Being frequently greeted by turkey escapees was amusing and endearing for a few weeks, but now it's gotten old. Their wings are clipped, but they seem to have no trouble getting over the 4 foot fences into the other pens or out of the fence entirely. Do I need to cover their pen or will a higher fence do the trick? Thanks!
I'd cover if feasible and economical - that way things that would hurt your turkeys are less likely to get in!
If you only clip one wing, they will have a hard time getting over a six foot fence. A four foot fence may still be jumpable. A higher fence, or a covered fence, will also deter more predators. A little electricity also helps (keep predators out, not keep turkeys in.)
I clipped one wing on all mine. 6 foot fence is still not a problem. The covered run is the only place I can count on them staying put. Tho as my RP toms get bigger they don't get as much "lift", lol
They're 3 month old Midget Whites, so they're still pretty small. They're jumping unto the low end of the coop and then coasting right over the fence from there (or into the chicken's side). Since the fence they're getting over can't be moved back we may have to cover that area with something so I can be sure they'll stay in when I'm not home. Although, they'll probably end up getting on top of the covering if I don't do the entire run. Then they'll stand up there peeping with no idea how to get back down. They get themselves in the craziest situations!
I ended up putting some old wire cattle panels over my 16 x 16 x 8 pen. Mine figured out how to get out of the poultry netting.