Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
the time spent in the mail. If they are unattended in the mail for a day or two during cold
weather they will not do particularly well. In many cases they die from chilling.
Turkeys must have an unfailingly warm, draft-free environment when they are
young. They require a constant ambient temperature of 95°F (35°C) during the first
week. After the first seven to ten days you can start decreasing the temperature about
5°F (3°C) each subsequent week.
Poults let you know when they are too warm or too cold. A cold turkey stands near
the heat source with its eyes closed, wings bent down slightly. When they're doing this,
they are way too cold and you need to cover their brooder with a rug or piece of card-
board or some other form of cover (remembering fire danger) or adjust the heat so that
they have a chance to get warm. Overheated poults stand with their mouths open and
wings drooped.
Keeping the brooder free from drafts is crucial. On our farm, we typically rear turkey
poults in large plastic tubs for about the first two weeks. This protects them from drafts
and allows for easy regulation of the heat. For a discussion about young poult feed and
Once the two-week stage has passed — depending upon the weather and how cool or
warm their space is — they are usually transferred to metal tier brooders. In our opera-
tion they are sometimes moved to a large ground space with heat lamps provided.
Turkey poults require an absolutely warm, consistent environment, free from drafts.
These contented young ones are clearly at the right temperature.
