BB turkey as a pet, winter living

[Birchymm]

So, I saw another thread regarding the feeding of a BB turkey as a pet and I stopped her high protein diet right before fair, since all of them were getting pretty big. Of the four I bought for my son to show, one got really big and was processed prior to fair, he took two to fair thinking one was a tom and one a hen, only finding out our tom was actually a hen during the show! He won best of show with the one we thought was a tom, and brought the other hen home. The fourth hen never went anywhere, just chilled at home until we brought the other hen home.

Now we have 2 hens at home, with one of them very attached to us and the kids. She follows us and stands at the back door waiting for us to come out so she can follow us around. The second hen reluctantly hangs off a few feet, not liking to be touched like this one does. Needless to say, I am fighting with the entire family about getting these hens processed now, because they got attached and she seems like a really nice bird.

They both free range around the yard and I feed them a 16% protein feed along with my ducks. They are approximately 6 months old, fully grown and in good health. My concern is Michigan winters. I've read that its more important for turkeys to have open moving air to roost (which they currently do every night on my porch) than a building to sleep in to keep them warm. Both turkeys have that bare skinned belly that I see on meat bids, like Cornish crosses. I've read that they can keep their heads and feet warm by the way they roost, but won't their bare bellies get cold or possibly frost bit? Does anyone have experience with keeping BB turkeys in the cold weather?

 

[R2elk]

So, I saw another thread regarding the feeding of a BB turkey as a pet and I stopped her high protein diet right before fair, since all of them were getting pretty big. Of the four I bought for my son to show, one got really big and was processed prior to fair, he took two to fair thinking one was a tom and one a hen, only finding out our tom was actually a hen during the show! He won best of show with the one we thought was a tom, and brought the other hen home. The fourth hen never went anywhere, just chilled at home until we brought the other hen home.

Now we have 2 hens at home, with one of them very attached to us and the kids. She follows us and stands at the back door waiting for us to come out so she can follow us around. The second hen reluctantly hangs off a few feet, not liking to be touched like this one does. Needless to say, I am fighting with the entire family about getting these hens processed now, because they got attached and she seems like a really nice bird.

They both free range around the yard and I feed them a 16% protein feed along with my ducks. They are approximately 6 months old, fully grown and in good health. My concern is Michigan winters. I've read that its more important for turkeys to have open moving air to roost (which they currently do every night on my porch) than a building to sleep in to keep them warm. Both turkeys have that bare skinned belly that I see on meat bids, like Cornish crosses. I've read that they can keep their heads and feet warm by the way they roost, but won't their bare bellies get cold or possibly frost bit? Does anyone have experience with keeping BB turkeys in the cold weather?

They have an insulating layer of fat under the skin which helps them withstand the cold even without having a covering of feathers. Roosts for BB turkeys should be low as they can be injured when flying down from higher perches. Some people use a bale of straw or hay as perches for their BB turkeys. The straw bale serves a dual purpose by allowing them to satisfy their need for a perch and by providing a surface that protects their feet and undersides from the frozen ground.

Make sure that your BB turkey gets lots of exercise. You may want to add a vitamin B complex to their water. It can be provided by dissolving half a vitamin B complex capsule per gallon of water. Because the vitamins break down quickly the water has to be changed daily. Make sure that the vitamin B complex that you choose contains niacin and thiamine. You can also increase their level of methionine by providing sunflower seeds. The sunflower seeds should be used as a treat and should be probably be kept below 5% of their total feed since sunflower seeds are high in fat content.

Good luck.

 

[Birchymm]

They have an insulating layer of fat under the skin which helps them withstand the cold even without having a covering of feathers. Roosts for BB turkeys should be low as they can be injured when flying down from higher perches. Some people use a bale of straw or hay as perches for their BB turkeys. The straw bale serves a dual purpose by allowing them to satisfy their need for a perch and by providing a surface that protects their feet and undersides from the frozen ground.

Make sure that your BB turkey gets lots of exercise. You may want to add a vitamin B complex to their water. It can be provided by dissolving half a vitamin B complex capsule per gallon of water. Because the vitamins break down quickly the water has to be changed daily. Make sure that the vitamin B complex that you choose contains niacin and thiamine. You can also increase their level of methionine by providing sunflower seeds. The sunflower seeds should be used as a treat and should be probably be kept below 5% of their total feed since sunflower seeds are high in fat content.

Good luck.

Excellent info, thanks! Right now they just perch on my porch rails, and I doubt I will get them to do anything else, no matter how comfy and warm I make it! I will still be trying, though. I saw other places that 2X4s work best. My idea was to make a small half wall from wood for some wind protection, place a small roof and a heat lamp next to my porch, and hope they take up residence there, so they can stay out of the rain/snow, but still be able to perch on a 2X4. Right now, they just poo all over my deck while they roost. God knows they couldn't just turn around and poo in the garden!

On another note, I see you own turkeys too. These are my first. One really tries to avoid us, while staying close to her friend, but the other literally follows us around the yard clucking at us until we stop and give her attention. At that point she just sits down and coos as we pet her. Is this normal?! The kids just love it and I get a kick out of it too. We have ducks, guineas and layers, and none seem as fond of us as this turkey, who was bred to be eaten after 5 months! If its something that is common, I was thinking of getting more, because we like her so much. Maybe get her some pals. Any suggestions for breeds? The boys may want to show some heritage birds at the fair next year as well.

 

[R2elk]

Excellent info, thanks! Right now they just perch on my porch rails, and I doubt I will get them to do anything else, no matter how comfy and warm I make it! I will still be trying, though. I saw other places that 2X4s work best. My idea was to make a small half wall from wood for some wind protection, place a small roof and a heat lamp next to my porch, and hope they take up residence there, so they can stay out of the rain/snow, but still be able to perch on a 2X4. Right now, they just poo all over my deck while they roost. God knows they couldn't just turn around and poo in the garden!

On another note, I see you own turkeys too. These are my first. One really tries to avoid us, while staying close to her friend, but the other literally follows us around the yard clucking at us until we stop and give her attention. At that point she just sits down and coos as we pet her. Is this normal?! The kids just love it and I get a kick out of it too. We have ducks, guineas and layers, and none seem as fond of us as this turkey, who was bred to be eaten after 5 months! If its something that is common, I was thinking of getting more, because we like her so much. Maybe get her some pals. Any suggestions for breeds? The boys may want to show some heritage birds at the fair next year as well.

For BB turkeys a bale of straw is better for them than a 2"x4". The 2"x4" is more appropriate for heritage turkeys. I personally us corral poles as roosts for my turkeys. Roosts for BB turkeys need to be low in order to avoid injury when they are getting down from the roost.

I recommend against the heat lamp. The heat lamp (if they take advantage of it) will cause their bodies to not properly prepare for the cold weather. My turkeys have the ability to go in the coop at night and may spend the whole day in the coop in inclement weather but will still go to their roosts for the night no matter what the weather is.

It is possible to train your turkeys to not sit on the deck rails but since you have allowed it to go on for so long, it is going to be difficult. Anytime they get on the deck rails you have to shoo them off. The one that is not overly friendly will be easier to discourage simply by picking her up and removing her from the rail if you can catch her. Repetition will teach them to stay off of the railing.

Turkeys imprint very easily and once imprinted will not know that there is a difference between them and people or whatever else they have imprinted on. I know one woman whose turkey hen imprinted on a goat and could not stand to be away from her goat.

Your turkey who is laying down for you does not know the difference between people and turkeys and is assuming the breeding position when she lays down.

You can visit Porter's Rare Heritage Turkeys to see and read about many of the different varieties of heritage turkeys available.