Building my turkey coop/run- need some tips!

[Ozarkhomesteader]

Hi there! So, soon i will be getting some Narragansett turkey poults. I have kept turkeys once before, but ended up having to sell them as we were in the city and they were spending more time running around the neighborhood than in our yard.

FINALLY we have 25 acres in a rural area, and I am ready to get a permanent place for these guys. I want to do things right this time, so I'm looking for some advice!

SO my ultimate goal is to have approximately 8 hens and 1-2 toms (off question, but will one tom service 8 hens reliably, or will I have fertility problems with just one?). These will be the breeders, and I hope to let the ladies hatch out the babies themselves, and raise them.

For the coop/run area, I plan to have a fully predator proof run and coop/nesting area, and then I will have 3 "pastures" that I will rotate them between to allow them to forage for as much food as possible during the day. At night they be locked up in the secure coop and run area.

I'm having trouble finding many examples of housing for turkeys, especially breeding ones. My biggest question in designing it is- will turkey's use a more chicken style coop (4 walls, roosts, nest boxes, fully enclosed) or would they be more pleased with a covered run area, with maybe a 3-sided nesting area in one corner? Either way I will do roosts both outside and inside. I also want to give them as many nesting options as possible, to encourage them to brood.

Also I have heard I may need to remove the tom when the ladies start brooding. Would he be ok alone during this time, or should I have two so they have company? Can I keep him nearby (maybe in a small temporary space next door, and then access to a pasture during the day) so he gets to see the girls but not necessarily be with them?

Anyways, I'd really appreciate some advice with the set up for these guys, and seeing some pics of yall's set ups would be totally awesome! Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!

Edit: Also, as far as temps here go, we get plenty of hot 100 degree days during the summer, and get pretty cool but not too cold temps most spring/fall. The coldest we get here is around negative 4 for a couple days, usually winter temps are in the 20s. We also get some strong winds. How much ventilation would a coop need vs warmth factor in the winter?

 

[R2elk]

SO my ultimate goal is to have approximately 8 hens and 1-2 toms (off question, but will one tom service 8 hens reliably, or will I have fertility problems with just one?). These will be the breeders, and I hope to let the ladies hatch out the babies themselves, and raise them.

One tom can easily handle 10 hens but all turkeys are individuals and a particular tom may or may not take care of his job even though he can.

I have one particular tom that over the course of the season will take care of all available hens but at the start of the season, he will ignore all of the hens except for his favorites.

I'm having trouble finding many examples of housing for turkeys, especially breeding ones. My biggest question in designing it is- will turkey's use a more chicken style coop (4 walls, roosts, nest boxes, fully enclosed) or would they be more pleased with a covered run area, with maybe a 3-sided nesting area in one corner? Either way I will do roosts both outside and inside. I also want to give them as many nesting options as possible, to encourage them to brood.

My turkeys have access to a coop where they have food and water available. When it comes to bedtime, they roost outside in an area protected from the prevailing wind. It does not matter what the weather conditions are, they always roost outside.

Most turkeys prefer hidden nest sites. But all turkeys are individuals. I had two hens that went broody crammed into chicken nest boxes this year, The others went broody in various different hidden nest sites. Two nested against the side of the house, one is nesting in a row of plum trees and another has her nest under a currant bush in the garden.

Personally, I collect the first eggs of the year and incubate them. After that I let the hens have their eggs to go broody on. Incubating the early eggs removes the likelihood of the eggs being killed by too cold of temperatures.

Also I have heard I may need to remove the tom when the ladies start brooding. Would he be ok alone during this time, or should I have two so they have company? Can I keep him nearby (maybe in a small temporary space next door, and then access to a pasture during the day) so he gets to see the girls but not necessarily be with them?

