24/06/2014
Tips on Raising Turkey Poults
Turkeys are lots of fun to keep. They are extremely interactive as poults (turkey
name for babies), they will think of you as their ‘mother’ and want to be with you all of the time. If you wish to raise turkeys for meat, it will take 6 months to grow them to a good size and you will have a much better-quality bird, moist and full of flavour, unlike anything you can buy in a supermarket - (because it’s raised outdoors instead of in a warehouse with 30,000 other turkeys never seeing daylight). They can be a little more difficult to raise than chicks and require a bit of extra TLC. Turkey poults are fairly easy to raise if you follow a few simple steps: Turkey poults love heat.
They will be happiest if you keep their temperature at 37 C for the first week, then lower the temperature by about 1 degree per week, until they are fully feathered, which is approximately 4-5 weeks of age.
They will still appreciate a heat lamp at night for a few weeks after this period if the nights are cool. You can tell if they are comfortable by the way they arrange themselves under the heat lamp - all clumped under the heat source, they are too cold; all far away from the heat source, they are too hot; spread all over the floor, they are comfortable. They will also cry (cheeping) if they are cold or ill, and will be fairly quiet if they are happy. Always make sure they have room to get away from the heat. Keep them clean and dry; never raise them on smooth surfaces like newspaper. Concrete is good, as they can eat bedding which makes them ill.
The main problem with baby turkeys is that their eyesight is very bad for the first
week or so, so they might not eat and drink if they can’t find it resulting in death
(poults absorb the yolk when they hatch so even if they do not find the water, they will live for 4 or 5 days, deaths around this time occur if they have not been eating during that time). You can hang spotlights over feeders/drinkers to illuminate them, and also get them eating and drinking properly by placing shiny coloured marbles in the feed and water to get their attention. Never give turkey poults very cold water, as it can kill them. The water should preferably be lukewarm (a well placed spotlight can achieve this), and it is a good idea to add a vitamin supplement to their water if possible.
Turkeys need higher protein than chickens. The poults will need a ‘turkey starter
crumb’ for the first 5 weeks, then you can change them over to ‘turkey rearing/growers’. Never feed them layer pellets, as the calcium level is too high for growing birds. When they are about 3 weeks old, you can start sprinkling a little chick grit on their feed, like you would salt your food. Turkeys are very friendly, intelligent and inquisitive birds and you can easily teach them to eat out of your hand, come to your call, and they will often follow you around, begging for treats and attention and watching what you do with interest! The more you handle them, the tamer they will become. Turkeys are an enjoyable bird to have around the garden, but if raising for the table it is best to keep 2 or 3 minimum - so you don’t get as attached.
