Edgars Mom
In the Brooder
- May 12, 2020
- 28
- 17
- 23
Hello there... One day last week I woke up and had no idea that I would have turkeys. By one o'clock that afternoon arrangements had been made and 6 BBW poults were being delivered. We put them in a Rubbermaid and started researching every thing we could find on turkeys. We had initially planned on raising a few turkeys for meat. By the end of the same day, we had decided to try to raise heritage turkeys and had ordered 6 Bourbon Reds and 6 Sweetgrass. They are due to hatch in a couple of weeks. Our plan was to keep a trio for breeding next year and raise the rest for the freezer. Going forward, our plan is to hatch and raise about a dozen a year for meat and keep the parents as pets.
So.... We are scrambling to get ready for them and trying to decide how to set them up. I have a 11' X 12' stall in my small horse barn and we are planning to build a "bedroom" for them. We are having it converted to a secure coop because my barn doors stay open in the summer. My plan was to cut a door in the outside wall of the barn for them to come and go. Is that enough space for the nights when there are up to 20 birds in there? Also, do I have to keep the Tom separate and do I need to divide that space? In the winter there will only be the trio and three laying hens. But in the summer the kids will be in there too.
Initially we thought we would let them free range and herd them into the barn at night to sleep. I have a large barnyard (111' X 120' or so. Adjacent to that is a small pasture (3-4 acres) that is visible from the house. Our plan was to drive them out onto the pasture and back in at night.
But I hadn't considered predators and we have some resident foxes that cruise through that pasture during the day, as well as Hawks. We also have Coyotes and raccoons but I was only worried about daytime predators. I also don't want them annoying my neighbour who is fairly close to us. Her lawn butts up to my barnyard.
We decided to enclose the barnyard by adding chicken wire to the board fencing. The fences are 4' high. The woman we are getting the poults from said that if we clip their wings, they will stay in the barnyard. But I keep reading stories of birds performing remarkable feats and escaping.
The other options are to build an enclosed pen off the side of the barn (which we will probably do anyway to let them out when I don't feel like herding them or we are going out for a few hours) but I really don't want them to live in that full time. The other option is to build a tractor to move around during the day in the pasture. As they wouldn't be sleeping in it, I wouldn't have to worry about determined predators. It would mainly be to deter a casual encounter with a fox or an arial attack.
I would really appreciate thoughts or advice before we go to the cost and effort going forward. Is it possible that with clipped wings they will hang out in the barnyard? Are there tractor designs that are more for casual daytime use rather than having to be very secure? Do I need a permanent run right away? We already bought 400' of chicken wire to enclose the barnyard and aren't sure what to do next.
Any advice from experienced keepers would be greatly appreciated.
So.... We are scrambling to get ready for them and trying to decide how to set them up. I have a 11' X 12' stall in my small horse barn and we are planning to build a "bedroom" for them. We are having it converted to a secure coop because my barn doors stay open in the summer. My plan was to cut a door in the outside wall of the barn for them to come and go. Is that enough space for the nights when there are up to 20 birds in there? Also, do I have to keep the Tom separate and do I need to divide that space? In the winter there will only be the trio and three laying hens. But in the summer the kids will be in there too.
Initially we thought we would let them free range and herd them into the barn at night to sleep. I have a large barnyard (111' X 120' or so. Adjacent to that is a small pasture (3-4 acres) that is visible from the house. Our plan was to drive them out onto the pasture and back in at night.
But I hadn't considered predators and we have some resident foxes that cruise through that pasture during the day, as well as Hawks. We also have Coyotes and raccoons but I was only worried about daytime predators. I also don't want them annoying my neighbour who is fairly close to us. Her lawn butts up to my barnyard.
We decided to enclose the barnyard by adding chicken wire to the board fencing. The fences are 4' high. The woman we are getting the poults from said that if we clip their wings, they will stay in the barnyard. But I keep reading stories of birds performing remarkable feats and escaping.
The other options are to build an enclosed pen off the side of the barn (which we will probably do anyway to let them out when I don't feel like herding them or we are going out for a few hours) but I really don't want them to live in that full time. The other option is to build a tractor to move around during the day in the pasture. As they wouldn't be sleeping in it, I wouldn't have to worry about determined predators. It would mainly be to deter a casual encounter with a fox or an arial attack.
I would really appreciate thoughts or advice before we go to the cost and effort going forward. Is it possible that with clipped wings they will hang out in the barnyard? Are there tractor designs that are more for casual daytime use rather than having to be very secure? Do I need a permanent run right away? We already bought 400' of chicken wire to enclose the barnyard and aren't sure what to do next.
Any advice from experienced keepers would be greatly appreciated.