Having multiple hens helps with this. Usually all of the hens won't go broody at the same time. It isn't so much that the tom needs to be removed as it is that the tom needs to be prevented from having access to the nests. One method of dealing with this is to fence the nest and leave an opening that the hen can fit through but one that is small enough that the tom can't get through it. There is nothing wrong with the tom having access to the hen when she is not on the nest but you don't want the tom to have access to her when she is on the nest,

Edit: Also, as far as temps here go, we get plenty of hot 100 degree days during the summer, and get pretty cool but not too cold temps most spring/fall. The coldest we get here is around negative 4 for a couple days, usually winter temps are in the 20s. We also get some strong winds. How much ventilation would a coop need vs warmth factor in the winter?

Ventilation is more important than warmth. They do need protection from the wind. My turkeys roost outside in all kinds of weather but their roosts are sheltered from the prevailing wind. It can and has gotten down to -30°F here without my turkeys suffering any ill effects.

 

[Huntmaster]

My heritage turkeys don't like to go indoors not even to roost. I have covered roosts but left open. Mine have a 3 walled open front building that they wont go in, a hen may go into a corner nesting box in there for nesting but that's it. So I have built my pens open. I have a 6 different breeding pens but I breed several varieties. My breeding pens are 20' X 20' with dog houses for nest boxes. You can have tom with hens when nesting but he can't be able to get to her or nest, my toms can't get into opening of dog houses. So hens are safe and so are nests. Just have to watch hens nesting because they like to share nests and sometimes all want to lay in same nests. And it dose not work well for having good hatches. I incubate and let hens hatch there own, but I take poults upon hatch and put them in a brooder. Just loose to many when letting hens raise them, It's just easier for me selling them from brooder and don't loose as many. Here is a few pics of my open pens. And I have a few acres of pasture to let them in. And all my breeding and living pens have netting for roofs and wire buried 2 feet around fencing to keep things out. if you have any questions feel free to ask. Hope this helps you .

 

[yesterDAYNE]

Just for a differing POV, my turkeys are locked up in a pen in the garage every night. Sometimes I herd them in, which is easy cause they just run in, and some evenings I find them already in and sitting on their roosts. I think it just depends personally on if you feel better letting them roost outside or in a pen, they would probably adapt easily to either avenue. Since my pen is built inside the garage, it's just a big wooden framed rectangle with 1/4th inch hardware cloth all around it and 2 twist latches with carabiners on the door.

 

[Ozarkhomesteader]

One tom can easily handle 10 hens but all turkeys are individuals and a particular tom may or may not take care of his job even though he can.

I have one particular tom that over the course of the season will take care of all available hens but at the start of the season, he will ignore all of the hens except for his favorites.

Ahh, good to know, thanks! This may be silly, but how can you be sure your guy is taking care of things? When I had turkey's, I never saw him mate the girls, so i'm not sure if he was doing it privately or not doing it at all. Is it more of a you will see them do it, or just like oof, the eggs didn't hatch sort of thing.

If i ended up keeping 2 toms, will they get along together or would they over breed the girls and fight all the time? If so, would just separating during breeding season work, or would I need to keep the two separate at all times?

And thank you for all your insight, that is wonderful! And I love the idea of just fencing off the nest boxes so the boys can't get in. And good to know go for more ventilation! That was one is was so undecided about. Thank you so much!

Also, a weather question, but are turkey's smart enough to get under cover during a rain? It gets pretty wet in the spring here, with times of back to back constant rain for up to a week. I have heard that turkey's can get sick quick from wet and soggy conditions. I was wondering if maybe covering their pen with tin would be a good idea to keep them dry, or would doing half the pen work? Or is this just not really something i should be so concerned about? haha. Thanks!

