Do you put your turkeys back in their coop?

[1MrsMagoo]

I lock my turkeys in every night (as well as all the waterfowl and other poultry). Most days are spent in their fenced paddock area: A few can fly out even with clipped wings. Other days, I open the gate and let them free range on the property. I all depends on where the cars and tractor are parked though: If they aren't in the right places, the turkeys use them as roosts.

By dusk each day, everyone is waiting by their fence (whether inside or outside of it) for me to user them in. They don't go in themselves: They wait on me to get in and walk behind them. Then, they file orderly into their house.

We have a large barn owl, raccoons, a fox, coyotes, stray dogs, and lots of other critters out at night, so I don't think they'd be safe if left out. The barn owl in particular has carried off a full grown French guinea that was nearly 8 pounds and perched on the tree by their house. So, I am pretty sure the smaller turkeys would be on that big old girls dinner menu.

 

[Sally8]

I have had the same question. I have 2 toms and a hen. I have raised them with 25 chicks. About a month ago I put them all in a big new coop. They took to roosting up high right a way. A week ago, we had a storm at dusk with a lot of thunder and lightning. 2 weeks ago, my Mom became very ill so we've spent a lot of time at her home. The night with the storm, we came home at 10 pm and no tom turkeys anywhere. We searched and searched. Finally found one in the tall grass outside of the fence and the other down by the creek. They are in a 42 ft square with the coop inside. They now want to roost up in the trees, on the fences, I actually found one, one night on top of the coop. (12 - 15 ft in the air!)
So, I was thinking the same thing. With Mom having an extended illness, it's impossible for me to be home every single night at dusk. We have owls, hawks, coyotes, foxes, dogs, stray cats but putting things in perspective, Mom comes first. The coop is not large enough to keep them in and what a poor life it would be.
I will say there are some very impressive coops and runs on here and as soon as I can afford it, I want to cage the whole yard in (the top)
All of your input says to keep them in at night and I probably will. Just hoping for a miracle.




This is an older version of the coop. It's always going to be a work in progress.








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[maidenwolfx80]

I put mine all up every night, there are just too many predators that would love a yummy turkey sandwhich... So locked up they go.. If I am not going to be home I dont let them out at all. I dont feel comfortable letting them roam without me here. I am a stay at home mom so I am rarely gone so that works for me, doesnt work for everyone. Any time I have to leave I grab their fav treat (apples or meal worms) and put them in the same container so they recognize it and shake it to get their attention, I drop tiny pieces all the way to the coop and dump the rest in the coop for them to have and shut them up..
Sally you have some beautiful birds are they bronze or easterns? I have narragansett and yours look darker than mine..

 

[Scottingitup]

I have had the same question. I have 2 toms and a hen. I have raised them with 25 chicks. About a month ago I put them all in a big new coop. They took to roosting up high right a way. A week ago, we had a storm at dusk with a lot of thunder and lightning. 2 weeks ago, my Mom became very ill so we've spent a lot of time at her home. The night with the storm, we came home at 10 pm and no tom turkeys anywhere. We searched and searched. Finally found one in the tall grass outside of the fence and the other down by the creek. They are in a 42 ft square with the coop inside. They now want to roost up in the trees, on the fences, I actually found one, one night on top of the coop. (12 - 15 ft in the air!)
So, I was thinking the same thing. With Mom having an extended illness, it's impossible for me to be home every single night at dusk. We have owls, hawks, coyotes, foxes, dogs, stray cats but putting things in perspective, Mom comes first. The coop is not large enough to keep them in and what a poor life it would be.
I will say there are some very impressive coops and runs on here and as soon as I can afford it, I want to cage the whole yard in (the top)
All of your input says to keep them in at night and I probably will. Just hoping for a miracle.




This is an older version of the coop. It's always going to be a work in progress.








=[

It looks like you need to clip your birds and rearrange the run. Keep everything far enough from the fence that they can't use it as a jumping point to get out. Clip just one wing that way when they try they end up just doing a circle.

 

[Sally8]

My boys are a cross. Dad's a Bronze, Mom's a Royal Palm. When I went to buy my BCMarans eggs, she had a pair of the most beautiful turkeys. These 2 are their offspring. Chuck and Huck. The female (white) is a Royal Palm, Rosie. My very first attempt at turkeys.

 

[Sally8]

Hubby and I are getting ready to clip tonight. The fence closest to the building will be covered for more rain free area. When this egg hatching venture started, it was only supposed to be 12 eggs, not 40 Statistically, half should have been roosters. Not. So, we have a lot of hens.

 

[maidenwolfx80]

I so cant wait to start hatching next year, I'm crossing mine I have a black spanish hen and a tri color palm hen and a narragansett tom and a black spanish tom. They are gonna be beautiful

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

We heard ours pretty easily. They are only limited by not liking to go on super long walks. They free-range during the day and are usually following us around, but to put them in at night we use a long stick to help guide them. If we get distracted with something else at dusk, they get on top of the coop, which isn't a good place for them as the roof is greenhouse plastic and they are big and ...

 

[Sally8]

Maidemwolf, it sounds like they will be beautiful. To be honest, I'm not big in crossing, except where I know that they will be with me beginning to end. I just couldn't pass these up. This lady I got these from had the most beautiful tom. My son assures me it was a bronze, but it was so light, like a caramel. I like to free range as well, but my neighbors have a dog........They've been on vacation these past 2 weeks. They're due back today.

 

[maidenwolfx80]

Oh same here the neighbors have a dog and dont put him on a lead like I have been asking for the last year and a half. So the compromise, so I know my birds are safe, is I let them out at 630 every evening and they make sure he goes out before hand and free range till roost. I hate it but at least they get out for a few hours. When I breed mine turkeys I am keeping alot and some will go to friends and family who have been admiring my turkeys and want to add some to their backyard. I am going to breed some pure black spanish and I really wanted to breed narragansett but the local person I buy from didnt have any more hens

,, But I asked for a tri color and a lady reserved his last hen, she ended up taking a blue slate so I got the tri , yay!!! So there will be some beautiful mixes..