How do you house your turkeys?

[phoenixmama]

For those that do not/can not free range your turkeys...how do you house them? Mine were in the run with my chickens, but it finally happened: My 7 week old boy turkey flew out of the yard, and into the snare of the neighbor's dog. I'm debating putting aviary netting over the run (which would be super expensive...the run is approx. 1500-2000 sq. ft.) or just building the turkeys their own movable pen out of PVC pipe.

What do you think?

 

[Zahboo]

Mine were going to be in a 20x20 run with deer netting on top and the coop was open sided. I have a page following the construction...

 

[CrazyChickMom]

How much pen room do turkeys need? I would like some details on housing turkeys especially for Michigan winters. Burrrrr......

 

[AtRendeAcres]

I heard 10 square feet!

I am also trying to find out how to house for winter!

Joanne

 

[gypsy2621]

I have mine in a 10x10 dog kennel, top is 2 chain link panels with a tin roof over the top.
Large plastic dog barns for shelter and tons of roosting space up high.
for winter I will be buy 2 - 20x20 tarps to enclose 3 sides for warmth.
Kennel is moveable ( light enough so one person can move it) and will be positioned for max sun exposure for the winter.

 

[Harp Turkey Ranch]

Turkeys will need 6-10 sq ft per bird in their house & 20-30 sq ft per bird in their run.

So on the smaller side you can build a 8'x8' house with a attached run that is 8'x25' for 10 birds.

 

[Rosalind]

I am trying the Joel Salatin method of using light temporary structures for everything nowadays. We have two enclosures suitable for turkeys:

1. Six feet of wire fencing surrounded by shrubbery, with about 140 square feet of shelter in the barn and, oh, gosh, the run is about 30 x 90 feet. Barn's ex-manure pit has been swept out and is open to the run. All I have to do is build new gates for the wire fencing, and put in some roosts, the existing ones are crummy.

2. A large-ish ex-manger, about 60 square feet, attached to the side of the orchard. Orchard is fenced with 6' stockade, and is 70 x 80 feet.

And then I'm in the process of building a sort of moveable hoop house tractor. I want to put some sort of foraging- and scratching-type poultry in the hoop house in fall, to eat the weeds and fertilize in the garden beds before I mulch 'em in November, and then use it as a sort of cold frame in spring to start the veggie seedlings. This can also be used as a handy transit method to run bunches of flighty poultry between housing, especially between the barn's "poultry hospital room" (a separate room in the front of the barn that is heated in winter) and the regular housing.

I would make the pen out of something stronger/heavier than PVC pipe. You don't want it blowing away in a strong wind. And I say that from sad experience...