Turkey Time!

Our 15 + 1 (just in case) baby bronze breasted turkey poults arrived early Wednesday AM after their 24 hr. plus journey from Ohio in a small box. I was happy to see they were all alive and well upon opening the box. They are quite comical as poultry babies go. Very curious and always come to check out your hands, and seem fine with being picked up and offer no resistance. From what I have been told and reading they are pretty fragile the first 2 weeks of their lives. We have made it 48 hrs. with no losses thus far. There are a couple little guys I am a bit worried about though. One seems on the weak side with an eye pasted shut, and another seems to like to sleep on his back, and then cannot figure out how to right himself when he wakes up, kind of like when you put a turtle on his back. The first time I discovered him on his back I thought we had our first casualty, but he seemd fine when I flipped him over. The next few days will be telling in regards to how things will go.

The meaties are doing OK. Sad to say we have lost 3/52 thus far. They seemed to have developed splayed legs and thus could not get to food and water well. I had to cull two, thankfully Mother Nature took care of the third. Ah, the joys of farm life. The rest look robust though, and I have my eyes on some big breasted hens! Ha!