So I will be new to keeping poultry this spring. I plan on getting 5 buff orpington hens and a rooster. I got into this as I love the idea of having a small hobby farm and being self-sufficient. Now getting chickens for eggs is great. Then I started to think about for meat. Well it seems any poultry that is bred for meat cannot reproduce on its own. Yes I could buy Cornish x or the Bb turkeys, but that defeats the purpose of being self sustainable. I want to build my own incubator and hatch my own chicks. Yes I could breed orps, but then I started reading about turkeys. Not only are they pretty but they are also much larger. So I became very interested. I built a small coop for my chickens with the intention of only getting enough for eggs, but I do have a large dirt floor pole barn in the back. 70x35 if I recall. I just moved out to an old 8 acre farm house last summer. This would be great for a large number of poultry, although i don't think I will start large. So here are my thoughts/questions.
1. The shed has zero natural light, but does have electric. It has two lights, but I can do my own wiring. It is still pretty dark in there with two standard bulbs. Any thoughts on light? I am hesitant to spend more money than I have to and adding skylights sounds expensive. Is it worth adding a few more fixtures with large lumen bulbs? Should I use a timer?
2. Predator proofing. It's got a dirt floor and gophers easily dig through. What is the easiest/cheapest way to keep things out? Staple hardware cloth in an l shape around the inside?
3. I live on 8 acres. I am not terribly interested in making a gigantic fence. Will the heritage breeds stay within my 8 acres? I am bordered on all sides by corn. Will that help or hurt? I can always clip wings if needed to keep out of trees. If I need to just go for the fence then what do you do. I have a lot of grass I'd rather not mow anymore.
4. I know there is a blackhead issue with chickens. As of now they would be in seperate living quarters, but would it be bad to eventually put some Cornish x in the same shed if I decided to raise some?
I don't think I'll be able to convince the wife that we need turkeys until next year. She is hesitant about getting chickens so I will need to work her in slowly, which also includes slaughter. But we'll get there when we get there. Any thoughts on this?
Edit-I had another question. Since my shed is large, would I be ok only letting them free range when I am home or should I figure out an auto door situation? I work 12 hour shifts and work a lot. I have a 6 year old son, but I think he'd be to young for turkeys. With a 35x70 shed, would 4-6 turkeys do ok staying home with proper light? I guess this goes back to the part about auto doors and making a fence. I just really don't want to make a big fence. Lol
1. The shed has zero natural light, but does have electric. It has two lights, but I can do my own wiring. It is still pretty dark in there with two standard bulbs. Any thoughts on light? I am hesitant to spend more money than I have to and adding skylights sounds expensive. Is it worth adding a few more fixtures with large lumen bulbs? Should I use a timer?
2. Predator proofing. It's got a dirt floor and gophers easily dig through. What is the easiest/cheapest way to keep things out? Staple hardware cloth in an l shape around the inside?
3. I live on 8 acres. I am not terribly interested in making a gigantic fence. Will the heritage breeds stay within my 8 acres? I am bordered on all sides by corn. Will that help or hurt? I can always clip wings if needed to keep out of trees. If I need to just go for the fence then what do you do. I have a lot of grass I'd rather not mow anymore.
4. I know there is a blackhead issue with chickens. As of now they would be in seperate living quarters, but would it be bad to eventually put some Cornish x in the same shed if I decided to raise some?
I don't think I'll be able to convince the wife that we need turkeys until next year. She is hesitant about getting chickens so I will need to work her in slowly, which also includes slaughter. But we'll get there when we get there. Any thoughts on this?
Edit-I had another question. Since my shed is large, would I be ok only letting them free range when I am home or should I figure out an auto door situation? I work 12 hour shifts and work a lot. I have a 6 year old son, but I think he'd be to young for turkeys. With a 35x70 shed, would 4-6 turkeys do ok staying home with proper light? I guess this goes back to the part about auto doors and making a fence. I just really don't want to make a big fence. Lol
Last edited: