Baby turkey

[CocoTurkey]

I recently purchased 10 chocolate turkeys and had a few questions. I was first wondering if they can fly and roost in trees. I was also going to let them be free range turkeys and was wondering what plants would be poisoness to them (I live in Corvallis Oregon)? I have experience raising mallards, but found no real point to continue.

 

[chicknmania]

Don't let them free range yet if you can keep them confined! There is Avian Influenza in your part of the country right now and turkeys are very susceptible to it! Keep them under roof, if you can at all, for the next couple of months, and keep wild birds out if at all possible!

 

[CocoTurkey]

Maybe that's why our Coastal had no turkeys. Thanks for the advice!

Btw, They ship to me on the 29th and hatch on the 25th,so I don't currently have them. Also, will keeping them locked up make them have different behaviors as if they were let out and should I take them out under supervision?

 

[chicknmania]

No, it shouldn't make any difference. I don't know anything about turkeys really, but I don't know why it would hurt young ones to be confined. Just keep them under roof for a couple of months, and try to keep the wild birds out! When the weather turns hot and dry, if that ever is, then you can probably safely let them out to free range, after it's been that way for a while, but just keep an eye on what's going on, watch the updates for your State. I was told that the birds should be kept under roof for three to four months...but I don't know if that's necessarily true. If it comes here, we're hoping for no more than six weeks, but who knows. You also could check on here in the turkey section, and talk to some other owners, that would probably help with a lot of info for you! Good luck, please keep us advised if you can, what is happening with the Avian flu in your area.