A turkey poult is a young turkey under 4 weeks old. Also known as a chick or hatchling, poults require special care and attention in their early weeks to grow into healthy adult turkeys. This comprehensive guide will walk you through everything you need to know about caring for poults, from setting up the brooder to feeding, watering and keeping them warm.
What is a Poult?
A poult is simply a baby turkey under 4 weeks old. The term can apply to any baby fowl but most commonly refers to turkeys. Poults hatch from eggs just like baby chickens do.
Newly hatched poults have soft, fuzzy down covering their bodies and are unable to regulate their own body temperature. They grow quickly, doubling their hatch weight in just a week. Their feathers start growing around 2-3 weeks and by 4 weeks old they are fully feathered.
Setting Up the Brooder
Poults need to live in a heated brooder for the first 4-8 weeks of life The brooder keeps them contained, dry, clean and warm while mimicking the environment of the nest
You can purchase a brooder or make your own from materials like wood, wire mesh and metal. Elevate the brooder at least a few feet off the ground to prevent drafts.
The recommended brooder temperature is 95-100°F for newly hatched poults Reduce the temperature by 5°F each week until fully feathered Place a thermometer at poult height to monitor.
Brooder Bedding
Soft wood shavings like pine are ideal for brooder bedding. The shavings insulate and absorb moisture to keep poults warm and dry.
After 3-4 weeks, you can transition to sand bedding. Sand is easy to clean and cheap, though harder for young poults to walk on. Spot clean the brooder daily and change all the bedding weekly.
Feeding and Watering
Poults need a high protein feed with at least 28% protein, higher than chick starter. This supports their rapid growth. After 12 weeks, turkey feed can drop to 20% protein.
Use special poult feeders and waterers designed to minimize waste and prevent drowning. Hang or elevate both to deter contamination from bedding.
Refresh food and water daily. Gently dip each poult’s beak in the water when they first arrive to show them where to drink. Poults are prone to dehydration.
Heating
Poults need supplemental heat from a brooder lamp for at least the first 4 weeks. Ideal brooder temperature is 95-100°F for week one, dropping 5°F each week.
Watch poult behavior near the lamp. Huddling indicates they are too cold, dispersing away means they are too hot. By 4-8 weeks, poults should be fully feathered and hardy enough to go without heat.
Preventing Health Issues
Poults are susceptible to chilling, drafts and respiratory illness in their early weeks. Strict sanitation and a well-managed brooder environment are essential to keeping poults healthy.
Isolate new poults from adult turkeys and chickens, as they lack immunity. Limit brooder access and monitor for signs of sickness. Ensure bedding stays clean and dry.
Gently encourage timid or weak poults to eat and drink to prevent dehydration and malnutrition. Dip their beaks in water, tap the feeders to stimulate eating, and limit poult numbers to ensure everyone is getting enough.
Moving Outdoors
Once poults are 4-8 weeks old and fully feathered, they can move outdoors to a coop and run. Acclimate them slowly at first, still providing heat lamps on colder nights.
Make sure their outdoor housing is predator-proof and that they have enough space to roost and move around comfortably. Provide food, water and areas for dust bathing.
Free ranging turkeys requires more land space than chickens. Supervise poults when ranging to protect from predators. Bring them in at night until big enough to roost safely in the coop.
Caring for poults takes work, especially in those critical early weeks. But with proper setup of their brooder, feeding, watering and heat, you can give your poults the best start at life. A well-managed brood will mature into healthy, hearty turkeys perfect for holiday feasting.
Key Differences Between Chicks and Poults
While baby chicks and poults may look similar, there are some key differences in caring for turkeys vs chickens in those early days:
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Size: Poults are larger than most chicken breeds from hatch. Their rapid growth rate continues, soon outpacing chicks.
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Diet: Poults require a higher protein feed, ideally 28% protein or more. Chicks only need 20-24% protein starter feed.
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Brooder Temperature: Poults like it hot, around 95-100°F. Chicks are comfortable at 90-95°F. Poults are more susceptible to chilling.
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Behavior: Poults tend to be less active and explorative than curious chicks. They may need more encouragement to find food and water.
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Appearance: Poults have a distinctive small bump or knob on their foreheads. Their feet and legs are larger in proportion to their bodies than chick feet.
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Mortality Rate: Poults are very fragile for the first 2 weeks of life with higher mortality rates than most chicken breeds. Extra diligence is required.
Understanding these differences will help ensure your poults get the specialized care they require those first few weeks. With proper management, you’ll soon have a thriving flock of healthy young turkeys.
Origins and History of Turkey Poults
Turkeys are the only breed of poultry native to the Americas. Wild turkeys inhabited North America long before European settlement. Native Americans domesticated the birds around 2000 years ago.
The Aztecs of Mexico considered the turkey a sacred bird and included it in religious ceremonies. When Spanish explorers arrived in the 1500s, they brought tamed Aztec turkeys back to Europe where they became popular farm fowl.
Early American colonists also kept domesticated turkeys brought over on ships. By the 1800s, turkeys were a traditional part of American life, especially for holiday feasts.
Today’s commercial broad-breasted turkeys descend from breeding of large-breasted English and American heritage stocks in the 1960s. But heritage breeds closer to wild ancestors are regaining popularity on small farms.
Whether you opt for fast-growing commercial poults or heritage breeds requiring longer grow-out, with proper care you can successfully raise young turkeys for meat or pets. Understanding poult requirements helps ensure your flock thrives.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a poult?
A poult is a baby turkey under 4 weeks old.
What do you call a baby turkey?
Baby turkeys are called poults or chicks when newly hatched.
Is a male turkey called a poult?
No, a male adult turkey is called a tom or gobbler. Poult refers only to babies.
How do poults differ from chicks?
Poults are larger, need more heat, have different nutritional needs and higher mortality rates than most chicks.
When do poults get feathers?
Around 2-3 weeks of age, poults start growing wing and tail feathers. They are fully feathered by 4 weeks old.
Are poults medicated?
No, poults are not vaccinated or medicated prior to shipment from hatcheries like chicks often are. Extra health precautions are required.
Conclusion
From preparing the brooder to managing health issues, raising young turkeys requires diligence and care, especially for fragile poults under 4 weeks old. But with attentive management of their specialized needs, you can successfully grow a healthy flock of turkeys for meat or pets. Your reward will be seeing those cute, fuzzy poults mature into magnificent adult birds.
It is amazing how fast a wild turkey poult grows. How do they do it, and in what kinds of habitat? How do you help?
It is amazing how fast a wild turkey poult grows from a 1.5-ounce, fuzzy featherweight not much bigger than a ping-pong ball to an adolescent bird approaching the size of its mother by early autumn.
How do they do it, and in what kinds of habitat? How do you help?
Protein, that building block of life, is the answer to the first question.
“Insects form the main diet in wild turkey poults’ early stages of life,” according to Travis Sumner, NWTF Hunting Heritage Center and habitat manager. “Insect life is critical at all stages of development for young wild turkeys, but especially during those first two weeks. The protein insects provide is essential for growth.”
Poults have a yolk sack that feeds them for the first couple days of life. During this time, the tiny birds follow their hen and mimic her behavior. By the third day or so, the tiny birds are picking up tiny insects with their pecking.
Young turkeys feed all day, but in the warmest hours they will loaf with their mother in the shade. As the birds grow, their prey increases in size.
What is on the menu?
“If it’s alive, poults will eat it,” laughs Sumner.
Most insects (see list) do just fin e. Snails, small lizards and salamanders, too. Even tiny snakes make the list. Greens and tender shoots start making their way into the food list gradually.