Topic of the Week - Getting started, keeping turkeys

[smalltownflock]

Why? If the turkey is inside you then you are even more attached to it... right?

problem is it wont be inside you for more than a few days

 

[steph1200]

My husband puts up with my backyard bird addiction. He says whatever makes me happy. Hahahaha

OMG my boyfriend also has to put up with my love for chickens. He actually has been more into helping me with the birds so now hes more involved with feeding and giving them treats. I think he starting to love it as much as i am but doesn't admit it.

 

[Lrosell31]

Ye

OMG my boyfriend also has to put up with my love for chickens. He actually has been more into helping me with the birds so now hes more involved with feeding and giving them treats. I think he starting to love it as much as i am but doesn't admit it.

h I catch my husband outside hanging out with our birds

 

[CapricornFarm]

My husband puts up with my backyard bird addiction. He says whatever makes me happy. Hahahaha

I love that in a man!

 

[CapricornFarm]

Mine puts up with some but doesn't get into it. Not interested in helping care for them except in certain circumstances.

 

[Jeffrey Foster]

Well, if I do decide I want to get turkeys, I'm most likely going to want 2-3 girls because of all the problems with toms, even if they are beautiful.[/QUOTE

Be warned, hens like to explore and heritage birds can fly. Last year I had a huge problem with my hens using the barn roof as an escape path. Once the hens were out the Toms would follow. Interesting enough the Toms have gotten to big and can't fly up to the barn roof, and when a hen does get out, they stay close to the pen waiting on their boys. For the most part the Toms are just interested in showing off their stuff, and the hens are the trouble makers.

As for housing, Royal Palms and other heritage breeds only require a mature tree, large paddock, and some sort of wind break. I have used electric poultry netting to fence in an old hedge row, and my birds sleep in an old maple tree. