can Turkeys drown in the rain?????? read this story....

[wjallen05]

Okay. So I have 5 very healthy and active BR Turkey poults. They are about 8 weeks old now I guess. Maybe a bit older, I'd have to check. Anyway, we moved them to a new coop two days ago. Half of it is completely covered and enclosed, the other half is wire with a lattice roof. Well, it POURED that night (night before last) we got a couple inches. I went out that next morning, and one of them was laying there dead as a doorknob, right in the middle of their outdoor part of the run. Is it possible that it drowned? I thought that was a myth but can that really happen?? It wasn't in the coop where it should have gone to stay dry. I mean, it died right there in the rain, it appears. All the others are fine. What the heck happened to it?!?! I am VERY upset about loosing it and I don't want it to happen again.

Thanks in advance...

 

[Harp Turkey Ranch]

no they don't drown in rain

what probably happened is the young turkey got wet then chilled then died.

That is what happens so on goes the myth

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

my grandmother told me that story about a million times - we kept looking at them wondering when our BR poults would do something tremendously stupid.. and they never did.

got chilled - yep.

8 weeks may be a bit early tho for them to make decisions like "geez its raining NOW WHAT?" i'd lock them in the covered portion at nite and when the weather gets bad until they are a bit older.

good luck!

 

[wjallen05]

oh no!! I didn't think of that. Gosh, poor little thing. I figured they were old enough now to be out in the big coop. They are much too big for the brooder. Thanks for the responses and advice.

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

Poults are very fragile when you first put them outside. We have "maturnity" pens that we put ours in that are fully covered so they can stay dry. They can't handle a rain storm until they are 4 to 5 months old.

Steve in NC

 

[chickenannie]

Yes, you really have to coddle poults till they are much older. Maybe cover the entire coop to prevent rain, and make sure they are up off the wet ground, and have enough heat.

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

LOL!
My reply to this frequently asked question, is, if the did how would we ever have wild turkeys!

But yep, Harp and Sands, have it right, a chilled poult is a dead one, they are pretty fragile til they are feathered up
Aubrey