Ranging turkeys

[extraordinaryfowl]

How far will turkeys (assuming they are a heritage breed) roam?

 

[fowlsessed]

From what I hear and read they aren't supposed to go verry far. Espesially bourbon reds, standard bronze and narragansett to name a few that I have heard about in particular.

 

[jasonm11]

Depends on what is available to eat. They generally will stay close to the feed. They will roam around the property but as long as you feed and water everyday it will provide a good incentive for them to stay close.

 

[extraordinaryfowl]

What about roosting in trees? Do they favor roosting in trees so much that it might be hard to get them in at night?

 

[extraordinaryfowl]

What about roosting in trees? Do they favor roosting in trees so much that it might be hard to get them in at night?

 

[jasonm11]

Quote:
could be a challenge once they start roosting in the trees you will have to gather them up before they head to the trees in the afternoon and coop them up. I just let mine stay in the trees, when it gets real bad they come down and go in the chicken coop to get out of the rain.

 

[Farmerboy16]

My Bourbon Red turkeys never ranged more than about 300 to 500 feet from their coop. At first they would roost in the trees, and I had to move them one by one each night to their coop, finality I made a roost, and pen them for a week or so, to get use to the roost. After that they use the roost all the time. This time, hopefully I will have turkeys again, I am building a new coop, and will put the roost 5 or 6 feet off the ground, instead 3 feet off the floor in the old coop.

 

[HallFamilyFarm]

As poults and young birds you must train them to go back inside the coop. We are building a movable coop that will be over 6' tall. That should be tall enough for them to have roost up high.