Feeding turkey poults chick starter?

[giasmom]

What damage does it do feeding poults medicated chick starter ?

 

[KOTurkeyRanch]

well, you are supposed to have around 28% protein, but if its atleast 21% you can feed them worms and crickets and grubs, any bugs basically and the protein content will even itself out.


=]

goodluck with your poults

 

[giasmom]

Quote:
Thanks kody, Their just now pipping, only have 3 eggs. Just wanted to know if I really needed to go buy a 25 or 50 lb bag of a differant kind of feed just for them. I will not be raising them with my chicks, as I heard it could be bad for them. Is that part true?

 

[hinkjc]

You can start them in a brooder with chicks, who will actually help them to get started eating/drinking better. However once they go on the ground, it is not recommended to raise chickens and turkeys on the same soil due to blackhead (carried by chickens, deadly to turkeys).

 

[KOTurkeyRanch]

well, i have heard numerous accounts where people put in a chick and it showed them how to eat and drink but im not quite sure because this is my first clutch of them, i have 5 standard bronzes. but im not positive about putting the chick so i would wait to see what other people say. mine found it just perfectly, take your finger and start poking the feed and water and they will come peck at it probably.=]

p.s. always clean their brooder, about every 2 or 3 days, the fumes can kill them and for the first couple days you can add a bit of sugar to their water to give them some more energy and aware of their new home=]

 

[giasmom]

Quote:
So its okay as long as they haven't been on the ground yet ? Is that correct. That will be good for me then, I have 5 day old chicks I could put them in with. If thats the case then will it still be okay for them to eat the medicated chick food. Or should I change them all to something else ?

 

[hinkjc]

If you want to brood them together, use medicated flockraiser crumble. It is higher protein than the chick starter, but not too high for the chicks.

You will want to watch to see how your 5 day old chicks respond to the new turkeys. Turkeys are very mellow babies and the chicks may pick on them. Don't panic at first pecks, but just watch that they don't bully the poults.

 

[KOTurkeyRanch]

yeah thats fine but try to make sure the turkeys get some insects because, if a couple of worms a day can keep a wild turkey poult alive, then chick starter and 1 or 2 worms should keep him fine

 

[hinkjc]

Turkeys do not need insects to survive. Poultry feed is formulated to give them the nutrition they need. If you do choose to provide insects, I would recommend farmed ones versus out of your backyard. Insects/worms from your soil could introduce parasites to your youngsters that they are not ready for and will cause problems.

 

[KOTurkeyRanch]

Quote:
chick feed doesnt have enough protein and will lead to weak bones and insects can provide the extra protein