VA Turkey.com
http://vaturkey.com/phpBB2/

Poults
http://vaturkey.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=9904		 Page 4 of 4
Author:  Bigmeat [ Tue Jul 18, 2017 7:29 am ]
Post subject:  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.
Author:  Gobblenow [ Thu Jul 27, 2017 5:00 pm ]
Post subject:  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
Author:  Coalman [ Sat Jul 29, 2017 9:35 am ]
Post subject:  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.
Author:  Gobblenow [ Sat Jul 29, 2017 4:10 pm ]
Post subject:  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.
Author:  Coalman [ Mon Jul 31, 2017 3:12 pm ]
Post subject:  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?
Author:  Gobblenow [ Mon Jul 31, 2017 6:23 pm ]
Post subject:  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.
Author:  Greyghost [ Tue Aug 01, 2017 6:01 am ]
Post subject:  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
Author:  Greyghost [ Fri Aug 18, 2017 9:45 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Poults
1 hen with 8 looked 1/2 grown.

2 hens with 13 looked 3/4 grown.


Earl
Author:  brwndg [ Tue Sep 05, 2017 1:02 pm ]
Post subject:  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.
Author:  brwndg [ Mon Sep 11, 2017 11:02 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Poults
This Sunday I came across a flock of 5 poults. Looked almost full size.
Author:  Bigmeat [ Tue Sep 12, 2017 3:41 pm ]
Post subject:  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.
Author:  Greyghost [ Wed Sep 13, 2017 5:26 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Poults
Well what looked like a good hatch here it seems it was a very poor survival rate.


Earl
Author:  WVBOY [ Fri Sep 15, 2017 3:52 pm ]
Post subject:  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..
Author:  Greyghost [ Fri Sep 15, 2017 7:05 pm ]
Post subject:  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
Author:  Valongbeard [ Fri Sep 15, 2017 9:01 pm ]
Post subject:  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 !
Page 4 of 4 All times are UTC - 5 hours [ DST ]
Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group
http://www.phpbb.com/