Raising turkey poults can be an incredibly rewarding experience for any homesteader. Not only does it allow you to provide delicious home-grown turkey meat for your family, but watching those tiny fluffy poults grow into magnificent birds is extremely satisfying.
However, raising poults does require some special considerations. Unlike chickens, turkey poults are more fragile and have some unique care requirements, especially in their first few weeks of life. Follow this comprehensive guide to learn everything you need to know about successfully raising happy, healthy turkey poults.
Preparing for Poults
Before your adorable poults arrive you’ll need to make sure you have the proper housing and supplies ready for them. Here’s what you’ll need
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Brooder – A brooding box or enclosure to house the poults for the first 8 weeks until they are fully feathered. It should allow at least 1 square foot per poult.
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Heat lamp – Essential for keeping poults warm Start with the temperature at 95°F and decrease by 5°F each week,
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Bedding – Pine shavings work well. Provide 3-4 inches of absorbent bedding.
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Feeders and waterers – Use special chick-sized feeders and waterers. Elevate them on bricks so poults don’t scratch bedding into them.
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Poult starter feed – Feed a 28% protein turkey starter for the first 8 weeks.
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Supplements – Offer grit and greens from the garden for extra nutrition.
Brooding Poults
Brooding poults properly in their first 2 months is critical to getting them off to a healthy start. Here are some brooding tips:
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Keep the brooder clean and dry. Replace soiled bedding daily.
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Check the temperature often. Poults will huddle if too cold and move away if too hot.
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Gently dip each poult’s beak in the water and food as soon as they arrive to show them where to find it.
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Hang waterers at poult eye level. Use marbles or stones in the water to attract poults.
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Feed moistened crumbles for the first few days until poults learn to eat.
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Provide ample space. Overcrowding causes stress.
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Keep an eye out for pasty butt and gently clean any poult’s vent if needed.
Feeding and Watering
Proper nutrition is extremely important for growing poults. Make sure to:
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Continue feeding a 28% protein feed for at least 8 weeks.
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Keep feeders full at all times and refresh waterers 2-3 times per day.
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Transition to a 20% protein grower feed after 8 weeks old.
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Introduce treats like cracked corn, oats, greens and bugs after 4 weeks old.
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Give insoluble granite grit after 2 weeks for proper digestion.
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Avoid getting poults wet and provide lukewarm water.
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Watch for signs of dehydration like panting and lethargy.
Health and Behavior
Turkey poults can be susceptible to certain health issues. Notice these behaviors and respond accordingly:
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Piling – Poults may accidentally smother each other. Gently unpile and use dividers.
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Picking – Provide greens, oats and grit to discourage feather pecking.
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Pastiness – Gently clean any pasty vents daily to avoid infection.
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Dehydration – Increase water access. Provide electrolytes and probiotics.
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Disease – Isolate any sick poults and consult a vet about treatment.
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Stress – Reduce crowding, lower heat lamp, and provide calming herbs if needed.
Transitioning Outdoors
Once feathered out at 8-10 weeks, poults can transition to outdoor living:
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Move the brooder to a sheltered porch or garage for a few days before fully going outside.
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Decrease brooder temperature down to 70°F and provide extra bedding as they acclimate.
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Make sure poults are fully feathered out before moving to pasture housing.
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Install roost bars and introduce grown turkey feed once outside.
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Watch for signs of stress like decreased eating/drinking and lethargy.
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Shelter poults from cold winds and rain until 14-16 weeks old if possible.
Poult Troubleshooting
Even with the best care, poults can sometimes develop issues. Here are some common problems and solutions:
Poults won’t eat or drink – Try moistening the feed, using marbles in water, and teaching poults where to find food and water.
Wet or soiled bedding – Increase bedding depth, elevate feeders/waterers, and change out bedding frequently.
Feather picking – Provide distractions like cabbage heads, increase protein, or trim beaks if needed.
Pastiness – Gently clean vents with warm water and monitor water intake. May indicate illness.
