Raising Eastern Wild Turkeys?

[K dude]

Thanks for the heads up. Maybe this thread will come alive again.

 

[K dude]

lol

 

[CeeJay77]

Thanks for the heads up. Maybe this thread will come alive again.

Yea I’m up for that. Here’s my go...
One of my hens hatched out a clutch. I think they are eastern wild. They are really neat birds but because they were raised by a hen they are now accustomed to roosting up in the barn. I’d like to encourage them to live out in the woods before it gets cold. Does anyone know if it’s possible to change their habits? Someone I know suggested I try to lure them out to the woods by establishing a feeding area out there.
Now I’ll just sit back and see if anyone is out there...

 

[Huntmaster]

In Missouri you MUST have a permit.Also,you have to have pens to keep them in before your permit is issued.You cannot let them free range in Missouri.That was told to me by the Missouri Dept. of Conservation.I was wanting to raise some and there is too much regulation for me.I'll stick with the domestic stock.Take care.

Same in Ohio

 

[CeeJay77]

Same in Ohio

Thank you for your reply. I’m in the middle of nowhere Canada. I understand the permit regulations in different areas. Perhaps I should have framed it as a hypothetical situation... like - once a permit has been secured, if a permit is needed, how could a person go about transitioning barn raised birds into a wooded area and does anyone have experience with that?

 

[K dude]

Wow thats a little sneaker if I ever saw one. (Which I did, because im a wild life officer in canada) Just joking

 

[Thomas B]

I have Easterns, and where I live, I do not need special permits. I have never raised any other type of turkey, so I can't tell you the difference between raising them and other types.

I will say that they are fun to raise and can be as tame as you make them. They do like to travel a bit, they have hopped over my fence quite frequently. I keep their wings clipped, but they still can make it over my 5' fence. I had a hard time deciding to wing clip them, because they can still get over the fence, but it has kept them more close to home. I just wanted to give them an edge over any potential predators. Wild turkeys can fly quite a distance.

I have even gotten a call from the principal of the middle school down the street that my most tame turkey was out on the play ground playing with the kids.........also, we have a 3 month old BR/RP cross turkey and a BBB hen, and everybody gets along.

My Tom stays in the yard, but the hens will go on a walkabout now and again, especially after their poults leave the nest. They seem to want to wander for a couple of weeks after setting hard and raising their young.

After about 2-3 weeks they become interested in the gobbler again and begin to mate. About 2-3 weeks after mating, they start looking for a place to nest. I have built nest boxes for them, and 2 of 3 use the boxes, but one of them prefers the tall grass I keep in part of my yard.

I have tried hatching their eggs in an incubator and had 50% success. I have had much better success with the hens setting on their eggs. If you have a breeding pair, and the hen begins to lay, mark each egg so you can keep track of how many they lay. They will begin to spend more time on the nest after 10-12 eggs, and then they will set hard when they stop laying.

I have three hens, and between the three, they layed between 13 and 18 eggs each.

Yes, you can free range them........mine have access to 24% poultry feed and plenty of grass and bugs.......plus the wife feeds them apples and watermelon.

Mine don't like to roost in the coop I have....they prefer to fly up on the edge of a pen I use for chickens.......and they will roost in trees if you have trees.

That is pretty much my experience with my Easterns......we have had a lot of fun this summer hatching out 2 different runs of poults, and we're looking forward to next summer. I've been told that I could possibly even have a fall hatch.......but who knows?

Hope this info helps........and have fun!

chunky_ficken

That’s amazing! I’m gonna try raising them in ordering the eggs out of California. Can you send me pictures of your nesting boxes? And your pen?

 

[R2elk]

That’s amazing! I’m gonna try raising them in ordering the eggs out of California. Can you send me pictures of your nesting boxes? And your pen?

This thread is from 2009. The person you replied to hasn't been on BYC since 2013.

Make sure to check with your G&F or DNR to make sure you are allowed to have them and get the required permit. In the case of a permit, a site inspection is required before a permit is approved. Some states don't allowing raising wild turkeys at all.