Turkeys For 2013

[kuntrygirl]

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?

It does happen from time to time but "constantly" flipping over is a problem. We need to fix this ASAP. You will have to constantly monitor them to make sure that they are upright or else they could possibly die if on their sides too long and using all of their strength and energy to get up. What I would do if I were you is to get a towel and make a doughnut hole and place the poult in the middle of it. I would do this at night and allow them to sleep in this doughnut hole to gain strength. The towel is used to help them remain upright without tipping over. You can also put them in this doughnut hole periodically throughout the day, perhaps after they have eaten or nap time. 2 or 3 days of this should fix that problem. This should fix the problem. If not, let me know.

ETA:
You can refer to my thread about F.O.S. (Flip Over Syndrome).

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...o-s-my-experience-and-what-i-did#post_4276038

 

[chicken pickin]

Thank You!!!

We have been keeping and eye on them and holding them upright so they can eat and drink. They can walk around but loose balance often. I will continue to try to help them thanks.

 

[Zootopia]

OMG!! "PeepsCA"!!!! Folks we have a MEGA Hatching Addict in our midst!! Now she is hatching Turkeys!!!! "Peeps" you gotta post pics of what a REAL stacked bator looks like!! So glad to have you join the turkey crowd.

[COLOR=4B0082]Hi All,[/COLOR] [COLOR=4B0082]I've been following this thread for a few weeks, since my Turkey Hens started laying eggs for me. Most of the other Turkey threads are a little intimidating, so I was glad when I found this one[/COLOR]

[COLOR=4B0082]I have a pair of Wild Turkeys... a Rio Grande Hen that I hatched 3 seasons ago [/COLOR](from an egg that a Wild Turkey Hen laid in a nest she was sharing with a friend's Guinea Hen!) paired with an Eastern Jake (that was given to me a few months back by a friend that bought several poults at a swap meet): I also have a Narri Jake covering 1 young Narri Hen and 2 young Black somewhat mottled Hens (all siblings out of a Narri Hen X Blue Slate Tom pair). I hatched these 4 from some shipped eggs I received from a friend, hand raised them and they are the epitome of Turkey Puppies... they eat from my hand, want to be held whenever I am sitting down and will follow me around everywhere because they want to be near me constantly. Here they are sky watching while free ranging with my Guineas: The 2 Narris (especially the Hen) seem a little too dark to me, but I don't know what else to call them lol. I can't find any pics of Narris that look exactly like my 2

[COLOR=4B0082](All of these pics are from a few months back, I really need to get current pics of everybody).[/COLOR] [COLOR=4B0082]Soo... suffice it to say, my Turkey addiction has officially begun. [/COLOR] 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. Anyway, great thread! I'm a Turkey newbie (I mainly raise/breed/hatch Guineas), so I hope you don't mind me jumping in

 

[PeepsCA]

OMG!! "PeepsCA"!!!!
Folks we have a MEGA Hatching Addict in our midst!! Now she is hatching Turkeys!!!!

"Peeps" you gotta post pics of what a REAL stacked bator looks like!! So glad to have you join the turkey crowd.

LOL, Hiya Zootopia, Thanks

And Thanks for ratting me out about being addicted to hatching, lol (I've noticed I am not the only one on this thread tho!!!). My Guinea Hens are on strike this season (only 10-12 of the stingy old biddies are laying so far), so I had to start setting all my Turkey eggs to feed my addiction, lol (I was just about to start collecting my Quail eggs, then my Turkey Hens started popping out eggs like pez dispensers, whew, lol).

My Turkey Hens are going to get me in trouble, I can already tell lol. I'll have poults coming out my ears pretty soon. 53 eggs cookin' away, and I'm setting another 19 maybe 20 of their eggs tonight. Less than a week to go until the first 13 eggs are due to go into lock-down... then 13 more will hatch a week later, then 27 more 8 days after that, lol... and so on and so on!

I saw my mopey, broody, egg hoarding Turkey Hen lay down and let the Narri Jake climb up on her back and stomp all over her earlier, until he finally took care of business. I guess that means she's done complaining about her nesting barrel being gone and decided she didn't really need to go broody after all? Hope she starts laying again soon, because her sister is starting to take longer and longer to lay her egg once she gets in to her nesting spot, so she's next to go broody (or try to go broody), I think. I am not used to birds that go broody, at least she was easy to break of it.

I looked thru tons of my incubator pics, and I can't find the pic of my Hovabator 1588 with 100+ Guineas eggs in it... but here's this pic with 93 eggs in it (Guinea eggs). I used to be scared to post pics like these back when my 1588s still had some warranty left on them, lol. Never burned up either of my egg turner motors tho!

I have a new Dickey incubator now. And I am SOOO glad I don't have to do the double stacking/overloaded incubator thing anymore. Hand turning all the extra eggs was a PITA!

Wonder what the max capacity for Turkey eggs is in the Dickey? LOL, give me time, I'm sure I'll figure out how to get as many as I can get in there too, lol.

