[massa]

hi, i had set 6 norfolk black turkey eggs and only one has hatched!    dont think the others were fertile! will my chick be ok on its own or shall i get a couple of day olds? and where can i get some from?

[GrannieAnnie]

Hi Massa, I'm sorry you only got 1 poult hatched out!  Not reallyfair to keep it on its own.  I don't know anyone round your way, but did find this one on the poultry pages.  You could try calling him?

Graham Mortimer
Storrs Farm
Storrs Lane
Oxspring
Sheffield
S36 8YS
Tel: 07855 829846
Email: info@storrspoultry.co.uk
Website: www.storrspoultry.co.uk

[massa]

thanks will give him a ring!

[massa]

right then i have been intouch with storrs and they do have turkey chicks but i am now faced with a dilema! my chick hatched yesterday so is one day old, the chicks they have are two weeks old but they are due another hatch on friday so do i buy two chicks at two weeks old and put them with mine tomorrow or do i wait a week and get some newly hatched ones?

[GrannieAnnie]

Well the ones due on Friday will be the closest in age, but there will only be a week difference if you get 2 of the older ones.  And your little lonely one will have company quicker!

I'm glad you've found it some company Massa!

[massa]

i know my fear is that the older ones may bully mine as they will be a fair bit bigger i think i would rather get the ones due on friday as they will be closer in age and size but the others will be here sooner! oh decisions decisions!

[Mulberry1990]

Sorry to hijack, but I'm hopefully going to Storrs poultry in 3 weeks to get some Quail.
As it's three hours away would really appreciate it if you could let me know how you find them to make sure it's worth the trip!
=)

[massa]

no probs mulberry i will let you know once i have been! what type of quail are you getting?

[Mulberry1990]

6 Japanese Quail hopefully!
Have their house all set up, just need to wait until after my holiday to go get them =D

[bantam novice]

A hard decision Massa, let us know the outcome.
Good Luck 

Good luck with the quails too, Mulberry.   

[massa]

right then been weighing up the pros and cons, and decided that although the ones due to hatch on friday will be closer in age to mine i am going to get the two week old ones tomorrow as they can keep mine company now, they wont be as young so should travel better and they will have 3 weeks on the others so should be bigger by Christmas!

mulberry i will post to let you know how i get on at storrs, i have just moved my Quail to their temp home from the brooder and they are loving it they were abit mental and flighty in the brooder but have calmed down alot now they have more room they even come upto me now!

[massa]

so i went to storrs yesterday and got three turkey chicks was a little worried bout them at first as they were sleeping all the time but i think they were just tired after the journey and settleing in etc, they are fine now and are nuts!   

mulberry, i found storrs very helpful, there is a pretty long bumpy track from the main road, felt like we were going into the middle of nowhere but it is there at the end of it!  i have never seen such a wide variety of birds, (never even seen white peacocks before) some of the runs were abit smaller than i thort they would be but i suppose i am comparing it to what i would house them in and its only like at the pet shop etc, the hard thing is only coming away with what you went for, we nearly came away with a puppy!  im still tempted to go back for her    they sell everything for poultry, i will deff be going back!

[bantam novice]

glad to hear your lonely only has company now.  Sounds like you have a lively bunch    Good luck!

[Mulberry1990]

That's great thanks =)
I will take a trip when I come back from holiday.
A puppy! everyone needs a few puppies in their life =p
Glad your turkeys are doing well!

[hjobri2]

Hi massa,
hope al is going well with integrating the new chicks with your lone one.  Best if you can get them company.  I had to hand rear a lone chick once when it hatched late after the broody hens were already off the nest with the first few chicks.  Lone chicks are HARD WORK! They think you are their mum, mine would cry and cry if i put it down and i ended up carrying it around clutched to my tummy for 15 hours a day.  Also, if they are hand reared on their own then they do not pick up species specific behaviour from their siblings and can therefore have difficulties in adulthood including bizarrely with mating behaviour - a cockerel reared alone won't know how to mate.