My heritage turkeys don't like to go indoors not even to roost. I have covered roosts but left open. Mine have a 3 walled open front building that they wont go in, a hen may go into a corner nesting box in there for nesting but that's it. So I have built my pens open. I have a 6 different breeding pens but I breed several varieties. My breeding pens are 20' X 20' with dog houses for nest boxes. You can have tom with hens when nesting but he can't be able to get to her or nest, my toms can't get into opening of dog houses. So hens are safe and so are nests. Just have to watch hens nesting because they like to share nests and sometimes all want to lay in same nests. And it dose not work well for having good hatches. I incubate and let hens hatch there own, but I take poults upon hatch and put them in a brooder. Just loose to many when letting hens raise them, It's just easier for me selling them from brooder and don't loose as many. Here is a few pics of my open pens. And I have a few acres of pasture to let them in. And all my breeding and living pens have netting for roofs and wire buried 2 feet around fencing to keep things out. if you have any questions feel free to ask. Hope this helps you .

Thank you so much!! And you have some awesome looking pens, those are so well done. Thank you for the pictures!! That helps me visualize some good setups. For you pastures that are not covered in netting, how tall is your fencing? The stuff I have is like that, 5 ft, and i was trying to decide if i need to string up some 3ft field fencing as another layer to keep them in. I am worried about them flying out as we have some neighborhood dogs that have killed my chickens, and until I get my LGD, they will need to be in the fenced area for safety.

Also, when the girls lay in the same nests, how do you split them? Are you able to just move one to another nest, and she will keep sitting? Or do you collect the eggs and just incubate them yourself?

Just for a differing POV, my turkeys are locked up in a pen in the garage every night. Sometimes I herd them in, which is easy cause they just run in, and some evenings I find them already in and sitting on their roosts. I think it just depends personally on if you feel better letting them roost outside or in a pen, they would probably adapt easily to either avenue. Since my pen is built inside the garage, it's just a big wooden framed rectangle with 1/4th inch hardware cloth all around it and 2 twist latches with carabiners on the door.

Good to know~ thank you for your input. I did consider setting up a stall in my barn as a turkey coop as well, so good to know that they would be ok in that type of set up too!

 

[R2elk]

Ahh, good to know, thanks! This may be silly, but how can you be sure your guy is taking care of things? When I had turkey's, I never saw him mate the girls, so i'm not sure if he was doing it privately or not doing it at all. Is it more of a you will see them do it, or just like oof, the eggs didn't hatch sort of thing.

Some of the toms like privacy while others don't care. One can always sacrifice a few eggs to check for the bulls eye. One can also check fertility by candling eggs in the incubator.

Sometimes a few more than the normal amount of scattered feathers in one particular matted down spot can be an indication of breeding.

If i ended up keeping 2 toms, will they get along together or would they over breed the girls and fight all the time? If so, would just separating during breeding season work, or would I need to keep the two separate at all times?

It is wise to keep an extra tom for just in case situations. Springtime here can be a good time to sell extra toms or hens due to people losing their tom or hens during the winter.

When breeding season starts, it is best to separate the toms in a manner that they cannot see each other. One could have separate breeding pens so that both toms are getting some action. If they are separated by a see through fence, they most likely will spend more time fighting through the fence rather than taking care of business.

After breeding season is over there will most likely be a battle for dominance before things settle down.

BTW, breeding season can run into the fall.

Also, a weather question, but are turkey's smart enough to get under cover during a rain? It gets pretty wet in the spring here, with times of back to back constant rain for up to a week. I have heard that turkey's can get sick quick from wet and soggy conditions. I was wondering if maybe covering their pen with tin would be a good idea to keep them dry, or would doing half the pen work? Or is this just not really something i should be so concerned about? haha. Thanks!

Not previously mentioned is that turkeys need shade. I have a short shaded area that has a wall on the south side. I will find the turkeys spending time in the shade on sunny days in the winter. They will also spend time under it during heavy rain or hail. They will not get off of their roost just because they are being rained on or snowed on at night.

The fragility of turkeys is during their first couple of months of life. Other than BB turkeys, heritage turkeys are tough and handle adverse weather conditions well. They heal well from minor injuries without any human interventions.

