Mine did fine and were healthier with the exercise that free range brings. Unless you are raising this turkey to be processed, it really needs the companionship of another turkey.
My turkey poults usually get to go out with everyone else by the time they are 6 weeks old. I don't let them spend the nights outside until they are closer to 4 months old.
In my experience, guineas bond with turkeys very quickly. I think they view them as giant guineas.
What are they weighing at 4 months and what hatchery do you prefer?
Kind of depends on how the season goes, but I've had them anywhere from 12-30lbs in that time frame. There is generally a pretty big weight difference between the males and the females as well. I get straight run because I like the variety of sizes - some people feeding 4-5 people, some people feeding 20+ people. I go through a very small scale hatchery in the northeast US. I would say the best hatchery to order from is the closest one to you - as long as they have a decent reputation. I've found that the smaller hatcheries and the ones that you don't hear about all the time are often just as good as the more popular ones. Definitely go with a hatchery that guarantees their birds will arrive alive or your money back.
Thank you for the information. I have a local butcher shop who would like me to raise their turkeys. They get many requests for 10-12lb. turkeys. I'm thinking 12-15 would be about as small as I could go if they were hens.
I think of their life cycle in terms of quarters. Take the time you will grow them and split it into four equal numbers of days. Adjust protein levels based on what quarter it is :1st quarter is 28%, 2nd is 24%, 3rd is 22%, 4th is 18%. The most you could shorten that to is probably about 18-20 days per quarter, but you might be able to do something like that and get a decent conversion ratio and a bird that is well filled out, but on the smaller side.
