Can 3wk old turkeys go outside to the brooder with heat plate?

[Chickerywitchery]

I've got 3 royal palm turkey babies that are 3wks old.

My outdoor brooder is inside the chicken coop and can have the heat plate move with them. Since I'm in north GA we've gotten some 90° days and nighttime it doesn't drop below 60° (most nights it's 70°).

Do babies need to stay inside with temperature controlled areas for the cold or the heat? Could they get too hot outside without their adult feathers or would they be safe to go ahead and move out there?

 

[R2elk]

I've got 3 royal palm turkey babies that are 3wks old.

My outdoor brooder is inside the chicken coop and can have the heat plate move with them. Since I'm in north GA we've gotten some 90° days and nighttime it doesn't drop below 60° (most nights it's 70°).

Do babies need to stay inside with temperature controlled areas for the cold or the heat? Could they get too hot outside without their adult feathers or would they be safe to go ahead and move out there?

I take my poults out of the brooder at 2 weeks old. If I don't, they will be flying out. I move them to my grow out pen which has a single heat lamp in a corner if they feel the need for it. Until they are about 4 weeks old they do spend their nights under the heat lamp. Once they start spending nights on their roost, I turn off the heat lamp.

Your poults will need shade if you put them outside to get away from the 90°F temperatures. They will likely need a little supplemental heat at night for the next week or so.

 

[Chickerywitchery]

I take my poults out of the brooder at 2 weeks old. If I don't, they will be flying out. I move them to my grow out pen which has a single heat lamp in a corner if they feel the need for it. Until they are about 4 weeks old they do spend their nights under the heat lamp. Once they start spending nights on their roost, I turn off the heat lamp.

Your poults will need shade if you put them outside to get away from the 90°F temperatures. They will likely need a little supplemental heat at night for the next week or so.

Thank you! The brooder has full shade inside the coop with plenty of ventilation.
I've got some goslings coming the next few days so I really needed this indoor brooder opened up for the day olds (and I'm tired of catching flying turkeys)

 

[JRudi]

I take my poults out of the brooder at 2 weeks old. If I don't, they will be flying out. I move them to my grow out pen which has a single heat lamp in a corner if they feel the need for it. Until they are about 4 weeks old they do spend their nights under the heat lamp. Once they start spending nights on their roost, I turn off the heat lamp.

Your poults will need shade if you put them outside to get away from the 90°F temperatures. They will likely need a little supplemental heat at night for the next week or so.

How much space per turkey do you have in your grow out pen? I have 16 poults that are 1.5 weeks and it's becoming clear that they're going to outgrow their brooder pretty quick.
Thanks!

 

[R2elk]

How much space per turkey do you have in your grow out pen? I have 16 poults that are 1.5 weeks and it's becoming clear that they're going to outgrow their brooder pretty quick.
Thanks!

My grow out pen is approximately 7' 8" x 10'.

I have had as many as 27 poults in there at one time with an adult hen who was "mothering" all of them. They ranged in age from two days to 3 weeks.

She did a wonderful job of managing all of them and did not allow any harassment of the younger ones by the older ones.

The poults usually go into the grow out pen at two weeks old and into the general population at one month old (if there are any still remaining).

 

[FrostRanger]

Only thing to be wary of is chickens can be carriers of blackhead disease which is often fatal in turkeys, that's the main reason you have to be very careful when having chickens and turkeys together

 

[R2elk]

Only thing to be wary of is chickens can be carriers of blackhead disease which is often fatal in turkeys, that's the main reason you have to be very careful when having chickens and turkeys together

There are lots of other reasons to not keep turkeys and chickens together even if blackhead is not a problem.

The other reasons have to do with the size difference and how relentless a turkey can be once it gets an idea into its head. The results can be injured or even dead chickens.