escaping turkeys!!

[Hillsvale]

 

[ivan3]

Nice guys! Thanks for posting. Now, on to the unpleasantness: What kind of predators hail from Nova Scotia? If the dogs are always out on patrol then ignore the question. Something to consider when continuing planning.

 

[Lotsapaints]

How about putting pickets on the top of the gate? In an old poultry book I have that's how they fenced the whole turkey yard 6ft high pickets....so you didn't need to cut the wings of course using pickets cuts off the view

them old timers were pretty smart

 

[thaiturkey]

Quote:
its unlikely anything can get in unless it flies but obviously increasing the height of my pasture fences isn't happeneing... did you read the bit about 2 acres?

Regardless my turkeys fly up on the roof and everywhere else so even your quotes 6' wouldn't cut it! My concern as mentioned is that they recently started visiting the road. I can not nor will I encase these birds in a run, that is defeating the reason I have them! My 6 others will be allowed to join them is a few months when they can protect themselves.

I am looking for a reasonable solution such as the one's Ivan and I have been discussing. There are many many people out there that don't even fence them during the day nor lock them up at night, I do.

Ivan, these is the old picture I have of the birds at work...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/43249_goosies_1_june_14.jpg

that's their shared hut, pic is June 14

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/43249_geese_june_14.jpg

also June 14, love them all!

Well, it's up to you, they are your birds. You seemed to be asking for advice and what I told you is quite the norm. Still, I can see that it must be difficult for you with the land area growing in size as it is - it's gone from 1.5 acres to 2.00 acres in just a few days.

Just one more time; if you have a 5'5" gate or fence, things will get over it in one direction or another. You either take proper precautions or accept losses.

 

[Hillsvale]

Quote:
Bear, coyote, fox, skunk, raccoon.... need I say more! We don't leave the dogs out during the day as we are gone from 6:45am until 6:30pm or later......lol

I am going to build the turkeys a new coop because I am considering breeding and will make sure they have a turkey gym closer to their hut... it appears they get bored easily! lol

 

[Hillsvale]

Quote:
its unlikely anything can get in unless it flies but obviously increasing the height of my pasture fences isn't happeneing... did you read the bit about 2 acres?

Regardless my turkeys fly up on the roof and everywhere else so even your quotes 6' wouldn't cut it! My concern as mentioned is that they recently started visiting the road. I can not nor will I encase these birds in a run, that is defeating the reason I have them! My 6 others will be allowed to join them is a few months when they can protect themselves.

I am looking for a reasonable solution such as the one's Ivan and I have been discussing. There are many many people out there that don't even fence them during the day nor lock them up at night, I do.

Ivan, these is the old picture I have of the birds at work...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/43249_goosies_1_june_14.jpg

that's their shared hut, pic is June 14

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/43249_geese_june_14.jpg

also June 14, love them all!

Well, it's up to you, they are your birds. You seemed to be asking for advice and what I told you is quite the norm. Still, I can see that it must be difficult for you with the land area growing in size as it is - it's gone from 1.5 acres to 2.00 acres in just a few days.

Just one more time; if you have a 5'5" gate or fence, things will get over it in one direction or another. You either take proper precautions or accept losses.

I actually have 3 acres which will evenually be fenced, so yes my fenced land will continue to grow.

Now, if you can't comment without being rude or sarcastic then please don't bother.

SHelley

 

[Hillsvale]

Quote:
Lotsa... that's actually not a bad idea, old ideas or not... new ways aren't necessarily better!... it really wouldn't cut off view because I made my gates with a wood frame and filled in the center with welded wire to keep down the weight (sort of like a sandwich), this gate is on the side of my house anyway!... I really would only need to attach some cone shaped wooded stakes from the bottom of my fence posts... I have about a hundred here for continued fencing... I am sure one or two could be sacreficed!.. give it a fort like appearance! lol

the gate in question is to the right of this photo... off the side of the wood pile

Sneaky critters... love them though, the blue slate toms were eating blackberries out of my hands last night... they even ignored the dogs waiting for their ball to be thrown!

Thanks for the thought!

Shelley

 

[Kekko]

Sounds like the start of a Turkey fight. Be cool!

An idea you might try is to put a single wire above the top of the gate. Wire a stake, pipe or something at each end of gate and stretch a single wire the length of the gate about 6” above the top. It should discourage the birds from perching on the top of the gate. Our birds will perch on top of a 6’ chain link fence (top Rail) and then drop down on the out side. They never seam to be able to retrace their steps to get back in so they run to the gate and wait for us to let them through the gate. I’ve found that they seldom fly all the way over even the Weld Wire 5’ fence if there is not a top rail. We did have one hen (Black Spanish) that would take off every time we let her out. She would stay gone most of the day. We would see her about a quarter mile from home around the neighbor’s big trees. Guess she finally got tired of roaming the neighborhood but she still jumps the fence two or three days a week to lay her egg out by our haystack. Then she is back in the yard when we go out to check them in the evening. We just make sure she doesn’t get a nest full of eggs to set on or we would never get her back in the yard!

 

[Hillsvale]

Quote:
No fight... I don't do fight.

The birds do seem to hop the fence and then run back and forth like they've been locked out! The only time they will come back in the same way they left is if one stayed behind and seems to have gotten/found a treat! lol Silly birds, I mean they jumped over didn't they! So I have the welded wire with two barbed strands on top, stretched between fence posts about 10 foot apart. You are right about them not wanting to go near that so the answer is to stop them from hoping on the gate... I have rebar left from the electrics around the pig pen... I could drill a hold at each end of the gate to drop that into and barb those up... they still get on the back deck and hop onto the roof and occassionally go over that way as well but weight will soon stop that I dare say.

 

[Lotsapaints]

I have 2 every morning who wait for me to let them back in their stall....In there permanent digs (not finished yet) we have been convinced that the overnight run must be covered for their safety at 4 months with a clipped wing they still manage.....I love them wandering around just worried of the neighbors dogs who I couldn't get mad at if they were being dogs...