Turkey Talk for 2014

[SilkieSensation]

Lots of factors come into play. Local wrather, additional lighting, nutrition, number of birds in the flock, age of hens, health, parasites...plus the individual hen herself. Mine begin laying earlier when I add lights to the coop. They slack

I am thinking of selling them at day old. Just because it doesn't take me long to bond with them and not want to let them go.I know thats wierd!

I usually give mine about 2-3 days just to make sure they are eating & drinking & I encourage people to put them in with chicks to help teach them. I always hatch poults & chicks together & have them available to go with the poults.

 

[marchick]

I usually give mine about 2-3 days just to make sure they are eating & drinking & I encourage people to put them in with chicks to help teach them. I always hatch poults & chicks together & have them available to go with the poults.

Good info. I will do that! Thanks

 

[SilkieSensation]

I usually give mine about 2-3 days just to make sure they are eating

Good info. I will do that! Thanks

You're welcome

 

[gevshiba]

Sad day. I culled 5 of 9 BBB poults. They were 9 weeks old today. I have no idea what happened. They started going down in their legs a couple weeks ago. They started on game bird, 28%. Nothing seemed to help and they got worse. Their legs seemed paralyzed. A few still had some use of them, but a couple had no use at all. I figured I could feed them to my dogs, so I butchered them. Internal organs all looked really good. They were a fairly good weight. Food and grit in the crops (although, I'd have like a little more grit. Maybe they couldn't get to it before the more mobile birds ate it up) But their bones! They were so fragile. They broke so easily. I felt so bad. It seems like a deficiency of some kind, but what? I raised all my turkeys on the same food and never had anything like this. The chicks in with them are fine. The last 4 turkeys are not great, but on their feet. One is much bigger than the others and seems healthier. I have BR eggs in the bator and I'm worried. All my other birds seem fine. Has anyone seen this?

 

[chickadoodles]

Sad day. I culled 5 of 9 BBB poults. They were 9 weeks old today. I have no idea what happened. They started going down in their legs a couple weeks ago. They started on game bird, 28%. Nothing seemed to help and they got worse. Their legs seemed paralyzed. A few still had some use of them, but a couple had no use at all. I figured I could feed them to my dogs, so I butchered them. Internal organs all looked really good. They were a fairly good weight. Food and grit in the crops (although, I'd have like a little more grit. Maybe they couldn't get to it before the more mobile birds ate it up) But their bones! They were so fragile. They broke so easily. I felt so bad. It seems like a deficiency of some kind, but what? I raised all my turkeys on the same food and never had anything like this. The chicks in with them are fine. The last 4 turkeys are not great, but on their feet. One is much bigger than the others and seems healthier. I have BR eggs in the bator and I'm worried. All my other birds seem fine. Has anyone seen this?

I would get some vitamins in their water and into them! ASAP! That can cause them to go down that fast. I have had a couple that needed some vitamins for a couple days. I give my adults vitamins in their water to try to keep that from happening.

I am so sorry!

 

[SilkieSensation]

Sad day.  I culled 5 of 9 BBB poults.  They were 9 weeks old today.  I have no idea what happened.  They started going down in their legs a couple weeks ago.  They started on game bird, 28%.  Nothing seemed to help and they got worse.  Their legs seemed paralyzed.  A few still had some use of them, but a couple had no use at all.  I figured I could feed them to my dogs, so I butchered them.  Internal organs all looked really good.  They were a fairly good weight.  Food and grit in the crops (although, I'd have like a little more grit.  Maybe they couldn't get to it before the more mobile birds ate it up)  But their bones!  They were so fragile.  They broke so easily.  I felt so bad.  It seems like a deficiency of some kind, but what?  I raised all my turkeys on the same food and never had anything like this.  The chicks in with them are fine.  The last 4 turkeys are not great, but on their feet.  One is much bigger than the others and seems healthier.  I have BR eggs in the bator and I'm worried.  All my other birds seem fine.  Has anyone seen this?

They put on weight too fast to allow the bones to strengthen. Go with lower protein. 22-24% is good. Let them grow more slowly & the bones will strengthen along with the weight gain. I have 17 bbw that are about 6-7 weeks old right now. Not a leg issue in a single 1 of them. I'm using a mix that comes out to about 23% protein. They just went down to a mix yesterday that is about 18%. They will stay on the 18% until a couple weeks before butcher, then go back to the 23% to add on a nice layer of fat before butchering.

 

[gevshiba]

They put on weight too fast to allow the bones to strengthen. Go with lower protein. 22-24% is good. Let them grow more slowly & the bones will strengthen along with the weight gain. I have 17 bbw that are about 6-7 weeks old right now. Not a leg issue in a single 1 of them. I'm using a mix that comes out to about 23% protein. They just went down to a mix yesterday that is about 18%. They will stay on the 18% until a couple weeks before butcher, then go back to the 23% to add on a nice layer of fat before butchering.

I lowered them to 20% chick starter mixed with 22% grower about 2 weeks ago. I think it was too late. 3 seem to be doing ok, one is still iffy, but can get up and walk. Poor little buggers. This makes me think even more that my first BBB were a mix. I didn't lose any of the 15 until a coyote got one. The only one I lost to illness was a hen the tom tore up and the only one with leg problems was one I traded to someone else. He had free feed all the time, but was probably around 12-14 weeks when she took him. He grew huge.

 

[gevshiba]

I would get some vitamins in their water and into them! ASAP! That can cause them to go down that fast. I have had a couple that needed some vitamins for a couple days. I give my adults vitamins in their water to try to keep that from happening.

I am so sorry!

Thanks Chickadoodles. They do get vitamins. I think I just learned a hard lesson. I always seem to do things the hard way.

 

[chickadoodles]

Quote: I'm so sorry you lost them. I have a BBB hen that is a year old and she is still eating the same feed as the chicken hens 18% and greens and vitamins. She is healthy and happy and making me babies.

 

[SilkieSensation]

They put on weight too fast to allow the bones to strengthen. Go with lower protein. 22-24% is good. Let them grow more slowly

I lowered them to 20% chick starter mixed with 22% grower about 2 weeks ago.  I think it was too late.  3 seem to be doing ok, one is still iffy, but can get up and walk.  Poor little buggers.  This makes me think even more that my first BBB were a mix.  I didn't lose any of the 15 until a coyote got one.  The only one I lost to illness was a hen the tom tore up and the only one with leg problems was one I traded to someone else.  He had free feed all the time, but was probably around 12-14 weeks when she took him.  He grew huge. 

Too high of protein doesn't allow bone development to match the rapid weight gain. It's much better to let them grow more slowly & be stronger. You have far fewer losses. It truly does not add more than a couple weeks to the grow out time either. Once the legs are good & strong & they are close to the weight you want you can boost the protien way up for the last couple weeks for rapid weight gain. By then the legs are nice & strong & you are close enough to butcher that it won't matter if legs start to buckle. Just butcher any that do a little earlier.
I would get those remaining birds down to about 18% until closer to butcher.