Good afternoon everyone. I always get excited this time of year to see and hear about others seeing poults. How are the sightings lately? Good hatch? Healthy poults?
Didn't see any young birds in my neck of the woods. I hear other people saying the same thing in my area.
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I havent seen the first ones yet.
I've seen a group of four with mom hen crossing the road near my house, they were already real good sized poults. Right in that legs looking goofily large for their body phase. This was in Eastern KS.
I have seen a pretty good amount so far this summer. It's amazing to me that I've seen any around here. We have gotten some pretty hard heavy rains the past month or so. Yesterday was the hardest rain I've ever seen around here. We live in SE Ohio
. As I drove down my washed out driveway amidst the heavy downpours I saw a hen hovered over her poults. She's a real trooper. I saw 3 hens with a total of 16 poults yesterday afternoon strolling around our yard and foodplots. There is a hen with 2 poults, one with 5, and one with 9.
I enjoy watching poults feel safe and grow around here. I was fearing that I may not see them after the floods yesterday. Well, this morning I saw a nice clutch of them with the same three hens I'm assuming. Couldn't get an accurate count because they're so small and the clover covers them pretty well but I know I counted at least 12 today.
All of these poults I've been seeing here at home are pretty small. I'm estimating them all to be between 1-2 weeks old. I have seen some others in the area that are much older. A few friends have showed me some videos of poults in their yards and farms that are probably 1 month old.
I still believe some hens are on nests around here. We had a major rain event in late May that washed away some nests and brought on some late season breeding and renesting. I anticipate some brand new little guys and gals soon.
I am always thankful to see poults! I was pretty worried about the rains and flooding around here. Fortunately, some have made it and seem to be doing quite well.
Been seeing poults since the 10th of May. It was hard to believe we saw poults that early since our season didn't end till the 12th of May. We've been seeing some more fur balls the last couple of weeks. Several later hatches, even with all the rain we've had. Hope they make it. Eastern NC reporting.
Saw 10-12 poults cross the road just a couple hours ago. Second bunch I've seen the last week. This is the time for poults to start showing up here in SW Michigan.
I have not been out looking a lot.
But I have seen one Grey Phase Hen with 5 poults in a Field near where I would work.
I think it's bad here in Tennessee. Seeing hens together and no poults. A lot of rain here in May.
I haven't seen any when checking in person but I have a game cam pic or two of a hen and "poult". If the hen is 15 lbs that poult is 10 lbs already.
Hope to see some soon!
I haven't seen any in northern Kentucky. I have seen several hens walking with no little ones which has me worried about next year.
Size of bantam hens here in NH. Seeing them all over now. :funnyturkey:
I have been looking but have not seen any poults this year. In past years there are usually a few groups around. Yesterday on my way in to town I mentioned to my wife that all the turkeys that we were seeing a month ago have disappeared. May be on account of the hotter weather.
Hatched 123 Easterns this spring. 115 made it to fight training and beyond. They are growing like weeds on 24% protein.
Have not seen any wild poults yet, but have seen a hen I suspect had some in the grass by the way she acted.
I've seen 4 hens with 8-10 poults a piece in the past couple day. They're just little ones still, I hope all this rain/flooding we've had lately doesn't effect them too much!
Today I saw two hens with 13 poults between the two of them. I also saw a hen with 2 poults. These sightings were at our house where I can see them fairly often. They're mostly moving between our yard and through a clover plot.
Yesterday I saw a hen with at least 8 poults on a farm I hunt. As I was mowing their lawn I came around a corner and saw her and the poults standing in an old logging road. These ones were at least a month old and very healthy looking.
Early this week we had the two hardest heaviest rains I can ever remember around here. We had already had many days of hard rains and then Tuesday and Wednesday we had downpours like I've never seen. We got 2" of rain in an hour on Tuesday evening and another 1.75" in an hour on Wednesday evening. Fortunately my fears didn't come true. I thought for sure it was going to be hard on the smallest poults here at home but today they were doing great.
That's today's report. Keep the updates coming in. Everyone have a safe enjoyable weekend!
While on my walk yesterday I saw my first poults of the year, there were five that I saw and mommy hen. There were about the size of a mature quail
I watched 5 hens picking in the yard for about 30 minutes here in Middle TN. Not a poult in sight.
I suppose that if you see any at all, that would mean that there are others about. Of course, have to be in precisely the right place at exactly the right time.
I've been seeing a single hen with five poults the past few mornings. East central Missouri. Usually don't see many around here because the vegetation and crops are too tall by now. Hoping we had a good hatch. It remained fairly dry until Mid/late June when we had some major wash outs.
A quick update from Ohio. Here on our property I've seen 41 different poults that I know of. Unfortunately I have seen a flock of Cooper's hawks move in. I don't know if it's considered a flock but we have many of them. Of the 40 poults 25 have disappeared quickly. I've neber seen anything like it. On a Friday afternoon two hens had 14 poults. By Monday morning they had 3. One hen recently showed up with 7 little ones. Last Sunday she had all 7 walking through our yard. By this last Friday all 7 are gone.
I used to think hawks got a few poults each year. I change my mind on that thought. The Cooper's hawks are incredible woods hunters. The hens with any poults left here are now walking around with their heads cocked sideways looking up with every step.
We have 3 hens holding onto 5 poults between them. There is one other solo hen that still has 2. One more hen just recently showed up on a trail camera and I got a video of her and 9-10 poults that are very very small. I would say a few days old. I really hope she can protect them well.
It's really disheartening to have so many poults get taken out. I am a firm believer in trapping nest predators. In two years time we have trapped an enormous amount of coons and possums. It has helped tremendously. The hens are getting their nests to successfully hatch. Now I need to figure out how to help them past that point!
Yesterday I saw three hens with what looked like at least 11 poults that were slightly larger than a pheasant here in Nor Cal. There is also another hen that had 5 but is now down to 4 but they are about half the size of the ones I saw yesterday
I had only seen one hen with poults and could not get a count. Then yesterday I saw two and still gign't get a solid count, but I am guessing around 10 total. A buddy said he saw two more broods with a total of 14. They are all sizes from 1/3 grown to pigeon size. I am in South central Ohio.
I also thought the heavy rains would be hard on them, but it looks like they done well. If I knew the hawks were getting that many chicks I would be very temped to help them find a new home away from my farm.....like hawk heaven. I have always been adamantly against shooting hawks, but to know they had picked off a couple dozen chicks, I'd be reconsidering my feelings.
The few poults we had early are disappearing. It is discouraging. This is southern PA.
Yesterday while going to town I noticed a bunch of birds up ahead in the road. At first I thought they were buzzards eating a road kill. As I got closer I could see they were young turkeys, probably 15. Three of them stayed in the road and I had to come to a complete stop and honk my horn to get them to move. One of the ones in the road was trying to fan his/her tail. Not sure if they were still considered poults as they were probably over half grown
I heard hawks can die from lead poisoning. Probably just a rumor.
Sad here in west KY, only seeing a few hens and no poults. I did see 8 hens yesterday in a open field but no young.
Quote from: spurman on July 26, 2018, 08:52:38 AM
Sad here in west KY, only seeing a few hens and no poults. I did see 8 hens yesterday in a open field but no young.
Experiencing the same in southern NY. I guess I will find out if it can any worst than last Spring's encounters.
Few to no poults in Middle TN.
Been looking really grim in north MS. Have saw as many poultless hens as ever before.
Anybody expecting any seasonal restrictions/reductions in the next year or so?