What is the best way to look after young chickens and turkeys for the first few days after hatching?
A.The methods of looking after either chicks or poults (baby turkeys) during the first few days follow the same basic principles of good management: providing easy access to water, making sure feed is freely available in a crumb or crumble form, the provision of warmth (but not too much warmth), and vigilance in terms of checking bird behaviour several times a day. Chicks and poults do however have their differences in terms of dietary requirements and management. If you have not kept birds before and are planning to start up, you need to have either an experienced person overseeing what you are doing or to have done a poultry keeping course. Correct management and feeding during the first few days are vital to ensure the well being of the bird throughout its life.
