Turkeys about breeding time

4 weeks old or a little younger now. I lost another one Tuesday so down to 8 now. The little boogers grow fast but are a hard raise... although burbn reds are growing on me, I'm seriously considering going with a different hertiage breed that's EASIER to raise.

IMG_20180905_191527485.jpg
 
That is really strange behaviour from your tom. Interesting too! The little ones are looking great :) Sorry to hear about the loss though.
 
Dumb... A few of my turkey poults are dumb! We got a good 4" of rain last night from that tropicial storm that hit the gulf. Two of my turkey poults didn't go in the coop with the heat lamp, nor did they even go under the tarp I place over top of a 8'x10' section of their yard. Nope they opted for a corner of the yard right out in the open. This morning I found them both soaking wet. I picked them both up and put them both under heat lamp in the coop. One lived the other didn't - now I'm down to 7 :(

It's lightly raining tonght and while sitting on the porch with my wife we hear what she says babies crying (weep weep weep) She said you got a baby crying, so I put on my muck boots. Yep sure enough... The same dumb turkey is back in the same corner again, right out in the rain and pitch black. I picked the dumb turkey up and carried it over to the coop and put it under the heat lamp again. Hopefully it stays there and I wish it would just stay with the rest of the flock. Atleast the rest of them got enough sense to get out of the rain and into the coop at night.

My wife said I should get another breed of turkey and raise them instead. Then she said it's now wonder these turkeys are endangered they don't have a very good survival instincts and they are giving you fits, it shouldn't be this hard to raise turkeys. I totally agreed with her. This spring I'm going to order some Narragansett poults. I hope "nags" will be easier and have better instincts.
 
Last edited:
Lost the dumb one this morning. I guess it spent a big part of the night out in the yard, dispite that I picked it up and put in the coop last night because I heard it weeping.

I found it this morning in the yard about 5:30am with it's head under it's wing, very cold, the temperature dropped down to 54 last night. Again I picked it up and put it in the coop under the heat lamp. I checked on it @ 7:30am and it had died, down to 6 now. It's kind of disheartening but I'm finding out if they get cold they just die. My chickens are a lot easier to raise and they are a lot more durable. I've had a broody chicken hatch out a brood late winter and the chicks are out in the snow a couple of days later with momma hen.
 
Last edited:
Everything I've read says poults are dumb, hard to raise, get cold easily and poor survival. You have sure confirmed these.

I saw 2 trios of 1/2 grown, beautiful Royal Palms at an auction Saturday. Wanted them bad! Sold for $75 a trio and that's a good buyer price, IMO. Nope, didn't buy. Good girl!!

So then coming home I see a passel of wild ones! Like 20 in a group with a couple hens -- just sailing along fat & happy. Guess people shouldn't domesticate. :idunno Sure are a LOT of them making it to adulthood from the looks of the freezers in the stores. Wonder what the losses are on a turkey farm??

I've read the nags do ok and another...want to say a black one...???? Not sure. Just decided if it can't set and care for the poults, it's not for me. I'll eat chicken.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Sister Sites

BackYardChickens.com
BackYardHerds.com
TheEasyGarden.com
Back
Top