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 Poults 
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King of Spring

Joined: Wed Apr 20, 2011 11:23 am
Posts: 652
Location: Hagerstown, MD
Post Re: Poults
Saw a hen yesterday with 6 plus poults that were about as big as a quail, if that. Hopefully a lot of late nesters like that around.


Tue Jul 18, 2017 7:29 am
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Joined: Mon Dec 06, 2004 10:20 am
Posts: 3774
Post Re: Poults
I m seeing more single hens or groups of hens only than I did through the last few weeks....not any poults or young ones in last ten days

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Thu Jul 27, 2017 5:00 pm
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King of Spring

Joined: Mon Apr 09, 2007 4:09 pm
Posts: 1305
Location: Seacoast NH
Post Re: Poults
4 hens and 9 poults in the hood last night.

1 hen and 4
1 hen and 3
1 hen and 1
1 hen and 1

Newest hen with one the poult is softball size. Third hatch?

Very spotty in NH this summer. I've seen good broods and old maids. Haven't seen a gobbler in over a month.

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Sat Jul 29, 2017 9:35 am
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Joined: Mon Dec 06, 2004 10:20 am
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Post Re: Poults
Coalman,glad you are seeing some chicks up there. FWIW i suspect the small chick is not a Third hatch. I think the biologists say that if the eggs hatch on first nest or any nest then the hens only very rarely attempt to re-nest. But if the nest and eggs are destroyed pre-hatch from eggs, then the hen will attempt to re-nest and raise chicks. So technically its unlikely to be a third "hatch", but more likely a renest that finally produced a chick or more. Who knows --- after all they are turkeys.

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"even after almost a half-century of hunting of the noblest game bird I am going to confess that I am still in the kindergarten; and I doubt if any human being ever acquires a complete education in this high art."
- Archibald Rutledge


Sat Jul 29, 2017 4:10 pm
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King of Spring

Joined: Mon Apr 09, 2007 4:09 pm
Posts: 1305
Location: Seacoast NH
Post What is killing our Poults ?
I saw the hen and softball Friday night. That thing is puny. I was afraid mom was going to step on it and break it.

I rephrase that. Third nesting attempt.

Something is killing the real young chicks the last couple years. I never see any cats with poults. As soon as they can fly they are a lot safer.

We have coons, coyotes, fox, fisher and hawks out back.

Anybody care to weigh in on the culprit?

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Mon Jul 31, 2017 3:12 pm
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Joined: Mon Dec 06, 2004 10:20 am
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Post Re: Poults
Any of the critters-birds you named could work n the young 'uns. Or all of them at once. Fairly indefensible prey for any predator at that age.

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"even after almost a half-century of hunting of the noblest game bird I am going to confess that I am still in the kindergarten; and I doubt if any human being ever acquires a complete education in this high art."
- Archibald Rutledge


Mon Jul 31, 2017 6:23 pm
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King of Spring
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Joined: Tue Nov 10, 2009 5:12 am
Posts: 2451
Location: Midland, VA
Post Re: Poults
Been seeing a couple groups with what appears to be 3/4 grown hens the last few days.


Coalman, yes what you and GN said. But one of the biggest silent killers of young poults is wet grass. If they are taken into dew wet grass in the mornings to bug and they are 2 weeks or younger they will depending how wet they get pneumonia will take a lot of the poults due to not enough feathering.


Earl

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Tue Aug 01, 2017 6:01 am
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King of Spring
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Joined: Tue Nov 10, 2009 5:12 am
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Location: Midland, VA
Post Re: Poults
1 hen with 8 looked 1/2 grown.

2 hens with 13 looked 3/4 grown.


Earl

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Fri Aug 18, 2017 9:45 am
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King of Spring
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Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2005 11:01 am
Posts: 600
Location: Bluemont, VA
Post Re: Poults
Sunday afternoon was standing in my neighbor's driveway in Bluemont talking when 3 hens with 10 poults came running down the road. The poults looked pretty small, guessing half grown.

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Tue Sep 05, 2017 1:02 pm
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King of Spring
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Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2005 11:01 am
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Location: Bluemont, VA
Post Re: Poults
This Sunday I came across a flock of 5 poults. Looked almost full size.

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Mon Sep 11, 2017 11:02 am
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King of Spring

Joined: Wed Apr 20, 2011 11:23 am
Posts: 652
Location: Hagerstown, MD
Post Re: Poults
After the early bad reports, myself and others in this neck of the woods have seen a ton of young birds lately with hens. Most are in the skinny chicken size range. Seem to be flocking up with other hens and youngsters as most times I see 3 or 4 big hens with 15-20 smaller birds. A good sign overall i'd say.


Tue Sep 12, 2017 3:41 pm
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King of Spring
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Joined: Tue Nov 10, 2009 5:12 am
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Location: Midland, VA
Post Re: Poults
Well what looked like a good hatch here it seems it was a very poor survival rate.


Earl

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Wed Sep 13, 2017 5:26 am
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King of Spring
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Joined: Fri Dec 03, 2004 1:33 pm
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Location: Powhatan, VA
Post Re: Poults
What is the most poults you have ever seen with one hen??

Reason I ask is because I saw one hen with 18 poults a few weeks ago in Illinois .. unless a second hen had already crossed the road, but I could see pretty well into the ditch and woodline the way they were crossing and didn't see another adult anywhere.. I had never seen that many before.. I thought a hen would only lay up to 12 eggs so it seemed weird to me.. and these poults were getting pretty big too..

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Fri Sep 15, 2017 3:52 pm
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King of Spring
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Joined: Tue Nov 10, 2009 5:12 am
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Location: Midland, VA
Post Re: Poults
WVBOY wrote:
What is the most poults you have ever seen with one hen??

Reason I ask is because I saw one hen with 18 poults a few weeks ago in Illinois .. unless a second hen had already crossed the road, but I could see pretty well into the ditch and woodline the way they were crossing and didn't see another adult anywhere.. I had never seen that many before.. I thought a hen would only lay up to 12 eggs so it seemed weird to me.. and these poults were getting pretty big too..




The largest surviving clutch I have ever see was 14. Biology books I have read stated average clutch is 12. Lovett Williams has seen them up to 18-20. I am sure that high end is somewhat rare but possible. I have seen a couple nests with 16 eggs in them, never seen what hatched.

It is also possible that 2 hens had poults and something happened to the one hen early on and her poults just imprinted with the other hen.

Non the less great sighting, sounds like an upcoming fall and spring hunt for you in Illinois. The last I read they do have a thriving turkey population.


Earl

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God, Family, Country, Corps and then the Wild Turkey.


Fri Sep 15, 2017 7:05 pm
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Poult

Joined: Wed Apr 13, 2016 6:05 pm
Posts: 6
Location: Campbell Co
Post Re: Poults
Last Saturday we drove up on two hens and at least 15 3/4 grown poults feeding in a cut corn field at midday--- then, as we were leaving the other end of the same farm saw at least 28 going into a pasture. Couldn't tell hens from young birds because the young ones were the size of the hens. I never have hunted this farm but now have permission for the upcoming spring !


Fri Sep 15, 2017 9:01 pm
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