Question about Turkeys

[Bleenie]

I am thinking of getting some Bourbon Red and Slate Blue turkeys nest year, or poults this year if possible.

are turkeys easy keepers? like chickens?

whats the usual temperment? are they mean to other animals or people?

what kind of set up do i need for them?

i have never had turkeys before so know nothing about them.

 

[Harp Turkey Ranch]

are turkeys easy keepers? like chickens?

Not really, they are pretty easy once you get them 6-8 weeks old, but fragile before that. Once they get older they can fly and will fly out of their pen if no roof is on plus they eat alot more feed then a chicken. Other then that they are pretty easy

whats the usual temperment? are they mean to other animals or people?

Most of the time they are real nice and curious. During breeding season the toms can get protective and the hens mean if you let them hatch out there own eggs and they have poults.

what kind of set up do i need for them?

Same as chickens just bigger. 8-10sq ft per bird house and 20-30 sq ft in the run per bird with a roof if you want them to stay in. These of course are min. numbers more is always better.

i have never had turkeys before so know nothing about them.

Ask all the questions you want and use the search feature here on BYC and you will learn alot pretty fast in a short time here.​

 

[Bleenie]

Thank you Harp

a couple more questions...

do they do alright on their own or would i need at least 2?
If i only have 2 toms will they fight?
will i need a hen?
would an open front (3 sided) house work okay for them?

how do they do free ranging? will they eat EVERYTHING like chickens do? do they normally stay near their coop?

thanks so much, i am totally clueless about turkeys

 

[chickenannie]

Your question has been asked before: read this previous post -- it has lots of good info: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=92240

I think the main issue with turkeys is that they need much more space than chickens. And more careful care as young poults than chicks do since they are a bit more sensitive as young'uns.

Especially f you get heritage turkeys -- they can fly and range very far -- or if you pen them up they need more space than chickens.

 

[dixiedoodle09]

We have 2 standard bronze turkeys, they are 5 months and are pretty sure they are hens. I am glad we got 2 because they hang together all the time. They follow us around like dogs. We almost lost one tonight, my son found one in our swimming pool. The pool is fenced in, I guess it just flew over it. Luckily she is ok. They do like to eat alot. They are very sweet girls.

 

[raccoon]

First
I have 8 BR and they do the buddy system. When they are out with my chickens they are in pairs. I have mine for both reasons Pets and meat . Mine are sweethearts they sit on my shoulder and make the rounds with me[ been told this sitting on the sholder thing is not good ] little now..

 

[Laurelm]

I am a first time turkey owner and have two black Spanish. They both turned out to be toms. When they were babies I spent time every night holding them while I watched tv. Thier names are ruffles and popcorn and although they fight with each other now and then - they are always kind to me. They follow me down when I feed my horses! If I just sit out side the turkeys plus my geese and ducks hang out with me.

SO I guess you could say I love my boys!

I am going to attempt to attach a couple pictures.

Didn't work - can someone tell me how I attach picture in BYC?

Thanks.

PS: I have 2 red burbons and 1 royal palm in the incubator now - hatch date next week!