Dr. Williams,
I just had a couple of questions for you. The first one is related to a very wet springtime. I have always heard that this will have a very negative effect on the hatch for that year, but recently have noticed that you seem to disagree with that common notion. Since I trust you as the foremost authority on turkeys, I was just wondering (a.) what does tend to cause a poor hatch, and (b.) why so many people blame a wet spring. Have you seen a wet year to have any negative effect at all, or is it just completely false like so many other old wives tails?
Another question of mine is in regards to winters with heavy snowfall. In my area of NY we have had 2 very bad winters in a row as far as snowfall amounts. One of the years was actually a record for snow depth in our area. I was just wondering what you have seen this do to turkeys. I don't see how they can handle 2+ feet of heavy wet snow for extended periods. Have you experienced any large die offs under circumstances like this?
What has prompted me to ask these questions is the relatively large decrease in our turkey population over the last couple years. I have heard several theories so I figured I would ask the man who knows better than probably anybody. Thank you in advance.
