The male and the female wild Rio Grande turkey parentsThe Rio Grande turkey nest with six eggs in the turkey pen. Rios build nests on the ground in hidden locations. Our Rios made their nest in a hole that they dug and covered in hay We took the first six eggs that the hen had ever laid home to incubate The first turkey hatched on day 29! Two hatched successfully. We put the turkey poult in the brooder with the quail because the turkey needed role models to learn how to eat and drink. Baby turkeys need a role model from when they first come out of the shell. They did not have a mama to show them how. The one-day old baby turkey poult heat lamp bathing with our baby quail!Our two white Rio Grande Turkeys that we hatched in the incubator, Ghost and Smokey. White Rios are rare. Their color is caused by a gene mutation. Me holding Ghost when he was 9 days oldOur brooder set up for our baby quail and turkeys
The Rio hen laid 12 more eggs in her nest. She began incubating them on Easter (April 9th). We were excited to see the poults she hatched on May 6th but sadly we found most of her poults trampled. There were only two survivors.
Two surviving Rio poults hatched by their mother. We brought these poults home to keep them safe. Betsy named them “Miley Spears” and “Mrs Blueberry”The two surviving turkey poults we found in the turkey pen staying warm in a bowl and ready for the car ride to DallasGhost (the turkey hatched in an incubator) next to our little turkey Mrs Blueberry that we found at the ranch. They are two weeks apart in age.Smokey, who hatched in an incubator, next to the other turkey that we rescued from the turkey pen, Miley Spears.I kept track of the quail and turkey weight!I made a new chart for the turkeys. In this version the little turkeys are in it too!I finalized my weighing and made a line graph to show their weight gain
The turkey poults are currently living in a rabbit hutch in our dog run at home. Soon they will move into the turkey pen at the ranch. The adult Rios have been set free but they have chosen to stay near their old pen.
Kate's Adventures 
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