Respiratory illness – Isolate any sick birds. Improve ventilation. Consult a vet about medication.
Weak legs – Can indicate vitamin deficiency. Improve nutrition and provide flat roosts for support.
Deformities – May be genetic or nutrition related. Isolate affected poults to prevent bullying.
Butchering Poults
If raising poults for meat, you’ll need to know when and how to process them:
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Heritage breeds take 28-30 weeks to finish. Broad breasted turkeys finish at 16-20 weeks.
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Butcher poults once they reach the target weight for their breed and sex.
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Withhold feed for 12-24 hours before butchering but provide water.
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Use humane methods like stunning and approved slaughter techniques.
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For easier plucking, submerge carcasses in 145°F water for 30-45 seconds.
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Let carcasses hang for 1-2 weeks in a refrigerator at 35-40°F.
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Package turkey into freezer bags and store at 0°F for 6-12 months.
Enjoy the Rewards
As you can see, successfully raising turkey poults does require some extra effort and diligence, especially when they are young. But don’t let that intimidate you. Just be prepared, follow these tips, and enjoy watching your poults thrive. The reward of homegrown turkey on your holiday table makes it all worthwhile!
Keeping Turkeys is Rewarding, Especially When You Start with Poults
Reading Time: 4 minutes
There are many reasons raising turkey poults is rewarding — not the least of which is keeping turkeys to have a few pets.
Raising turkey poults is enjoyable and a wise decision for meat purposes. But keep in mind, raising poults is not the same as raising chicks or ducklings. They are much more delicate than other poultry species. Here are a few tips and tricks for successfully raising poults to maturity.
Raising Turkey Poults with Chicks
Add a chicken chick or two to your order when purchasing turkey poults. To protect your young flock’s health, choose chicks that have never touched the earth’s surface, such as from a hatchery or feed store, to minimize the potential of blackhead disease. Read on to learn more about blackhead disease and how it can affect a flock of turkeys.
I’ll be quite frank; turkey poults are not the smartest of the bunch. Chicken chicks have an instinct to survive and seek food, heat, and water without being guided. Poults need constant reminders where to find those. Without the incorporation of chicks, you become the caretaker and responsible for keeping the poults alive.
Within a few days, the poults will be more independent and can care for themselves. Chicks can then be removed from the brooder and raised separately or remain with the poults until ready to move into their separate coops.
To ensure poults remain close to heat, water, and food, restrict them to a smaller brooder space for a few days. A rafter of young turkeys can become confused in a large space. This can cause them to starve or catch a chill.
To minimize workload, construct a brooder that will accommodate the growth of the young flock. Poults often remain in a brooder until they are fully feathered, roughly six to eight weeks of life, potentially longer depending on the weather. During the time in the brooder, it is imperative to provide adequate space to ensure livability without hindering the growth of the birds. This requires a minimum of two square feet per bird; however, three to four square feet guarantee the birds will not be overcrowded and allows them to stretch their wings comfortably.
There are multiple options for brooder bedding, with pine shavings as the most common. Straw is also a favorite among poultry keepers and is available chopped (designed for brooders) or in bales. Other options include peanut hulls, chopped cardboard, and crushed corn cobs. Refrain from using shaved cedar in bedding; the oils are drying and can harm the young birds.
Add three to four inches of bedding and replace it each time you clean the brooder. This amount allows the birds to dust bathe without reaching the brooder floor and cushions their landing if roosting bars are added. Spot clean the brooder daily, especially where the feed, water, and heat source are located. Deep cleaning a brooder can be reserved weekly or as needed. Keep in mind, an extremely dirty brooder runs the risk of respiratory issues and is a breeding ground forcoccidiosis. A brooder should never have an ammonia smell permeating from the bedding.
Feel free to compost the bedding. How long it will take to decompose depends on material used.
