Free Range Questions....do Turkeys come home?

[Armageddon]

Hey all...

I have chickens that always come home at dusk...

I dont have much esperience with Turkeys, I have two that are in a separate area.....they are getting older now and I was wondering if I could let them wander around a bit? Will they come back at dusk?

 

[CoopCrazy]

Quote:
I would like to know as well... My chickens free rnage during the day and I would love to let my BBB turkeys do so as well.. Although I doubt mymother would EVER go ouitside again (she's scared to death of the turkeys.... ) LOL

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

Once they get used to roosting in a place they will go back every night

Steve

 

[OmaBird]

If you lock a turkey up in the area you want them to come back to for about a week, they always will come back to that spot. If they start looking for trees or things to perch on you did not lock them up long enough. All of my babies this year learned in one week.

 

[Dogfish]

My turkeys and chickens were raised together. The turkeys provide security, as they have excellent eyesight, while they all free range together. I have BBB. They hang with, but separate from, the chcikens while out in the field. They know they are different, but they like the chickens, often sleeping in a pile during a nap. Never had an issue with them returning, but they were locked up for about a weeke before being let loose.

 

[Mommi3130]

Mine all return every night no problems.

 

[pdpatch]

If you raised them from the beginning there generally is not a problem. When we move them from one coop to the next then, we leave them in the coop for about a week. Of course there could be some situations where that does not work. When you first start to let them out you can supervise them to make sure they come back.

If you get adult or older bird it takes longer to "home" them, about a month or more depending on the Turkey.

It is also a possibility that if you have a small flock, they may decide to go join some wild turkeys if you have any around.

Turkeys prefer to things we would call weeds, rather then ornamental grasses so they may go further to find the good stuff.
Turkeys that are good foragers, such as Red Bourbons, Spanish blacks have a tenancy to wander further away. Unless you have a good supply of weeds and bugs close by.

When Hens lay eggs, they may go find a nest away from the coop and go broody on you.

Tom

 

[Baybrio]

They prefer weeds!! Mine should stay really close to home.

 

[cmpm91]

my neighbors have a pet turkey and one day it wondered over to my property and the owner came and got it 1 time and said “it’ll be back” and sure enough the next day it came back and never left. It sleeps on my balcony railing at nights and spends the whole day up by our chicken coop with the chickens. It’s been weeks. So I guess it decided to adopt us as its new owners. I didn’t feed it for a week straight so it would go back home but it wouldn’t leave so my bf and I just gave in and started feeding it.

 

[R2elk]

my neighbors have a pet turkey and one day it wondered over to my property and the owner came and got it 1 time and said “it’ll be back” and sure enough the next day it came back and never left. It sleeps on my balcony railing at nights and spends the whole day up by our chicken coop with the chickens. It’s been weeks. So I guess it decided to adopt us as its new owners. I didn’t feed it for a week straight so it would go back home but it wouldn’t leave so my bf and I just gave in and started feeding it.

This thread is from 2010. Other than one member who was last on BYC in 2024, none of the others have been on BYC since 2013.