And yet more turkey questions

[cashela]

Ok so my two turkey's and the chicken/rooster (don't know what it is yet) are doing ok. I need to build a cage for them as they are getting bigger. Right now they are in the garage in a wire cage with a light.

Can I just build a regular chicken coup type area for them? I want to let them free range during the day when they get bigger. How big does the wire section of the cage have to be?

How do you guys keep your cages clean (I'm new to turkeys)? Would just raking it out be ok?

So if my turkeys (white ones) have a lot of feathers coming in on their necks does that mean they are hens?

 

[farmerpete]

farmerpete here. Hello, I have turkeys and chickens. 24 yellow buffs 24 white leghorns < housed and in seperate 40x60. pens> 2 bourban red turkeys 3 black jersey giants, and 2 guineas. As far as space for chickens, I go by 5sq, ft, for each chicken. As for the turkeys, raise them with the chickens. Thats what I did and they all get along fine. As far as keeping the area clean, I rake the pen as needed and then I throw some lime down to kill mites and keep the flies down. Ive never had a problem with the lime because I rake it into the dirt floor of the chicken house which is 12x12 with 12 nest boxes in each chicken house for each group of my breed. They only lay and roost in the chicken house and the rest of the day they are either in the pens or out roaming our back two acres. I hope this sheds a little light on what you are doing.

 

[Struttn1]

Feathering on the head would be more of a hen indicator than feathering on the neck.

 

[cashela]

Thanks guys. Ok I did see a line of feathers starting to come in on the head.

I will continue on with my original thoughts of the cage I was going to build

Now I just have to figure out where to put it