New to Turkeys

[Jama-Darkeneh]

First so glad I now have a place to asked I hope my not so odd questions.
First question for my new site. I am getting two poults tom and hen can I let them be free range as all my birds and goats are free well secured buildings at night I am in northern Ontario how long should I keep them in before they can be free

 

[Lazy Farmer]

welcome.. we did 3 months but with supervision..

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Turkeys under a year tend to do more traveling than mature birds interested in breeding. I would supervise all free ranging for that first season or else they could wander too far in their excitement.

 

[NJWMaine]

Is there a difference in breed as far as ease of free ranging? I'd be looking for something that's pretty self sufficient and I'm not too worried about finished weight. I was going to start around end of March/early April. We shut in at night but free range our ducks, geese and chickens during the day with no *day time* predator issues so far in the past year.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

All young heritage varieties will run amok as I call it. They range for a short while than they go find trouble like chasing chickens or flying up in the trees or on buildings. They appear to have ADD.

Heritage take much longer to make meat. Often over a year if you want a bigger carcass. They are pretty stringy that first year.

I have had turkeys harass and kill my chickens so I don't house them together and the turkeys have their own large run when I can't take their shenanigans anymore. Older birds aren't as much trouble as younger ones.

 

[NJWMaine]

All young heritage varieties will run amok as I call it. They range for a short while than they go find trouble like chasing chickens or flying up in the trees or on buildings. They appear to have ADD.

Heritage take much longer to make meat. Often over a year if you want a bigger carcass. They are pretty stringy that first year.

I have had turkeys harass and kill my chickens so I don't house them together and the turkeys have their own large run when I can't take their shenanigans anymore. Older birds aren't as much trouble as younger ones.

So if I'm used to free ranging birds and wanted to try turkeys, should I stick with a more commercial breed and confine? I just don't like the idea of doing so. How high can they fly? Would there be a certain size fencing height that would be adequate? I suppose I should do some more research on them.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Young heritage turkeys can fly up pretty high, 4-6 feet is easy. I keep one wing clipped to slow them down, but it doesn't ground them.

If you want meat I would stick with BB. Heritage are good if you want to raise and breed them.

I've read enough posts about turkeys showing up in people's yard that I would never allow heritage turkeys to be completely free range, they can move very fast.

These have been my experiences keeping heritage turkeys. Maybe others young turkeys are better behaved than mine. Mine are always troublemakers until their first breeding season.

 

[NJWMaine]

Young heritage turkeys can fly up pretty high, 4-6 feet is easy. I keep one wing clipped to slow them down, but it doesn't ground them.

If you want meat I would stick with BB. Heritage are good if you want to raise and breed them.

I've read enough posts about turkeys showing up in people's yard that I would never allow heritage turkeys to be completely free range, they can move very fast.

These have been my experiences keeping heritage turkeys. Maybe others young turkeys are better behaved than mine. Mine are always troublemakers until their first breeding season.

Thank you for your input! I've got half a year to decide so I'll do some more research on it! Definitely don't plan on breeding them, they'd strictly be for meat like my Cornish x batches. I've got some wooded areas and 3.4 acres to play with, but the waterfowl are my priority.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

From my experiences turkeys don't forage as well as chickens and ducks, but than I always have feed available, so no one is forced to. I haven't had BB but they might range a bit before getting too big to do it.

 

[NJWMaine]

From my experiences turkeys don't forage as well as chickens and ducks, but than I always have feed available, so no one is forced to. I haven't had BB but they might range a bit before getting too big to do it.

I'm kind of a jerk, and I figure if I have the land and food available, they're going to figure out how to supplement their diet. I feed a very small amt in the morning a few days a week, and some mid-day on my day off, but otherwise they are only fed at night in the pen for 1-2 hours before being shut in for the night. It helps me get them all back. In the winter I offer more food, but that's just for my long term geese and ducks. Everything I read said Cornish X are bad at free ranging/foraging, but with food restriction they are freakin' excellent at it.