FIL wants turkeys, Im clueless

[key west chick]

My FIL has decided he wants turkeys. Hes not sure what he wants or how many. I think he is envisioning a small flock running around his yard. He had a wild hen for awhile but she disappeared. So, if he really does get some, what breeds are the hardiest. Hes not gonna eat them or anything. I really think he just wants some. How many should he get? I doubt hes gonna fence them in so they may end up running off. FIL is very impulsive so if I tell him its not a good idea, its gonna make him want to do it even more. I thought I could at least start him in the right direction.

 

[Olive Hill]

Quote:
If he's not going to bother even trying to keep them from joining the wild population, imo, he should be looking at nothing other than just that. I'm not familiar with GA, what do you have down there? Eastern Wilds? If so, those are what he should be getting. At least when they go mate with the wilds it won't affect the gene pool quite so much.

 

[key west chick]

Can he purchase those? I think he really wants the wild ones but ones that he can feed and try to keep close to home. I think hes crazy but the more I tell him it wont work, the more he wants to prove me wrong.

 

[Olive Hill]

Sure can.

http://www.purelypoultry.com/eastern-wild-turkey-poults-p-464.html

 

[Frosty]

In most states you need a permit to legally own wild turkeys and in some states you can't have them at all. Check the laws before ordering. If he wants turkeys that look like wild he can always go with Bronze (just not the Broad Breasted type).

That being said, any type of heritage turkey is hardy. And I have never had my turkeys run off to join a wild flock, though I did have a wild hen join my flock and she got tame enough that she and her poults would follow me in to the barn when I was feeding mine. They stayed until early fall, then I locked mine up since a hungry owl was starting to pick turkeys out of the trees. After that the wild group disappeared.

I wouldn't discourage him, they are really neat birds and come in some gorgeous colors. They help with tick and grasshopper control, too. If he starts with poults, he can release when they are old enough. If he gets adults they will need to be locked up for a while until they think of him as home.

 

[Hannah hen]

I agree with Fosty, The heritage type birds are the way to go. We have two pair of Burbon Reds. They are hardy, friendly, and can reproduce naturally, so you can have new little ones running around next spring. Ours did have to fenced in completely (including on the top) when the neighbors started to complain about their bird feeders being raided and their decks being fertilized. Before that they slept in the trees and came running when ever we returned home from work. I still can say they are the favorite birds in our flock and can spend hours watching them.