A century of Turkey talk 2000-2100.

[SarahGfa]

My turkey hen took her 9 poults over the top of their 6-foot pen and won't come back. They sometimes show up in the poultry yard, but they are afraid of me. I don't know how to get them back. They were flying to the top of a 30 foot oak tree when I last saw them.

 

[KF0002]

I am a sucker for lacing, although it is a hard pattern to work with in some ways, for show and stuff. I end up bringing in some wild patterns these days because I am in love with the experimentation, and attempting to keep track of whom is with whom.

I dont plan on showing. I got my fill of that showing Black Copper Marans. I just want to enjoy looking at beautiful birds and seeing what I can come up with in pairings. I do love the penciling, I love all the patterns and swirls. Very pretty!

 

[SarahGfa]

Wild turkeys are lean because they have quite a range they tend to travel to find food, water, mates, etc.

I think there is a genetic difference too. The bronze poult is already much smaller than the blue/black poults. It was the first one to fly out of the pen, and would wander and do its own thing while the hen paced back and forth behind the fence. I blame that one for giving everyone the idea to fly out and roam.

 

[Finnie]

My turkey hen took her 9 poults over the top of their 6-foot pen and won't come back. They sometimes show up in the poultry yard, but they are afraid of me. I don't know how to get them back. They were flying to the top of a 30 foot oak tree when I last saw them.

I think there is a genetic difference too. The bronze poult is already much smaller than the blue/black poults. It was the first one to fly out of the pen, and would wander and do its own thing while the hen paced back and forth behind the fence. I blame that one for giving everyone the idea to fly out and roam.

I hope you can get them back. You will need to cover their pen. 6 feet is nothing to a turkey. Even without a wild one, sooner or later the poults would begin roosting on that 6’ fence, and jumping down on whichever side they feel like.

I’m not sure how to get them to come back if they are afraid of you and don’t want to come back. You can try herding them with long sticks in your hands. (I use hockey sticks.) One thing I’ve learned about herding turkeys, if they spread out, focus on the bunched part of the group. A lone straggler will run to catch up with its buddies. But if you try to go back for the straggler, you will lose the whole group and need to start over.

Good luck!

 

[SarahGfa]

I hope you can get them back. You will need to cover their pen. 6 feet is nothing to a turkey. Even without a wild one, sooner or later the poults would begin roosting on that 6’ fence, and jumping down on whichever side they feel like.

I thought I had more time They were only 2 weeks old when they left. The turkeys I've had were raised by chickens...they took more than 6 weeks to start roosting, i think.

 

[SarahGfa]

I’m not sure how to get them to come back if they are afraid of you and don’t want to come back. You can try herding them with long sticks in your hands. (I use hockey sticks.) One thing I’ve learned about herding turkeys, if they spread out, focus on the bunched part of the group. A lone straggler will run to catch up with its buddies. But if you try to go back for the straggler, you will lose the whole group and need to start over.

Good luck!

I will first need to build something that has a cover (their old pen is too big and one side is a brick wall). Honestly I am lazy, and I thought it might be easier to tame them and then just grab them when I need to eat or sell one.

 

[Bantambird]

turkey poults definitely fly by 2 weeks. They fly very well. I have had adult hens fly a quarter mile when a big dog that wasn't mine showed up a few years ago. It took me a long while to gather those hens up, let me tell you! Poults will fly across the back yard by 2 weeks.

 

[SarahGfa]

turkey poults definitely fly by 2 weeks. They fly very well. I have had adult hens fly a quarter mile when a big dog that wasn't mine showed up a few years ago. It took me a long while to gather those hens up, let me tell you! Poults will fly across the back yard by 2 weeks.

The poults in my covered brooder never flew. They also seemed weaker than these ones. These feral poults are eating and drinking whatever, roosting in a different tree every night, and all still alive.

I wonder if the health issues people post about are from lack of space. Turkeys can't handle pecking around in their own poo the way chickens can.

 

[Bantambird]

The poults in my covered brooder never flew. They also seemed weaker than these ones. These feral poults are eating and drinking whatever, roosting in a different tree every night, and all still alive.

I wonder if the health issues people post about are from lack of space. Turkeys can't handle pecking around in their own poo the way chickens can.

yes.

 

[Bantambird]

Today I had my Special recessive hen come from out of the field with 10 chunky poults in tow. I put her and them in the broody pen, where they will stay for a few weeks and then I will let them out once all the poults are flying well. She is doing a really great job with them for a first time mother. I never did find her nest and was getting quite anxious about her whereabouts, even though I knew she was probably nesting nearby. I am over the moon that she is not only OK, but has 10 poults. I wish I could find the old nest.