Question about Jenny area

[affacat]

I've got some Narragansett Turkeys that are starting to get big and have been building a 3 sided shed for them.

I have read some talk of providing an area only Jennies can access. I'm guessing for raising poults, can't exactly remember.

Is this necessary? Nice to have? I don't mind building a 'room' in the 8x12 shed.

How big should the entry be to prevent tom access but allow Jennies? Should I have dividers like nest boxes? How tall?

Any advice appreciated

 

[R2elk]

I've got some Narragansett Turkeys that are starting to get big and have been building a 3 sided shed for them.

I have read some talk of providing an area only Jennies can access. I'm guessing for raising poults, can't exactly remember.

Is this necessary? Nice to have? I don't mind building a 'room' in the 8x12 shed.

How big should the entry be to prevent tom access but allow Jennies? Should I have dividers like nest boxes? How tall?

Any advice appreciated

You won't need a separate area for them until they start laying eggs.

Turkeys are not like chickens in that putting in nest boxes may not accomplish anything. Turkeys prefer "hidden" nest sites and may or may not choose to use what you provide.

Once a hen has a nest, the toms should not be allowed access to the nest. A tom will take a hen sitting on a nest as an invitation to breed. The unwanted breeding attempts can result in broken eggs, an injured hen or in the worst case, a dead hen.

Unless you shut the hens in the proposed room, there is no guarantee that they will use it.

 

[affacat]

You won't need a separate area for them until they start laying eggs.

Turkeys are not like chickens in that putting in nest boxes may not accomplish anything. Turkeys prefer "hidden" nest sites and may or may not choose to use what you provide.

Once a hen has a nest, the toms should not be allowed access to the nest. A tom will take a hen sitting on a nest as an invitation to breed. The unwanted breeding attempts can result in broken eggs, an injured hen or in the worst case, a dead hen.

Unless you shut the hens in the proposed room, there is no guarantee that they will use it.

So no point in building it?

My plan was to give the turkeys a protected shed and run, but let them out everyday (much like we do our chickens). I was hoping to have the protected Jenny area in the coop...

But if I understand correctly, they may decide to settle down in some other area of the yard and I should just let them?

 

[R2elk]

So no point in building it?

My plan was to give the turkeys a protected shed and run, but let them out everyday (much like we do our chickens). I was hoping to have the protected Jenny area in the coop...

But if I understand correctly, they may decide to settle down in some other area of the yard and I should just let them?

It's entirely up to you. Only a portion of my run is covered with flight netting. My hens let themselves out daily for foraging and laying eggs when in season. I have a perimeter fence around about 2 acres that they use and make their hidden nests in. My tom stays in the run so their nest sites are safe from him.

I have had a few that will lay their eggs in the chicken's nest boxes. Last year two of them went broody in the coop. This is a rarity for my birds.

 

[Quarterhorses1]

My turkey will not lay anywhere but the wood pile

 

[R2elk]

My turkey will not lay anywhere but the wood pile

Mine usually choose a different nest site every year.

 

[Quarterhorses1]

Mine usually choose a different nest site every year.

I’ve only had mine for a year and a half

 

[affacat]

It's entirely up to you. Only a portion of my run is covered with flight netting. My hens let themselves out daily for foraging and laying eggs when in season. I have a perimeter fence around about 2 acres that they use and make their hidden nests in. My tom stays in the run so their nest sites are safe from him.

I have had a few that will lay their eggs in the chicken's nest boxes. Last year two of them went broody in the coop. This is a rarity for my birds.

How do your ladies get out of your run but the Tom doesn't / can't? By choice? Exit size?

 

[R2elk]

How do your ladies get out of your run but the Tom doesn't / can't? By choice? Exit size?

Once the toms get to a certain size, they seem to forget that they can fly. The hens fly out. When they want back in badly enough, they fly back in but most of the time they will go stand by a gate and holler until I let them back in.

 

[affacat]

Once the toms get to a certain size, they seem to forget that they can fly. The hens fly out. When they want back in badly enough, they fly back in but most of the time they will go stand by a gate and holler until I let them back in.

That's good to know. We're still not sure how many Tom's and Jennies we have... 4 and 4 maybe, or if we're lucky 3 and 5.

I do have a question for you - in another thread you mentioned the dangers of chicken wire and turkeys... Do you think there is a safe height where I can switch from hardware cloth to chicken wire? Above 3 feet? Above 4 feet? We don't want to risk our Tom's.