The Poultry Keeper

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 7367 Location: isle of lewis

can anybody help
the turkeys that hatched keep ,rolling on their backs
it's ok when some bodies here ,which is all the time but i have to sleep at night lost another chick during the night they just carn't right themselves ,can anybody think of a way to stop this ,i've lost 2 now to this ,i managed to stay up to 1 am but have to sleep to got to work next day ,as mojo takes a lot of stick as it is and i can't shout at him because of lack of sleep due to turkeys (mojo is my boss )

CP · Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2006 8:30 am Post subject:

Hope someone can help you Suz! Confused

Henwife · Joined: 31 Jan 2006 Posts: 3455 Location: Monmouthshire

Can they get sufficient purchase with their feet? If that could be the problem, put a few hefty turves beneath them and see if that helps - or a bottomless cage on top of an unopened straw bale (do you have straw bales that far North?)

NannyP · Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2006 12:32 pm Post subject:

Oh Suz, I hope you get them sorted Sad

debcat · Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2006 12:45 pm Post subject:

once they are over a couple of days they seem to be OK
I know goslings can do that but neither of us have hatched turkeys before

skye girl · Joined: 27 Aug 2005 Posts: 638 Location: Isle of skye

My Brahma and Araucanas do this, get stuck on there backs and do seem to grow out of it quickly with in 2 days as debs said, I think it is a prob with bigger chicks with big tummy's, I have never lost one though, good luck, I don't have an answer sorry Crying or Very sad

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 7367 Location: isle of lewis

they seem better this afternoon ,kerri said only once
i didn't relieze it was a problem with them ,i think if they where squashed together they might be ok because they would have other chicks to push themselves over ,they where in a straw nest and the first one died in there and i have lost 2 since ,it's heartbreaking after they made such an effort to come into the world Sad

skye girl · Joined: 27 Aug 2005 Posts: 638 Location: Isle of skye

mmmm real sad, i don't understand it at all

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 7367 Location: isle of lewis

there's 2 more hatching i just hope i can keep these alive it's the first day and night they seem to do it Sad

,don't know if putting them in a cake box with hay in it might help

summayah · Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 4289 Location: luton

Can you not get them more squidged up so there's no room to fall?

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 7367 Location: isle of lewis

i thought that with a box they might be ok

summayah · Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 4289 Location: luton

How did it go overnight?

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 7367 Location: isle of lewis

ok ,i've found i think the answer fluffed up hay it's just enough so they can get a leg under it and push themselves over Very Happy

suz

bird_babe · Joined: 20 Apr 2005 Posts: 473 Location: wales

Sorry to read about your turkeys . I hatched some for the first
time about a month ago to . I found that they don`t like the temperature as hot as chicks. I had to turn my light down about three times before they were comfortable . I don`t no if you are using a light but if you are id make sure they arn`t to hot.
just what I noticed when I did mine, not that I'm an expert as Ive only hatched 3 hope that helps

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 7367 Location: isle of lewis

thank you for that Very Happy

this is my first time with turkeys ,and any info like that is really helpfull ,i do worry about them