Give me the dirt on turkeys

[chickenannie]

Quote:
Yeah, I think mine tended to start wandering a bit farther every day until they got into trouble -- I didn't realize they had been strolling by the market on the other side of the creek at dawn... by the time I got out to feed them, they'd be meekly in my yard looking for food. It was only until the market bread baker told me they were regularly coming over at 6 a.m. to check out his baked goods, begging for treats that I knew about it! They were very sneaky. This had been going on for several weeks apparently. All this on a 40-acre farm (as if they didn't have enough places to go on 40 acres).

I had to do a couple of things: Penned them up just on market day (once a week); and/or I would keep half of them in the pen, and let the other half roam, and then switch the next day and let the other half roam. I found out having their buddies penned up kept the free-rangers from roaming far. This only works if they're from the same family or group and don't want to be apart.

Also, I finally got a big group of 30 and didn't want them roaming, so I put them in a large, fenced pasture and clipped their wing feathers on one side so they couldn't fly out. This worked for two months until a FOX showed up and started eating one every night.

After THAT happened, I had to pen the 30 up each night in a hoopcoop in their pasture. Now no fox bothers them. i've sold them all for Thanksgiving dinners, so I'll be back down to my 6 breeders (who sleep 40 feet up in a tree at night) as well as 4 young'uns who sleep high in the tree as well.

Good luck with keeping yours home. It's a thrill to see them enjoying themselves so much, but like you said, with so many they can get out of control. Especially you must worry about them in the spring -- mating behavior makes them act very weird, fighting, nesting, etc. I would have a pen for when needed. I made mine out of an old trampoline (put wire around the sides).

 

[BeakSanctuary]

Too funny about the market and the market bread baker, chickenannie! That's the best laugh I've had today.

I like your strategies and might have to use them soon. I remember being nervous about how turkeys would act before I got them, like what I had in my mind was something almost as big as a washing machine with feathers. Bought a big 50x100 foot net for covering my run just to keep them from flying out, then never could get the net stretched from one end to the other properly and ended up taking it down and now it's a heap in my basement, while the turkey population enjoys its freedom.

A big flock of 30 must be something to see - my neighbors would really back up down the road then,

. Yes, Spring will be a time of great activity here (and surprise), I guess. Wonder how many turkeys I'll have then?

 

[chickenannie]

Yeah, there was definitely a humorous aspect to it, and I can imagine how mad the baker must have been with my sneaky-eyed turkeys checking out all his sparkly packaging and bread! Fortunately, I took care of that problem and it never happened again. Funny thing is, now the poultry vendor at the market keeps eyeing my pasture full of turkeys and keeps asking me "what are you going to do with all those nice, plump turkeys?" ha ha.

 

[shelleyd2008]

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Most of my layers are dual purpose with the intention of processing excess males, but for stocking up the freezer, I want freedom rangers.

I have right now 3 types of quail, 3 breeds of duck, chickens, and next month turkeys, next spring bobwhites and chukars, and possibly peafowl and geese as well!! So it can be done! I'm not addicted to chickens, I'm addicted to birds!!!

My current wish list has two kinds of quail, one kind of duck, two or three kinds of turkeys, maybe guinea fowl and someday maybe geese. Plus my chickens, which are mostly dual purpose of a few types, plus some leghorns for fun.​

OOPS!!! I forgot about my guineas!! I have WAY TOO MANY birds!!

 

[BeakSanctuary]

Funny you should mention that, chickenannie, because my 12-year-old thought it was a funny story and said, "At least it wasn't the MEAT market!" where they went shopping for treats.

Hardly got to see my birds today - just another "work day" - Blah!

 

[hereachick]

Wow! All this info on turkeys is great! I too am thinking about gettin g some turkeys next spring.I see where some of you raise them along with your chickens you don't seem to have any problems with blackhead or other diseases? I currently have chickens and ducks who live together in the same pen they do fine except for when the roos start fighting and upset everyone.Will turkeys get along with these guys how about the little bantums will the turkeys stomp them? Also how much room do turkeys require and how much cold can they stand? Will they need a house all of their own? Can you eat the turkey eggs like chickens and ducks? I would really like some pretty toms just for pets not food but, not at the price of my chickens and ducks lifes! Sorry if I repeated any questions and thanks for the answers.I find this site to be very,very, interesting. I love all the pics and different questions.Good luck everyone with your new turkeys!and thanks!

 

[ivan3]

Patandchickens wrote:What about winter housing for turkeys -- it is Too D*mn Cold And Windy here for about 3-4 months of the year or more, and if I wanted to keep like a trio for breeding purposes they'd have to winter indoors. Those who've kept turkeys over the winter, what do you think would be a minimum reasonable (not overly cramped) size for 3 heritage-type turkeys, entirely indoors?

We put up an EZ Framer 7'x8' shed (pine shaving/straw over sand over congoleum over plywood for flooring). This is perfectly adequate for predator/weather, for five. When freeranged they all march off single file to their run and tend to roost a bit earlier than the chooks. Yes, they required considerable redirection when young but they really aren't much more difficult to train than dogs. Our neighbors provide minimal housing for their turks and have seen them hunched over on the railing of their deck like snow covered gargoyles (pretty cold hardy). As long as they can retreat to their shed and have a run with protection from the wind there shouldn't be a reason to completely house them with no outside access. SueNH, a member on the other BYC, managed to keep her three month olds alive through the winter in New Hampshire with only minimal heating and lighting.

hereachick wrote: Will turkeys get along with these guys how about the little bantums will the turkeys stomp them? Also how much room do turkeys require and how much cold can they stand? Will they need a house all of their own? Can you eat the turkey eggs like chickens and ducks?

Our Big Slate tried the stomp down on one of our RSL hens just once (roo worked him over). I'd let them free range together but I'd provide them their own run (particularly if you have more than one jake - they could injure other birds unintentionally while sparring with one another). Yes, turkey eggs are very good to eat (make sure you bust the membrane as well as the shell or you'll get a faceful of squirting albumin - tough membrane).

shelleyd2008 wrote Who would want a pet turkey??

I know I'm begging the question but, turkeys adopt you. If they are hand raised and imprint on you, you are da bird. Sometimes it is like being hounded by agents of the grape lobby (think old Thomas Nast cartoons of Tammany Hall politicians):

Other times it can be rather `busy' (our Slate and Royal toms attacking the neighbor's Black Spanish intruder)

Oh, keep several rubber hog bowls full of clean water out during the summer as they can't get enough (just trying to think warm thoughts today):

 

[chickenannie]

Great pics, ivan! Thanks for sharing. Your birds are beautiful. You made me laugh with the whole grape lobby following...
One of my hens always comes to my car door when I pull in the lane -- probably looking for treats, but it's always a funny welcome home!

 

[ivan3]

They can be intimidating to visitors (got to see who's in the car). But they primarily like to hang around and be bragged on, or go out into the woods with us.

 

[chickenannie]

That is so cool that they go hang out with you in the woods! I love turkey personalities.

Mine were acting weird the other day, running around the base of a big tree... then I realized they had spotted a squirrel and were playing chase with it. Poor thing, I think it was terrified to have a string of turkeys happily chasing it round and round. Made me laugh though.