Combining turkey poult batches and housing ?

[happydog]

I have 6 Bourbon Reds that are about 6 weeks old. They're in a little brooder about (3'x2.5')and looking horribly cramped. I have an unused stall in the barn that I'm thinking of using for their coop. Two of the walls are open at the top from about 5' up to the roof. If I staple chicken wire up to cover all the open areas and keep a couple of heat lamps on for them is it too early to move them? The stall is 10'x10' so it would give them a whole lot more room plus they could have some perches and look out the "window" and I could give them bigger feeders and waterers that would hopefully stay cleaner than the little ones in the brooder that they sit and poop on.

Also, I have another 6 Royal Palms that are about a week and a half younger. Can I move them in with the bigger turkeys or should they stay in the brooder awhile longer? Their brooder is the same size but they aren't as big so I don't feel so bad everytime I look at them, lol. Any tips for when and how to combine them?

I seriously underestimated how big 12 turkeys are going to be when I was planning their original coop. All of them survived too which I kind of wasn't expecting when I planned their coop. Now I'm thinking of using the barn stall for their permanent housing since it opens up to the pasture where I'd like them to free range for part of the day when they're older. The pasture is surrounded by 3 strands of electric fence that predators would have to get through to get to the barn. Then they'd have to get past the dog, scale the 5' wall and rip off the chicken wire. Or are turkeys as vulnerable as chickens and I should take out a loan and use hardware cloth instead of chicken wire?

Or should I just leave them in their nice safe brooder box?

Thanks!

 

[OmaBird]

Most of my barn stalls are the same size as yours but are compleatly enclosed. Should be know problem keeping 12 adult turkeys in there at night if you have enough perching space. At least two, three would be much better going all the way across wall to wall. I have some I am planning to covert from horse stalls to turkey pens. They have 24 foot runs and already have heavy gaged wire up made for stallions.

When I introduce new birds to each I put them into something where they can see each other but they can't fight. A circle of hard wire will work if you don't have a cage big enough or a dog carrier. They just need to see each other. The day I plan to release them I withhold food for awhile. When they are released I will feed them. Feeding seems to be a bonding time and they are to busy eating to think about fighting.

It is really up to you if you move them now. Sometimes I think crowded brooders are just as much health risk moving them outside with heat lamps. Be prepared to bring them back in if they look cold at night.

My young ones go outside durring the day. Might be a better way to do it.