How I get my turkeys to come into coop at night

Gorman Farm

Songster
Nov 16, 2015
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When I first got my turkeys I was told that they would not come into the coop at night the way my chickens come to their coop just before dark.
I have developed a way to get them to do that but I just want to make sure this method is ok and I appreciate advice and comments.
I feed the turkeys in the morning enough to last them through about noon or so. I do not refill their feeder again till dinner time, they are outside in their run for 5 or 6 hours eating grass and bugs and they always have access to fresh clean water. When they see me heading to the coop they all come in knowing they are going to be fed. I then close them in for the night and feed them again. Is this ok for them to go several hours without feed?
They are about 4 months old now and my Toms are huge, the smaller ones about 20lbs, and the hens about 15 lbs or so. BTW I have Royal Palms and Narragansetts.
I feed them 30% gamebird feed with about 10 lbs of scratch mixed to 50lbs of feed. They also get chopped hard boiled chicken eggs with rolled oats twice a week.
 
Sounds fine to me. I trained mine to come when called. While you are putting out that feed yell whatever words you want to use to call them, I yell Turkey, Turkey, and eventually they should come when you yell it. If they weren't getting enough food they would be trying to get back in your pen to eat, so if you see them pacing the fence they are probably hungry.
 
They have access via a ramp and opening to go in and out of coop at will except when I close them in for the night. They come in to drink and sometimes perch on roosts during the day, but usually they choose to stay out til I come to feed dinner.
Thanks for the reply.
 
I let mine out about 1/2 hr after sunrise, for a few hours free ranging before I feed them what they finish in 20-30 min... in the afternoon I give them a treat from the garden,: zukes, cukes, carrots... I feed them at night when I lock them in the coop. I call peep peep peep and they all come running... actually if they see me they come to make sure I don't have anything LOL
 
I tried cukes with mine since I grow them but they did not eat them. My chickens love stale bread & cukes but the turkeys no dice. They do like the guava from a tree that I have, if it falls on the ground and is broken open can't be eaten by us I give it to them. They love hard boiled chicken eggs with oats, the kind you make oatmeal out of that is their favorite treat. The chickens also like lettuce scraps but the turkeys prefer grass and pass over the lettuce.
 
Turkeys can be hearded. Two long sticks in each hand, walk slowly behind them, guiding with the sticks on either side of them and they will go wherever you want. ;) we'very done this woth up to 20 turjeys at a time. They can also be treat trained as the other posted mentioned. I just like herding. Its easy.
 
Thanks for the reply. It is difficult for me to get into the turn out area for the turkeys, it is enclosed and attached to the coop. The one we have now is temporary so when we build the permanent one it will definitely have a door for access. I'll have to take a pic so you can see what I am dealing with. So far so good. They see me coming at supper time and all come in up the ramp for din din. Then I close the door to the ramp and for their safety keep them in at night.
 
Here is the pic of the run we made for them. And one of the turkeys using the ramp. We actually cut up and attached roofing shingle to give them grip so they do not slide when they are on the ramp, it worked great, they can get traction.


 

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