Contemplating Turkeys

[doubleatraining]

I have read the above posts but still have a few questions. I'm not a huge fan of the typical Thanksgiving turkey but after tasting my home grown chicken I'm willing to give the home raised turkey a shot. I would of course like to process/cook one before deciding to raise a few. There is a local place selling Bourbon Reds for $35. They are 8 months old. Would this be a good one to process and cook to see if I like the taste?

If I like the taste I would like to get a trio to raise more. How are they for raising their own young? How much room do 3 Turkeys need in a pen/run?

 

[jasonm11]

yep thats about right. Enjoy
They are very good at raising their young but you should move the tom out of the pen when they are little
A trio will need about a 10X10 pen if couped up but do better if allowed to range.

 

[doubleatraining]

All the guy has is tom turkeys left. Do they taste different than the hens?

For the pen...do they roost? How high should the sides be? I was thinking of doing no-climb fencing around some trees as a pen. Would that work?

 

[jasonm11]

from my exp, they taste the same, they like to roost high if you let them, save teh money on fencing you will not be able to keep them in. dont worry about clipping wings it wont keep them down. just feed them they will stay put.

 

[doubleatraining]

Well bummer on both. I might still try to process one and see how I like it but I don't think my neighbors will like the stray turkeys......although their dogs might.

 

[jasonm11]

dont get discouraged. I have a 4' chainlink fence around my yard with full grown oaks in the backyard. The turkeys can and do get out of the fence at will but for the most part want to get back in with the flock ASAP. I am just telling you they can and will get out if they want to. If you feed them everyday they will stay close. They are great pets and they taste great too.

 

[kuntrygirl]

I hear that Bourbon Reds taste good. I don't know. I have some but I don't process mine. I don't like Thanksgiving turkey. Mine roost on a 8 foot tall chicken house and some roost in the chicken coop with the chickens and ducks. It just depends how they feel. Mine free range all day. I love my turkeys.

 

[Frosty]

In my experience, the more room you can give them in a fence the more likely they will stay in. I honestly think fences confuse them... they can see through it and can't understand why they can't walk through (like they can walk through brush). Most of mine that get loose do so because they flew up to perch on the fence at night and flew down on the outside in the morning. With a large area with perches to use that they like better than sitting on the fence they stay in more. I have seen wild turkeys have one walk on one side of chainlink in my yard while the rest walked on the other side. When the rest kept walking down the road, the one 'trapped' in the yard kept running back and forth calling. I had a heck of a time convincing it to fly over to join the rest, it kept running from me in the yard.

 

[doubleatraining]

Sounds like I don't have the room for them at this property.....maybe one day.

Thank you for all the information.

 

[Tiramisu]

you could just tarp a pen if you made one for them, if you were to decide to keep them. We had 3 in a pen with a traingle roof that was tarp and fencing around the bottom base.