Free range turkeys?

Any of the heritage types will be smaller than a commercial bird.  Mine have never run off with the wild turkeys, but I did have a wild hen with poults join up with a heritage hen with poults and hang around the yard.  They actually got to the point where they followed me in to the barn to be fed.

You should be OK with the wild turkeys.  I wouldn't go with bronze turkeys because you should have turkey hunters in the area and I would hate to see somebody take a pop at your dinner.  Royal Palms are a smaller breed but if you are a big white meat fan, they have a small, "Y" shaped breast.  But they are black and white so no hunters could mistake them for a wild turkey.

  Perfect 

You could still use BB for free range, We have the Midget Whites and the Hollands which are good for free range also.

The heritage breeds will take off if they are in the mood during the spring.
I had a RP take off with the wild turkeys before.

Clipping the wings keeps them in the fence. The BB don't fly so well.





just my.02

I think the trick to free ranging is training them to come indoors at night. 

I started by keeping my poults in their house for a few weeks.  Then I'd let them out in the afternoon and herd them back inside to roost.  At first they were hesitant to go very far, which made it easy to get them back in at dusk.  By the time they were exploring the far fields they were used to "coming home" as it got dark.

We have wild turkeys here but mine are tame and hang around the barn.  In fact we had to quit the free ranging because instead of going out eating bugs, they preferred to hang out in the barn exploring the tool boxes and feed bags and generally getting into stuff and being a nuisance.

As far as what kind to get, I've only had Royal Palms and Bourbon Reds.  I prefer the BRs because 1. they're bigger and meatier, so they're better for eating 2. because they're calmer and more "tame" and 3. because they're heavier and can't fly over the fencing.

Would love to have some wild turkeys to raise too, but it seems like a lot of work.  I don't know if the amount of work would justify it though.  I may be better off finding a local person who raises wild turkeys and just purchasing from them instead, if I could find someone that is.  Nice picture of the turkeys BTW



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We've been pretty lucky and blessed, our Narangansetts hear all the wild turkeys around us but are content to free range their fenced pastures which totals about 7 acres. They get fed every morning and have learned to roost in the small barn at night, closest to the feed LOL.  I can't wait for the hens to start laying, hope we get lots of eggs last time around but the hens (3 of em) nesting under one shelter most likely trampled the hatching babies because we only came away with 8 from a combined count of about 30.  So this time around, we will collect them, candle and hopefully hatch in the incubators.

Any suggestions from the experienced turkey egg using incubator hatchers here?

Thanks!

I know a guy that had his RP shot right in his front yard by a road poacher.  Anyone that shoots from the road I won't call a hunter. Anyway the owner caught him and the jackwagon said he thought it was a wild one. I think he charged him a 150.00 bucks for it and he paid up.

I have had bunches of young turkeys take off before. On time a group of about 15 were gone for three days. I don't know where they went but when they came back they sure were thirsty.