Free ranging/roosting question...

[ki4got]

we have wild turkeys all over the place, my property (26 acres) is wooded mountainside mostly, in the blue ridge mountains of VA.

are turkeys like chickens, always go to their 'home' at night? I'd like to add a few turkeys next year, but my chickens all free range then go to their coop at night, and i'd rather not have to pen them unless I have to. I like letting them wander about during the day, and my dogs are great protectors, keeping varmints under control. can the turkeys roost with chickens too if the coop is large enough?

 

[jasonm11]

almost no chance of getting them in a coop unless you lead them into it with food everynight. Well actually if you get them as poults and get tehm used to it from teh get go they may stick with it.

 

[ki4got]

Quote:
ok so... basically they have to stay penned then?

 

[Stacykins]

I've had my turkeys since little poults, raised them with chicken chicks (had no adults to begin with). They learned where Home is in the coop and put themselves to bed inside every night with the chickens. They are all let out of the run to free range during the day. I've had a time or two when a single turkey decides to perch on TOP of the coop, but other than that, they've been good. I don't have many trees on my property since it used to be farmland, so they don't really haven't anywhere else to go and roost for the night.

 

[jc12551]

I have tried to train my turkeys since they were put outside to roost in the coop. But they prefer the oak tree next to the coop

the only way to get them in at night is to go out before dark, chase them down, and wrestle them into the coop. I have one turkey (the runt) who thinks he is a chicken and he roosts with the chickens in the coop just fine. In the morning they fly down from the tree and into the yard. They are usually waiting on the front lawn for me when I get up. When a dog comes into the yard they either go after it en mass or fly back into the run if it is really big.

Oh and I have two black tailed white Japanese bantams that sleep about 25 feet up in the tree with the turkeys. They even free range during the morning time. So I have one turkey that thinks it is a bantam, and two bantams that think they are turkeys

 

[jasonm11]

Quote:
ok so... basically they have to stay penned then?

No dont pen up once they are large enough to fend off a cat they can be left alone. They will fly up in the trees and keep safe and will stay close to where they are fed, for the most part.

 

[ki4got]

well considering i have 26 acres of trees for the most part, that probably isn't going to work. unless maybe i can coax them in with extra special treats every night.

what happens with the broad breasted types that can't even breed properly, what do they do? i can see it now... *flap flap flap* *THUD*

oh i see someone said the same thing justabout as i was contemplating this response... 8)

thanks

 

[Lagerdogger]

If you have a lot of wild turkeys around, it would be a good idea to fence them in. You really don't want your domesticated birds breeding with wild turkeys. Not good for the wild gene pool...

 

[ivan3]

Lagerdogger wrote: If you have a lot of wild turkeys around, it would be a good idea to fence them in. You really don't want your domesticated birds breeding with wild turkeys. Not good for the wild gene pool...

x2

Don't know what your predator load is like but, if we allowed ours to roost in the trees they'd be coon pinatas.

Our original bunch had to be trained to roost in their shed. The succeeding 2 generations have been trained by our `students'. They require no assistance from us.​