Turkeys For 2013

[ButchGood]

I frequently brood chicks and poults together. Whenever I do, I always feed turkey starter. I have never had any issues with the chicks being fed the higher % protein. At my supplier the chick starter is 23% protein. At the local chain store the chick starter is 18% and they charge as much for it as my supplier does for the higher quality chick starter.

It is my opinion that the suppliers push the lower % protein chick starters because they are cheaper to make and allow the manufacturer and the vendor to make a higher % profit and has nothing to do with what is best for the chick.

I do as well. #years in a row I've raised poults and chicks together. Sometimes I feed turkey starter and others I've fed game bird feed. Both high in protein and both worked very well.

 

[elsfieldchickens]

My first year brooding 1 chick (a chicken layed an egg in the turkey nest and I didn't know it) and poults yielded a chick (Rooster) that was the same size of the turkey and he is still the same weight as them now.

All of them were on 30% protein. I have not weighed him a long time but when you pick him up, he feels like he weighs about 40 lbs. His feet are HUGE!!!!!!!!! I have had so many offers to buy him because he is soooooooooo big but I would never sell him. He is about 3 years old now.

I took this pic of him on yesterday. When he runs, he reminds me of a clumsy 13 year old that is 6'5" and weighs 250 lbs.



This is a pic of him last year.

aww he looks lovely!

 

[redneck farmer]

I can't get more than one... It's only a 50sqft coop with 4 chickens an a soon to be full grown turkey there's no room but luckily turkey's friend is the injured chick they are closer than two peas in a pod

 

[kuntrygirl]

...

My first year brooding 1 chick (a chicken layed an egg in the turkey nest and I didn't know it) and poults yielded a chick (Rooster) that was the same size of the turkey and he is still the same weight as them now. All of them were on 30% protein. I have not weighed him a long time but when you pick him up, he feels like he weighs about 40 lbs. His feet are HUGE!!!!!!!!! I have had so many offers to buy him because he is soooooooooo big but I would never sell him. He is about 3 years old now.

Thanks but he is BAD. Poor thing can't even climb on the girls to breed. He rolls over like the Pillsbury dough boy. Tsk Tsk Tsk. :/

 

[PeepsCA]

Quote: You could always do some AI with him, on a few specific Hens... just to pass along his SuperChicken genes, lol.

 

[RockerHen]

Okay, another question for the turkey pros from the novice! My royal palm hen is broody. She stays in the nest all day and night, but usually gets up around 5 in the evening to eat/dustbathe/ do broody poop (I thought chicken broody poop was big

). All well and good; however, I check her nest each time she leaves it each evening. Slight problem here. She went broody on 11 eggs. She's been broody for a week now, and each day she's laid another egg in the nest! She's up to around 16 or 17 now. Won't this staggered laying and brooding cause different hatch days? She's the only turkey hen I have, so I know it's her, and she's definitely broody as I rarely see her off the nest, What's up with this? My chickens never do lay while broody (I wish, all my silkies are broody right now, no eggs for me from them).

 

[joshm97]

My first year brooding 1 chick (a chicken layed an egg in the turkey nest and I didn't know it) and poults yielded a chick (Rooster) that was the same size of the turkey and he is still the same weight as them now. All of them were on 30% protein. I have not weighed him a long time but when you pick him up, he feels like he weighs about 40 lbs. His feet are HUGE!!!!!!!!! I have had so many offers to buy him because he is soooooooooo big but I would never sell him. He is about 3 years old now. I took this pic of him on yesterday. When he runs, he reminds me of a clumsy 13 year old that is 6'5" and weighs 250 lbs. This is a pic of him last year.

aww he looks lovely!

I have notice the bigger the bird the friendliest. We used to have chickens and we had this on little rooster (7lb) who would attack us when we fed him... He was probably protecting hens... And then we had a jersey giant and boy was he a big boy! Very friendly too just like my jakes... They will try to steal my sandwiches when I eat lunch outside. They even sleep on me or the are of my chair.( I guess they like my company)

 

[Sally8]

Okay, another question for the turkey pros from the novice! My royal palm hen is broody. She stays in the nest all day and night, but usually gets up around 5 in the evening to eat/dustbathe/ do broody poop (I thought chicken broody poop was big

). All well and good; however, I check her nest each time she leaves it each evening. Slight problem here. She went broody on 11 eggs. She's been broody for a week now, and each day she's laid another egg in the nest! She's up to around 16 or 17 now. Won't this staggered laying and brooding cause different hatch days? She's the only turkey hen I have, so I know it's her, and she's definitely broody as I rarely see her off the nest, What's up with this? My chickens never do lay while broody (I wish, all my silkies are broody right now, no eggs for me from them).

I have a Royal Palm hen also and when she went broody, she did the same thing. When I checked it and saw that she had so many, I kept robbing them from her and she quit laying and left the nest/ My opinion is to leave her alone and she'll quit laying on her own. Does anyone else know?

 

[kuntrygirl]

2 more poults hatched last night (with a gosling in the bunch).

 

[chicken pickin]

I was curious if its normal for newly hatched poults to have really bad footing and constantly be flipping over to their sides. My new poults hatched mon and tues and I keep finding 2 of them on their sides. With a little help they are back up on their feet and they do eat and drink and poop and look bright eyed. Will they snap out of it or is it not a good sign?