I need a little advice

[Cheeky Chick]

I have 2 turkey poults-about 5 weeks old. They're still mainly inside my house, but during the day they are out in a dog run so they can run around and be turkeys. I have one Chocolate and one Black Spanish. (Soprano and Montana)

I'd like to keep them with my chickens eventually, but the door on the hen house is only 1' x 1.5'. Will they be able to fit through, or do I need to make them their own door? (Though I have NO clue how I'm going to manage that! )

What do you think? Will they fit?

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

My turkey experience is limited, being in the process of raising 4 right now. I have noticed that going INTO something is not a concept popular with turkeys if they have the option of going ONTO something. I had them in a 6'X12' tractor that had a big, great dane-sized wire dog crate in it that was covered in old towels to protect them from persistant predators and cold drafts during the night. Every evening I'd have to come down and remove them from the top of the crate and put them inside...every single night.

Now they've been in my dog's run for about a week. The run has six foot chain link fence around the outside and attaches to the back of a barn/garage building. There is a 3'X3' door cut in the back of the building that leads to another 6'X6' enclosure on the inside of the garage, also made of 6'tall chain link. I placed a saw horse inside for night-time roosting which they used the first night. The second night they decided instead to fly up and roost on top of the 6'tall fence. The third night they didn't even bother to go inside, prefering to roost on the fence outside.

So, my guess is you'd have a heck of a time getting your turkeys into your chicken coop at all. Perhaps more experienced folks will chime in.

 

[Cheeky Chick]

Thank you for your reply. We have a horrid Raccoon problem here, so I'm really hoping to be able to keep them safe. Maybe if the weather isn't great they'll go inside? I'm guessing a raccoon will kill a turkey, right? I know they've gotten several chickens from me-at one point years ago-my entire flock in one night.

I know Turkeys can fly when they're young, but I don't think I'll sleep a wink worrying about them. Maybe the dog run they're in now during the day, (it's 6x10) with a large crate in it, and hardware cloth where we don't have wood. (we put wood around it because during Super storm Sandy we had meat chickens in it, there's still wood around the bottom 2-3 feet of the pen. )