Chicken coops plans

There ar many places to order turkey poults. It is important to do your research and decide which breed is best for you. Once that is decided try to find a local breeder. Getting poulty by mail is good but getting locally is better and less stressful for the birds.

You will want to have an enclosed and protected area for the poults to live for their first few weeks. You will need a heat lamp unless it is mid summer in Texas- the temperature needs to be 95-105 degrees day and night for the first several days and then you can slowly drop it by about 5 degrees a week. Watch the poults for the best indication of how you need to adjust the temperature. Cold poults will huddle together, even smothering the ones unlucky enough to be on the bottom. If they are too hot they will get as far away from the light as possible and lay out panting, acting listless. Poults that are comfortable will move around peeping quietly or sleeping peacefully.

Make sure there is plenty of starter mash in the feeders, and that the poults have fresh, clean water at all times. The water should be about body temperature to guard against the turkeys getting a chill. Twice a week sprinkle grit over the mash so that the poults can digest their food properly. Watch for pasting up, an ailment in which the droppings stick to the backside of the bird and it cannot eliminate. If this happens gently clean the droppings of with some mineral oil or warm water. All the way through the growth process make sure that the poult has a clean living space and humane treatment.

After about four weeks the birds can go outside to an enclosed and protected area as long as the temperature stays above 70 degrees. Continue making sure that they have fresh water at all times and feed is plentiful.

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