Advice on starting with Turkeys

[NickyPick]

I'm thinking about getting into turkeys in the next year or so, could anyone give me some advice on where to start? What to build for them? Things to watch out for?

Thanks!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

That's kinda of a big subject. You will need housing adequate for the number you wish to keep. It's best to keep turkeys by themselves as they can be rowdy with other poultry species.

You will need to find out if you have blackhead in your area and soil if you also keep chickens. Though most times you won't know until you keep them.

You will have to decide if you want heritage varieties that can reproduce and live longer, or broad breasted varieties that are mostly for meat.

Turkey poults can be tricky for some to successfully raise as they need a bit more attention and care their first few weeks.

So I would start by deciding what you want turkeys for and how many you want, than plan from there.

 

[Finnie]

Start with this thread, it will teach you a lot! https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...-turkeys-what-do-i-need-to-know#post_11309891

Then read over lots of other threads in the turkey forum, and pretty soon you will be in love with turkeys.

 

[CrownJewelDanes]

I was wondering if nipple waterers can be used successfully with turkeys ?

 

[Finnie]

I was wondering if nipple waterers can be used successfully with turkeys ?

Yes, I raised all my poults on horizontal and vertical nipples in the brooders this year. They did fine. Although now that they are mixed with the main flock, they have access to regular waterers. So I don't know how they would do if I were to only provide nipples any more.

 

[sarcasm]

I was wondering if nipple waterers can be used successfully with turkeys ?

I got some one-day-old turkey poults from someone who had put them in a brooder with same-aged chicks (the chicks teach them to eat and drink) so I got the exact same chick feeder and chick waterer so they wouldn't have to adjust to anything new on that front. On their second day of life, I added a vertical nipple waterer - every one of the poults figured out within an hour what it was for, and completely shunned the chick waterer they had been happily using up until that point. I removed the chick waterer after a couple days because nobody used it ever again - and why would they when they can get water from something shiny?

Make sure the nipple waterer (and whatever it's attached to) is solid and firmly secured - turkeys are strong and mine at least really appear to enjoy wailing on the water nipple with way more force than is actually necessary.