backyard turkeys?? - Page 6

I have a royal palm poult about 5weeks old. This is my 1st turkey and I'm Learning along the way, for the last week or so it seems to become pretty attached to me, I read tht turkeys do imprint on ppl but not sure if this has something to do w what im curious about. At first it wouldnt even let me pick it up and now my poult just flys up to me and stays. I'm not sure what the deal is with it's poking lately it pokes really vigorously at me wherever it can, even while it just sits with me. Especially if my attention Is elsewhere. I've tried to hang shiny things for it to poke at and for a short while that works but then it'll just jump back on me and start poking. What's goin on? Thanks

oh my, that is terrible news.  I have chickens that fly over the fence and run the yard alot and my neighbors have some young labs that are never inside thier fence.  I hope it doesn't happen here.  I ordered Midget Whites this spring and built a rickety coop for them that just sets on the patio, not anchored down.  I have no idea if a persistent dog could get into it or not. 

 

my coop in the background, (hubby planting a new birch clump) it's 8' x 11' and has a shelter area above that about 8'x3' which I haven't gotten roofed yet.  My 5 poults are at 6 weeks old and I'm still worried it's too cold to be leaving them out overnight.  Its on the patio because I was fearful having them on ground they would contract coccidiosis.  Am I just being paranoid??

After they pass the 2 week mark, poults are pretty hardy.  My 3-week-olds are already outside in the coop and ditched their foster mom in preference for sleeping on the roosts with the chickens (the foster mom sleeps in a nest with her 3 chicken chicks the same age under her).  At 6 weeks they should for sure be fine outside.  Did you feed medicated feed?  If so, you shouldn't need to worry too much about coccidiosis.

we've had several days of very nice weather...all the little chicks and poults have been outside, but now we've just been back to lousy cold, I'm in Michigan, not going to get nice again till wednesday (tomorrow) horrible north wind that is coming f rom across Saginaw Bay so that really adds a touch of chill to it. 

I lost 4 of the 15, sold 6 others, so I know they can be delicate things, never had such losses with chicks, and I don't want to risk chilling them and losing more. 

we recently let our 8 wk old turkey outside - with the weather being up in the high 80's and low 90's... it's starting to chill down again here too, so i turned the heat lamp on again this morning - in case the turkey get's cold.... is the turkey intelligent enough to know if he is too cold to go inside the brooder and warm up?

something I was reading in one of my turkey magazines said they do not like changes in their invironment.   Im sure they have been stressed with going back and forth from my outdoor coop to the brooder in the garage, it isn't a far distance, but I have noticed when mine are outside and it starts to get near sunset, they begin peeping wildly like they are scared.  Id rather putt hem IN tho then risk losing them to weather conditions.