curious, affectionate, and highly entertaining. They are very social animals and will accept us as flock members. I particularly enjoy talking to the hens and toms, each in their dialect, and enjoy the responses. It's nice to see my tom laying by the gate watching to see me pass the door wall overlooking the coop, and when I do he greets me with a gobble every time.
 
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JJSS89 said:
big_smile.png
glad I could earn that title. Sorry to ruffle your feathers.

I like turkeys and having poults but having raised pheasants, chukar, quail, chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys, I can confidently say that I believe turkey poults are the most "suicidal" and do the goofiest things. Some of my experiences are as follows

1) I watched four turkey poults about two weeks of age follow a duckling into my pond. The jumped right off the bank. These were a Royal Palm/Bourbon Red cross and raised by a Bourbon Red mother.

2) I had a Royal Palm who hatched out 11 poults. It started pouring down rain and two of the poults would not stay under the shelter despite her fussing over them and re-gathering them.

3) I had a poult who had a bloody toe in the brooder so I removed her to be on her own for a few days while it healed. I figured it was from her broodmates. Come to find out it was she who was pecking her own toe and she ended up pecking it until the toe fell off. I still have the hen.

These are only a few examples from the past year I am sure I could dredge more from memory. Turkey babies are lovable yet goofy as all get out.
Click to expand...

Perhaps it all boils down to survival of the fittest/smartest? As we have been breeding domestic turkeys for so many decades in artificial conditions, these things may not be selected for or against. I have not had problems with turkey poults self destructing, but mine don't free range or have much chance to get in trouble. I have found what works for me and them and what doesn't. The first year I had turkeys, I hung CDs from baling twine from the top wire of their pen, something they could peck at and entertain themselves. One hen got her foot caught in the twine, and I found her on the ground, foot in the air. Thankfully she was okay, I found her soon enough. But I took the toys down. I have found with brooder-raised poults, they freak out in the big, wide, scary world if put outside too young. Tried that one time at 2 weeks, and they all just froze to the ground and wouldn't move. When I found tiny ants crawling all over one (the ants would have killed it), I learned I couldn't put them out at that age. One year, I sold a lot of poults to a farm that was going to raise them and sell for the holidays. They had all sorts of problems and lost a lot of them. Mostly from piling. Their pigs ate a couple, and at least one drowned in their pond. I couldn't figure out why they were having piling problems since I never had that problem myself, but I hadn't seen their farm or their set-up.
 
JJSS89 said:
Turkey poults are unfortunately too dumb for words.  When raised by a hen, they do a lot better but most folks have them in a brooder and when in there they seem to find the strangest ways to kill themselves.  Like playing in the water until they die from cold or breaking their necks in feeders
Click to expand...

There is a huge learning curve difference between chicks & poults. Chicks instinctively find food & water on their own. Poults have to be shown how to eat & drink. This is the main reason I always brood chicks & poults together. The poults learn from the chicks & there are far fewer casualties from "stupid" accidents. The learning by copying is also the main reason it's not wise to brood ducks with poults. Since the poults learn by copying, they will play in the water just like the ducks. That results in cold, wet or drowned poults.
 

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