?>>!WHAT IS WRONG WITH MY BABY TURKEYS!<<?

[austinhart123]

im getting really frustrated becuase my baby turkeys dont imprint they just run aimlessly and out of13 that hace hatched this year we have three becuase they dont stay in the nest or with their mother

 

[jvls1942]

I think there is more that we have to know, here..

I can think of a couple of things that could cause what you discribe

1.... this is the hen's first time hatching.. still unlikely, rare..

2.....all the eggs were not set at the same time.. actually my first guess

the older poults would leave the nest if the mother was still trying to hatch more eggs..

once the eggs hatch the adult bird never goes back to the nest..so as a result, neither do the babies..

they might go to a spot to spend the night, though.. by co-incidence it might be the nesting box..

my personnal experience is that turkeys are excellent mothers..

 

[Harp Turkey Ranch]

Maybe you can gather the poults up that hatch earlier then the rest and when the hen decides that she is not going to sit on it anymore try and give her back her poults ?? That way the stay warm and safe while they wait for her .

 

[sparkles2307]

our hens were always terrible mothers... we took their eggs away and raised the babies ourselves.

 

[mooman]

our hens were always terrible mothers... we took their eggs away and raised the babies ourselves.

I used to raise dwarf cichlids (a type of fish known for being good parents). There was a fair amount of anecdotal evidence that by removing the babies and raising them artificially the babies did not "learn" to be good mothers, because they were never mothered themselves.

These same fish would also require a couple trial runs before they got good at raising thier young.

My thought: In years past, before hatchery chicks/poults became the norm, hens that were not genetically predisposed to being good mothers simply did not raise as many babies. The offspring of hens that DID have the "mothering gene" passed this gene on. The hatchery industry has essentially removed the selective pressure towards good mothers. As a result today birds are probably not (on average) as good at raising chicks as they were years ago.

off topic, but I believe the wellfare system is causing this to happen in our species as well. Look around......people with low inteligence/work ethic breed out of control while hardworking responsible people usually have comparativley small families. Doesn't take much imagination to see where we're heading.​

 

[austinhart123]

well, they are both from hatcheries, and both firsttime moms, the babies were running fromunder her as soon as they were dry, and all the eggs hatched at the same time. they were acting as if they didnt know she is their mom... it doesnt seem like the moms fualt more the stupid babies that just do their own thing

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

That is strange, I have never seen that before. I have seen poults get seperated and lost from the rest but not just take off running like that. They have always stayed close to the hen.

Steve in NC

 

[PQ]

Quote:
LOl mine where the same I just kept them inside till the where the size of my Seramas then put them with them as they get larger I just change pens. They follow the other chickens in at night now but at first for weeks I had to go out and put them in the houses at night. Dont worry just keep them in a small pen till bigger they do get marter in the since they will start to go in when it is cold, raining. hot, & at night.
My hen has gone broody several times, has raised many chicks ( turkeys never stay under any of our hens) and all hatch at the same time.
I have found if I want the hen to sit and keep being motherly I have to put them all into our largest dog crate and put a nest boox in with them with food and water till they are old enough to fend for themselves. I hope this helps. This is just my experiance would love to read how others do it, as any advice helps us all to learn to try different things!

 

[bock]