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.
Keeping Turkeys is Rewarding, Especially When You Start with Poults
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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.
Tom or Hen Turkey Poult? How To Tell the Difference
FAQ
Is a poult a baby turkey?
Is a male turkey called a poult?
What is the difference between a chick and a Poult?
What does a Poult look like?