Brooder heat is necessary for the first four to six weeks of life. This time will vary based on where you reside. A good rule of thumb is that, once a bird is fully feathered, a heat source is no longer needed. Two available heat sources include an infrared bulb or a heating plate designed for brooders. Both work well; however, a heating plate is a safer option, and it resembles a broody hen’s body temperature. A heating plate temperature never has to be regulated; simply adjust the legs’ height as the poults grow. This allows them to come and go from under the heat source comfortably.
When using an infrared bulb, the temperature under the bulb must maintain 95 degrees F for the first week. After that, raise the bulb, lowering the temperature by five degrees each week. Watch your daily to ensure the temperature within the brooder is right:
- Poults huddled tightly together indicate the brooder is not hot enough.
- Birds resting away from the heat beam indicate the temperature within the brooder is too hot.
- Poults resting comfortably under the lamp indicate the heat within the brooder is perfect.
For safety reasons, secure the lamp to prevent it from being knocked down. Infrared heat lamps are the main cause of coop fires.
Young turkeys need a high protein feed to thrive and grow efficiently. Turkey poults require the most protein during the first eight weeks of life, making a whole grain feed (28% protein) the best option. However, a broiler chicken feed consisting of 23-24% protein is efficient. Between nine and 24 weeks, you can decrease to 18-20% protein or offer a fermented feed.
Raising Turkeys From Hatching to Processing – Part 1 | @semojohomestead
FAQ
Are turkey poults hard to raise?
Are Baby Turkeys Hard to Raise? Baby turkeys are not difficult to raise. They are more susceptible to cold temperatures and respiratory diseases than baby chicks, so you’ll need to take extra precautions. Baby turkeys need to be kept warm with fresh bedding for the first eight weeks of life.
How long do baby turkeys need a heat lamp?
One heat lamp can handle about 35- 50 turkeys. Normally brooder temperature can be dropped about 5 degrees a week and can be turned off during the day by 4 weeks of age unless you live in cooler weather areas then by 5-6 weeks of age eventually weaning them off the extra heat completely.
What to feed baby turkey poults?
Sprinkling chick grit on their feed also helps prevent pasting. Poults should be fed 28% protein turkey starter until 8 weeks of age.
Will backyard turkeys fly away?
Turkeys do fly, so be aware. I have not clipped our turkeys’ wings because we have not had an issue with them flying away. But if you are at all concerned, you can clip their wings to prevent this. I like for them to fly away from danger if need be, and that’s why I don’t clip them.
Is raising turkey poults a good idea?
There are many reasons raising turkey poults is rewarding — not the least of which is keeping turkeys to have a few pets. Raising turkey poults is enjoyable and a wise decision for meat purposes. But keep in mind, raising poults is not the same as raising chicks or ducklings. They are much more delicate than other poultry species.
What are the health benefits of ground turkey?
Ground turkey has multiple benefits. It is a good source of minerals, and B vitamins, rich in proteins, low in fat and it is lower in calories than common turkey.
How do you raise turkey poults to maturity?
Here are a few tips and tricks for successfully raising poults to maturity. Add a chicken chick or two to your order when purchasing turkey poults. To protect your young flock’s health, choose chicks that have never touched the earth’s surface, such as from a hatchery or feed store, to minimize the potential of blackhead disease.
How do you raise a turkey hen?
Ann Accetta-Scott raises turkeys on her homestead, Acorn Creek Farmstead. Ann recommends that you mimic things the turkey hen would do for her hatch. Keeping a small area for the first week helps the poults stay warm. You can also tap the water dish and the food to call the poults attention to them.
Should you raise turkeys with chickens?
As a side note, if you’re raising your turkeys alongside chickens, it’s important not to let them share food or water dispensers, even when they’re young. Chickens, despite their smaller size, will bully the turkeys out of their fair share of the goodies.
Should I order turkey poults?
Ordering poults is a good way to jump start your turkey flock and have a mixed flock of different breeds. The poults will arrive at just a few days of age, and will be quite vulnerable. The first key to success is making sure that your brooder is warm and ready for the poults the moment they arrive.