Raising turkey chicks (also known as poults) can be an incredibly rewarding experience. From their super cute fluff puff stage to watching them grow into their snood and wattle, caring for turkey chicks takes time and effort. An essential part of raising healthy poults is knowing what to feed them. Proper nutrition, especially in the early stages of life, allows your turkey chicks to grow to their genetic potential.
In this article we’ll cover everything you need to know about feeding turkey chicks from the moment they hatch through their first year of life.
Turkey Chick Nutrition Needs
Turkey poults, like all young animals, require diets specifically formulated to support their rapid growth and development. Their nutritional needs differ from both adult turkeys and baby chickens.
Here are some key facts about poult nutrition:
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Higher protein requirement. Turkey chicks need around 28% protein from 0-8 weeks of age, compared to 18-24% for most chicken chicks. This supports muscle growth.
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Access to feed immediately. Poults should be able to eat starter feed as soon as they hatch, within 6-12 hours. The yolk sac provides limited nutrients.
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Frequent small meals. Young poults benefit from access to feed around the clock. This allows them to eat small frequent meals.
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Probiotics for gut health Turkey chicks do well with probiotic supplements or probiotics built into feed These support digestive health,
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Protein adjustments with age. As poults grow, they need less protein-rich feed. Protein levels can drop to 24% at 8-25 weeks of age.
Matching your poult feed to their age and growth stage is essential to raise healthy, thriving turkeys. Let’s look at feed types.
Turkey Starter Feed: 0-8 Weeks
For the first 8 weeks of a poult’s life, a 28% protein turkey starter feed is optimal. Commercial turkey starter has higher protein levels compared to common chick starter feeds.
This supports the rapid muscle growth seen in commercial poults like Broad Breasted Whites. Talk to your local feed store to source quality turkey starter feed.
If turkey starter is not available, you can also use game bird starter feed, which has similar protein levels. Feed turkey starter crumbles free choice so poults can eat small, frequent meals.
Make sure feed is fresh. To limit waste, only pour small amounts into the feeder. Refill when needed. Keep feeders low to the ground so tiny poults can easily access it.
Transition Feed: 8-25 Weeks
At 8 weeks of age, poults can transition to a lower protein grower or developer feed. Look for turkey grower or game bird feed with 24-26% protein.
This transitional feed has sufficient protein for continued growth, along with more calories from carbohydrates and fat. It supports poults as they get bigger and prepare for adulthood.
You have some flexibility in terms of when you transition. Any time from 8-12 weeks is fine. Let your poult’s size and rate of growth help guide you.
If birds seem small or slow growing at 8 weeks, keep them on starter for a couple more weeks. Then switch them over.
Finishing Feed: 6+ Months
After about 6 months of age, growing turkeys can move to an adult turkey ration, often called finisher or maintenance feed. This is typically in the form of turkey feed or game bird feed with 16-18% protein.
At this age, poults require less protein and more energy from carbohydrates. Their frame is almost fully grown.
Finisher feeds provide balanced nutrition to support normal bodily functions, healthy feathers, activity and weight maintenance. They can eat this until 12-18 months of age when feed can shift for egg-laying hens.
Supplements and Treats
While commercial turkey feed provides complete nutrition, you can also supplement with a few healthy treats.
Good treats include:
- Chopped greens like kale, spinach or lettuce
- Cooked oatmeal
- Corn
- Chopped berries
- Cooked eggs
- Mealworms
- Plain yogurt
Treats should make up no more than 10% of total food intake. Avoid high sugar fruits and anything moldy or spoiled. Make sure poults always have access to fresh, clean water.
Common Feeding Mistakes
To wrap up, here are a few common mistakes to avoid when feeding turkey chicks:
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Not providing access to starter feed immediately after hatching
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Letting feed get old, wet or moldy
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Using medicated chick starter instead of turkey starter
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Switching feeds too late or too early
-Introducing treats too early before gut is mature
Following the guidelines above for poult-appropriate feed can help raise healthy, thriving turkeys! Match feed nutrition levels to their age and growth phase. When in doubt, ask your local feed store for recommendations on quality turkey chick feed. With proper nutrition, your poults will grow up strong and active.
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.
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 for Beginners – What you need to know to get started!
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