Suggestions for getting my turkeys to go inside at night?

[NobscotFarmer]

I have a enclosure that I recently built along with a turkey house out that I made out of recycled shipping pallets. I put some roosts inside the house in the hopes that the turkeys would go inside at night. The front of the house is kept entirely open during the day but I need to lock them up at night since we have a big problem with raccoons and coyotes. The birds don't seem to take the hint and go to roost inside. I'm getting tired of rounding them up and catching them at night. Its a lot of work catching over 30 turkeys! Any suggestions on getting them to go inside on their own at night? I'd take a picture of the turkey house, but its raining cats and dogs outside right now. Thanks!

 

[KrisH]

Hunger... Treats help too

RobertH

 

[FarmerGilland]

Take a hardware lamp (in tool isle at Wal-mart, the one with the silver thing around the bulb) it will clip onto anything and turn that bad baby on. Works every time. It may take a little longer because they will stay outside as long as they want. I have a roost in my coop and I turn my light on when the time changes and it gets dark around 6pm plus it will increase you egg laying period. More light they get more eggs they lay.

 

[ivan3]

We use a light in the shed, as well. Never more than 25w. LED is best. Also, the extension cord is run through window and firmly attached with wood screws and clamps to wall - with socket facing the floor (if they somewhow get to cord all they can do is pull it out of socket).

The fixture (same as FarmerGilland described above) is both screwed into and tied to beam (lamp pointed away from turkey roost). Have to be extremely careful as fighting and flying could lead to a fire.

Here is an interesting bit of research on how to cause the appearance/disappearance of cancerous tumors in turkey hens using alterations in lighting:

http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/agcomm/magazine/spring05/night.htm

A very long stick/plastic garden post/etc., one in each hand. Hold arms out with the `herding devices' in hands. Walk slowly and deliberately (with as many turks as possible in front of you) in the direction you want them to go. This usually works. Apparently, during the 19th Cent., boys with sticks would herd up to 300 turkeys, over several miles, to market, using the `stick' method, Worked well here while training this bunch - just had to start moving them along when I noticed them eyeballing the trees just before sundown.

 

[erinszoo]

Put their food and water in the house and feed them at sundown. They will associate the house with feed and go in. Of course turkeys really are creatures of habit. If you get them in a routine of herding at about the same time each day they will be much easier to round up. We always train ours to move in a group that way when we get a couple of them to start moving where we want, the rest follow along. It will take some work. Turkeys aren't the best and the brightest by far.

 

[frank53061]

I have found that routine works the best for me 90% of my Turkeys put them selves to bed at night and this has taken over 4 months teaching them and learning what works the best.
I have one Tom and two hens that still want to be tucked into bed each night but it seems they expect it LOL.
That's 14 Turkeys that I have no problem with them putting them selves to bed.
I don't put a light or food in the coop but it sounds like it would work just fine I just don't want them in the coop other than to sleep.
The more time they spend in the coop the more poop there will be and that means more frequently cleaning the coop.
This coop was used as there brooder so there was no change in the location of there bedding place.
I let them out around 7am of the morning and put them up at night before its to dark that I might need a flash light.
My Turkeys are better than my Chickens they want to roost on top of the coop in a row waiting to be one at a time to be put to bed my Daughter says there waiting for there bed time story LOL.
I think its a trial and error for each person and what works the best for you.
Good luck.
P.S. The long stick for hearding I have used that a lot good to have around.

 

[maidenwolfx80]

My turkeys and chickens run together and they all have learned to stick together. All my chickens put themselves to bed. Frank my birds are spoiled and my turkeys also need to be tucked in or they just look out the window and "chaulk" up a storm. When I begin letting new comers out, after confinment for a few weeks to learn the routine, I always keep their favorite treats on hand in case I need to lure in a uncooperative bird, this has always worked for me. Good luck

 

[frank53061]

It does sound like you have some pampered FOWL

.

 

[NobscotFarmer]

Thanks everybody! I will give the lighting a try and see what happens. I got home late from work tonight and the turkeys decided it would be a good idea to roost on top of the turkey house. Getting them down was NOT fun. They also manged to disconnect some of my polywire fencing and ground it out. I was not amused.

 

[zekii]

Took 2 months, but now my turkeys go into their coop at sundown automatically.
Have to find & follow a constant routine...let their inside coop feeder go low, and fill it up around sundown...that worked for me.
I had to coax them in with food, and treats for awhile, and the stragglers I had to round up using a long stick.
One tom would sit on the outside roost and look up at the roof, but doubt he could have made it since I've cut the feathers on one wing.