Turkeys For 2013

[kuntrygirl]

Beautiful turkeys Peeps. So glad that you joined us. One big happy family here.

Egg addiction there huh Peeps? LOL just joking. Good luck on the hatch.

We are having fun on this thread so please feel free to jump on in.

 

[kuntrygirl]

I wanted to add this and I will go back and add this to the care sheet but if you all can make sure that you have a few items on hand when your poults arrive or have hatched so you won't panic and won't have to run out in the event you have a little one that is "not quite themselves" and they need a little "pick me up" or if one of your poults falls sick, you will have a few things on hand.

1. Yogurt (make sure your expiration date is a ways away ).
2. Baby food (greens, carrots, etc.)
3. Apple Cider Vinegar with the mother in it.
4. Syringe with NO needle

For those of you that remember about a month ago when I found one of my poults with a curly fry twisted neck, well he was able to stay alive with these 3 food items. Because he COULD not eat or drink, I fed him TONS of baby food and a yogurt/ACV mixture and squirted this down his throat with a syringe. This is what kept him alive. I thought to post this when I scored a big bag full of baby food from Craigslist today. Someone was giving away 25 jars of baby food, 26 containers of pureed fruit, baby formula and baby oatmeal and I was all over that food for my Emergency Care Kit for my birds. It's always good to be prepared. Baby food is not expensive, so having at least a couple jars on hand would be a good start. You can always pick up more later but at least you would have that.

Syringe that I use.

Free Baby Food that I received.

 

[desertmarcy]

I do. But I was thinking of maybe going with 22% multi flock starter/grower. Do you think that would be ok?

I have always read that heritage turkeys need a much higher protein to get started well. Mine get 28%. Most any commercial turkey starter I have seen is at least 26%. If you are going to give them only 22%, I would supplement it with chopped hard boiled eggs.

 

[desertmarcy]

Soo... suffice it to say, my Turkey addiction has officially begun.
I set a mix of 16 eggs from all of the Hens on 4/4, then another 16 eggs on 4/9, (both in my Hovabator 1588s), and then I set another 30 eggs (lol) on 4/17 in my new Dickey incubator. I have 12 more eggs stored and will be setting those in a few days with whatever else I collect between now and then (tho one of the Black Hens has decided to go broody and has stopped laying,and her twin sister might be heading in the same direction... so I removed their favorite nesting barrel, and they better get back at it).

Because my ambient humidity is ridiculously low here (in the mid to low teens) I don't dare try dry incubation with these Turkey eggs, so I've been aiming at maintaining around 35% RH in my 'bators for these eggs. So far so good and out of all the eggs I've set only 3 out of each batch are not developing

(1 had a crack that I did not find in time to patch, a few had blood rings and a few weren't fertile). Now if you do the math... I'm looking at hatching out 53 poults, all within a short time lol... have I lost my mind? I think so, that's the only excuse I have to fall back on

I am so excited to be hatching eggs from my own Hens this season tho that I can barely contain myself. Seeing everyone's poult pics is making the wait WAY worse for me, lol.

Ha Ha, you sound like me. I've got 24 turkey poults on order from Porter's Turkeys, then figured I wanted mine to hatch at about the same time those arrive, so I set a huge pile of eggs. Candled the other day, and 37 are fertile---so yes, this is definitely an addiction. Of course I don't plan to keep and raise all these poults---a good # of the ones I am hatching are for sale, but I do plan to raise up all the Porter poults. Those alone are going to be a handful.

 

[kuntrygirl]

I do.  But I was thinking of maybe going with 22% multi flock starter/grower. Do you think that would be ok?

I have always read that heritage turkeys need a much higher protein to get started well. Mine get 28%. Most any commercial turkey starter I have seen is at least 26%. If you are going to give them only 22%, I would supplement it with chopped hard boiled eggs.

Some areas don't sell that high protein. Mine get 30%.

 

[chicken pickin]

I have always read that heritage turkeys need a much higher protein to get started well. Mine get 28%. Most any commercial turkey starter I have seen is at least 26%. If you are going to give them only 22%, I would supplement it with chopped hard boiled eggs.

Oh I know they need higher protein. I usually fee 28% turkey starter. This time I am brooding them with chicks also and chicks shouldnt have as high of protein so I thought a good compromise would be 22%. This is my first time brooding poults and chicks together so Im not positive.

 

[PeepsCA]

Quote: That's my goal for next season... I figure if I can get thru a season of hatching and raising my own successfully, then I'll take the next step and order some eggs or poults from Porter's. Now... deciding on what exactly to order will be the hard part. I already want 6 or 30 of everything on that site, lol.

 

[PeepsCA]

Beautiful turkeys Peeps. So glad that you joined us.

One big happy family here.

Egg addiction there huh Peeps?

LOL just joking. Good luck on the hatch.

We are having fun on this thread so please feel free to jump on in.

Thanks, and yah... I'm a self proclaimed (admitted?) hatch-a-holic to the 10th power, lol.
Can't wait to share some pics of my hatches. The 1st week of May cannot get here soon enough!

 

[frank53061]

Well I got home today from work and found 2 Poults had hatched and loudly peeping I just took the egg turner out yesterday the hatching was to start the 25th so they are early so far.
we will see how the other 27 eggs do.
Celie I dont know yet if they are Holland whites or Bourbon Reds no ducks yet I did not hold the Incubator open long enough to tell plus they were still wet and it would be hard to tell any way.
Do I have any body wanting to see some pictures out there

.

 

[PeepsCA]

Me me me, I want to see! Pics please!