I am raising out a batch of heritage turkeys (mix of Bourbon Red, Black, and Midget White) and they are doing great. After two years in a row of them roosting on top of the chicken coops and other buildings and pooping and subsequently fouling (fowling?) my rainwater collection systems, I have built them a mobile roost on an old trailer frame, with roost bars up to 8' tall and I am moving it around my pasture so that they are able to forage and will hopefully be less likely to take up residence on the roof of any building they see fit. The mobile roost is surrounded by electric fence to keep them safe from predators at night. It's really nice if I do say so myself, and the turkeys seem happy to sleep there, when they are there at sundown.
Due to predator pressure this year (I've lost a lot of pullets, my neighbor lost half her flock in one night) I don't want to clip their wings -- and in the past it hasn't really stopped them from roosting on top of coops, since they could find intermediate fences and buildings and jump up there like Super Mario. What that means is that every morning they just fly over the electric fence and are off foraging in the field. We've taken to just opening the fence up in the morning since there was no stopping them.
The problem we have now is that we have to coax them back to their roost every night, they will usually follow us but it can be a process because they will find something interesting to nibble halfway there and then get distracted. If we don't herd them home, they will bed down in places I don't want them to. I'm thinking that if we had an evening ritual of a special treat every night that they get at the roost, they would follow me all the way home? Their regular feed is not enough -- they are stealing pig and chicken feed from all over the farm, plus foraging vegetation and grass. I'm just not sure what to try and don't want to spend a ton of money on it -- these are Thanksgiving turkeys, not by beloved pets who get whatever their little hearts desire.
Any suggestions for treats that your turkeys go bananas for? Any other tips for getting free range turkeys home? Thanks in advance!
Due to predator pressure this year (I've lost a lot of pullets, my neighbor lost half her flock in one night) I don't want to clip their wings -- and in the past it hasn't really stopped them from roosting on top of coops, since they could find intermediate fences and buildings and jump up there like Super Mario. What that means is that every morning they just fly over the electric fence and are off foraging in the field. We've taken to just opening the fence up in the morning since there was no stopping them.
The problem we have now is that we have to coax them back to their roost every night, they will usually follow us but it can be a process because they will find something interesting to nibble halfway there and then get distracted. If we don't herd them home, they will bed down in places I don't want them to. I'm thinking that if we had an evening ritual of a special treat every night that they get at the roost, they would follow me all the way home? Their regular feed is not enough -- they are stealing pig and chicken feed from all over the farm, plus foraging vegetation and grass. I'm just not sure what to try and don't want to spend a ton of money on it -- these are Thanksgiving turkeys, not by beloved pets who get whatever their little hearts desire.
Any suggestions for treats that your turkeys go bananas for? Any other tips for getting free range turkeys home? Thanks in advance!