 

[Zootopia]

[COLOR=4B0082]LOL, Hiya Zootopia, Thanks

[/COLOR] [COLOR=4B0082]And Thanks for ratting me out about being https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/644300/fermenting-feed-for-meat-birds/5460][COLOR=4B0082]M[/COLOR]y Guinea Hens are on strike this season (only 10-12 of the stingy old biddies are laying so far), so I had to start setting all my Turkey eggs to feed my addiction, lol (I was just about to start collecting my Quail eggs, then my Turkey Hens started popping out eggs like pez dispensers, whew, lol). [COLOR=4B0082]My Turkey Hens are going to get me in trouble, I can already tell lol. I'll have poults coming out my ears pretty soon. 53 eggs cookin' away, and I'm setting another 19 maybe 20 of their eggs tonight. Less than a week to go until the first 13 eggs are due to go into lock-down... then 13 more will hatch a week later, then 27 more 8 days after that, lol... and so on and so on![/COLOR] I saw my mopey, broody, egg hoarding Turkey Hen lay down and let the Narri Jake climb up on her back and stomp all over her earlier, until he finally took care of business. I guess that means she's done complaining about her nesting barrel being gone and decided she didn't really need to go broody after all? Hope she starts laying again soon, because her sister is starting to take longer and longer to lay her egg once she gets in to her nesting spot, so she's next to go broody (or try to go broody), I think. I am not used to birds that go broody, at least she was easy to break of it. [COLOR=4B0082]I looked thru tons of my incubator pics, and I can't find the pic of my Hovabator 1588 with 100+ Guineas eggs in it... but here's this pic with 93 eggs in it (Guinea eggs). I used to be scared to post pics like these back when my 1588s still had some warranty left on them, lol. Never burned up either of my egg turner motors tho! [/COLOR] [COLOR=4B0082] [/COLOR] [COLOR=4B0082]I have a new Dickey incubator now. And I am SOOO glad I don't have to do the double stacking/overloaded incubator thing anymore. Hand turning all the extra eggs was a PITA![/COLOR] [COLOR=4B0082]Wonder what the max capacity for Turkey eggs is in the Dickey? LOL, give me time, I'm sure I'll figure out how to get as many as I can get in there too, lol. [/COLOR]

Oh, a Dickey!! I am so jealous!! After borrowing that sportsman last year, I am having fits trying to restrain myself. I have the Hova (with a recently broke turner). A ReptiPro 5000 (no turner) and an old LG for hatching (when I remember).. DH and DS are looking into building me a cabinet. I have 9 guineas running loose and at least 3 are laying in the barn. One in the nest box, the others in a corner w/ a couple chickens. Here's to broody raised guineas!! I already gave a broody 10 to hatch out, but I'll never keep up with the demand for keets this way. I need a source of colorful eggs. Know anybody? Hint, hint. Glad to see you found a friend for your turkey girl, along with expanding your obsession. Lol. So do you think they will sell as well as the guineas? If not keep in mind they have really big poops. How many do you plan to keep? I have 2 pr of Rio Grands, 3 of Ariels beautiful BR, 2 rescued BB Whites, a Palm roo and a BB bronze mix hen. And of course whatever I manage to hatch from alll the eggs!!!

 

[kuntrygirl]

PeepsCa, that is A LOT of eggs!!!!!!!!!! I would have to quit my full time job and sell 1/2 of my animals to take care of all of those hatches. I can barely handle what I have now.

 

[Sally8]

Oh, a Dickey!! I am so jealous!! After borrowing that sportsman last year, I am having fits trying to restrain myself. I have the Hova (with a recently broke turner). A ReptiPro 5000 (no turner) and an old LG for hatching (when I remember).. DH and DS are looking into building me a cabinet. I have 9 guineas running loose and at least 3 are laying in the barn. One in the nest box, the others in a corner w/ a couple chickens. Here's to broody raised guineas!! I already gave a broody 10 to hatch out, but I'll never keep up with the demand for keets this way. I need a source of colorful eggs. Know anybody? Hint, hint.
Glad to see you found a friend for your turkey girl, along with expanding your obsession. Lol. So do yu think they will sell as well as the guineas? If not keep in mind they have really big poops. How many do you plan to keep? I have 2 pr of Rio Grands, 3 of Ariels beautiful BR, 2 rescued BB Whites, a Palm roo and a BB bronze mix hen.
And of course whatever I manage to hatch from alll the eggs!!!

How do you handle everything when they hatch. I have a LG and I had it full of about 45 eggs, it should be able to handle 50. At hatching time, they knocked into each other cracking eggs causing many to die in the shell. The only exposed part was the cracked parts they caused. Maybe I'm not cut out to hatch but this morning I had a dead poult that couldn't make his way out and one in the brooder that I'm thinking didn't get to food or water. I always dip their beaks but I don't stand over them to be sure they do on their own. I guess out of 100 hatched, I've only had 2 die this way.

 

[pollo disco]

My 2 RGs are moving around more and really taken to the family. They still sing alot, and loud too. But once you get them on your shoulder or cuddle them in your shirt, they quiet down. They enjoy exploring the kitchen floor looking for bread crumbs. Got to be careful on whats on the floor. I have noticed they fly really well for so young. I am just giving them crumble and water right now. And ofcourse, the random bread crumb.

 

[Arielle]

Quote: MY OPINION HERE--- leave her alone, and get an incubator. Have the incubator up and running by the last wek of the hatch, then if she deserts the nest you can put the remaining eggs in the incubator to fish the 28 days. I had to do this with a chicken hen as the other girls kept donating eggs!

 

[Arielle]

PITA-- yes, PEEP, it is, I cannot fit another egg in my homemade cooler --bator called HEnny PEnny. Stackted to the top and I had turn everyone of them. PITA.

BUt I got my Narrigansetts eggs yesterday!!

Shhh, don't tell DH, he doesn't know. My two jakes need girls don't ya know.

Still waiting for my first of 2013 to hatch!! Long wait . . . .

Does anyone plant food for their birds?? Grasses, turnip, etc. Or grow food like crickets, etc. I'm finding my turkeys and some of my chickens, don't know what to do with some food sources. I need tutors!! Asking because my turkey grain went UP $2 a bag, ouch.