 

[Huntmaster]

My fencing in open pen is 6ft, one side is only 4ft, once my birds know they are safe and it is home I don't have trouble with them flying over they even range in pasture that has no fencing some. When I have had a few get out they are pacing the fence wanting back in. They know were they feel safe. Hens and young jakes is what may fly don't have much trouble with toms. As far as hens on same nest, yes I remove other hens leaving 1 hen to set the nest with about 12 to 14 eggs. I always have plenty of broody hens so I can put other eggs under them or incubate them. Always have more fertile eggs than I need to hatch so it isn't a problem. And yes like @R2elk Said they need shade as you can see by my pics my pens are all built next to a rows of trees mostly pines. And I built my pens with small trees and shrubs inside them with netting over top. It acts as shade and cover from extreme weather.

 

[Ozarkhomesteader]

Some of the toms like privacy while others don't care. One can always sacrifice a few eggs to check for the bulls eye. one can also check fertility by candling eggs in the incubator.

Sometimes a few more than normal amount of scattered feathers in one particular matted down spot can be an indication of breeding.

Ahh, good to know! And hehe, I forgot about candling, duh. Thanks!!

It is wise to keep an extra tom for just in case situations. Springtime here can be a good time to sell extra toms or hens due to people losing their tom or hens during the winter.

When breeding season starts, it is best to separate the toms in a manner that they cannot see each other. One could have separate breeding pens so that both toms are getting some action. If they are separated by a see through fence, they most likely will spend more time fighting through the fence rather than taking care of business.

After breeding season is over there will most likely be a battle for dominance before things settle down.

BTW, breeding season can run into the fall.

Ok, that's good to know. I do like the thought of having an extra, because things happen and I like backups. I think I might plan a way to divide the pen so that I can keep two.

So basically together for winter huh? Haha. How do you know when breeding season is done and you can combine them again? Just sorta late fall, or are their signs to watch for in the birds?

Not previously mentioned is that turkeys need shade. I have a short shaded area that has a wall on the south side. I will find the turkeys spending time in the shade on sunny days in the winter. They will also spend time under it during heavy rain or hail. They will not get off of their roost just because they are being rained on or snowed at night.

The fragility of turkeys is during their first couple of months of life. Other than BB turkeys, heritage turkeys are tough and handle adverse weather conditions well. They heal well from minor injuries without any human interventions.

That's perfect that they like shade. Most of our property is wooded, so the turkey pen will be located under the shade of a few big trees. Sounds like they will be perfectly happy with a shelter and roosts on one half, but just open on the other half.

I love that they sound pretty hardy, i'm just paranoid I guess, cause i love them and want to do things right!! I am just so excited!!

Thank you so much for answering all my many questions!

 

[Huntmaster]

Yes heritage turkeys are very hardy as adults. Mine have lived for years with no structures to live in just the trees and shrubs for cover, and the rows of trees I pile dead branches and tree trimmings a few feet out from pens under pines. Makes a good wind break for extreme winter winds.

 

[Ozarkhomesteader]

My fencing in open pen is 6ft, one side is only 4ft, once my birds know they are safe and it is home I don't have trouble with them flying over they even range in pasture that has no fencing some. When I have had a few get out they are pacing the fence wanting back in. They know were they feel safe. Hens and young jakes is what may fly don't have much trouble with toms. As far as hens on same nest, yes I remove other hens leaving 1 hen to set the nest with about 12 to 14 eggs. I always have plenty of broody hens so I can put other eggs under them or incubate them. Always have more fertile eggs than I need to hatch so it isn't a problem. And yes like @R2elk Said they need shade as you can see by my pics my pens are all built next to a rows of trees mostly pines. And I built my pens with small trees and shrubs inside them with netting over top. It acts as shade and cover from extreme weather.

Thank you!! Haha, smart birds. That makes sense on the nesting. I hope one day to have more fertile eggs than I can hatch! That is totally the goal. Yeah, I will make sure they always have access to some shade. Thank you so much for the response!!