Free ranging, coops and roosts, runs, ALL THE QUESTIONS!

[Stephanie8806]

Hi there Turkey community! We are considering adding turkeys to our homestead Seasonally for meat purposes. I know that the Broad Breasted varieties grow faster and larger, but that heritage breeds can have more flavorful dark meat. The size or time to maturity is not really an issue for us.

Im mostly here to talk about the difference in housing and environment(runs/fencing/free ranging) needs between the types. I’d love to raise both types, either together or every other year, but it all comes down to what will work best for our setup. I know there are several very old threads covering some of this info, but I figured I’d start a more recent one so myself as well as others could actually ask questions and get answers!

Here’s a couple of my questions:

1. If given enough square footage in a fenced run(fenced but not fully enclosed), will the BBs stay in? I’m talking 250-400 square feet PER BIRD(over 1000 sq ft run for 3-5 birds), with a 5 foot fence.

2. if they can be trained that their home is a reliable food and water source(actually, the only water source within a mile, as there is no ground water here), will heritage varieties stay closer? Or come back regularly?

3. Are small predators and birds of prey a danger to turkeys(primarily mink/weasels, owls, and hawks)? How likely is a LARGE predator(cougar, bear, or bobcat) to go after a turkey? We have no medium predators(coyotes, foxes, raccoons), which seem to be most problematic in general.

4. COOP SETUPS! From what I gather, BBs require a place where they can safely sleep on the ground... just how “predator proof) does this need to be? Are there ways to protect or fence(cover in hardware cloth) the lower-to-the-ground open air style turkey roosts that will be satisfactory to dissuade most predators? I’m assuming the high open air roosts for heritage varieties would do the trick?

5. Can broad breasted and heritage varieties be raised together? Obviously, for meat, the heritage should be raised longer... but will the coexist peacefully, like different chicken varieties?

6. If a Broad breasted leaves the run area to free range(when younger and smaller), and doesn’t come back by evening, does it just roost on the ground somewhere, or does it find its way to a tree branch?

 

[Chickensandhorsesforlife]

I JUST got a turkey! he is so amazing. In my opinion, yours would fly out, even if given a ton of room. I was trying to catch mine, and he scaled a hill and flew up a tree. (we got him)

 

[R2elk]

1. If given enough square footage in a fenced run(fenced but not fully enclosed), will the BBs stay in? I’m talking 250-400 square feet PER BIRD(over 1000 sq ft run for 3-5 birds), with a 5 foot fence.

As long as there is no top bar or rail on the fence, it should keep BBs inside the enclosure. If there is a top bar or rail, they will get up on it and will almost always get down on the wrong side of the fence.

Of course when they are youngsters they can easily fly up onto or over the fence.

2. if they can be trained that their home is a reliable food and water source(actually, the only water source within a mile, as there is no ground water here), will heritage varieties stay closer? Or come back regularly?

I have no trouble keeping my heritage turkeys inside a 2 acre fenced area. My perimeter fence is a 2"x4"x6' welded wire fence.

3. Are small predators and birds of prey a danger to turkeys(primarily mink/weasels, owls, and hawks)? How likely is a LARGE predator(cougar, bear, or bobcat) to go after a turkey? We have no medium predators(coyotes, foxes, raccoons), which seem to be most problematic in general.

My adult turkeys are rarely attacked unless it is a hen on a hidden nest. I do not allow the juveniles to roost outside until they are old enough to not be a tempting target to Great Horned owls. Mine are usually 3 months old before I allow them to roost outside.

4. COOP SETUPS! From what I gather, BBs require a place where they can safely sleep on the ground... just how “predator proof) does this need to be? Are there ways to protect or fence(cover in hardware cloth) the lower-to-the-ground open air style turkey roosts that will be satisfactory to dissuade most predators? I’m assuming the high open air roosts for heritage varieties would do the trick?

BBs can benefit from low roosts such as a hay or straw bale.

5. Can broad breasted and heritage varieties be raised together? Obviously, for meat, the heritage should be raised longer... but will the coexist peacefully, like different chicken varieties?

Yes but each individual turkey may behave differently. Some heritage varieties are more mellow than others. BBs tend to be very mellow.

6. If a Broad breasted leaves the run area to free range(when younger and smaller), and doesn’t come back by evening, does it just roost on the ground somewhere, or does it find its way to a tree branch?

Young BBs can fly very well. I do not give my turkeys the option of returning or not on their own. I herd them back to their run/coop in the evening if I have allowed them to free range during the day. When first allowing them to free range, they should only be allowed out under supervision and only for a short period of time. Once they are acclimated and know where everything is, (this includes the open gates) they can be allowed out for longer periods of time.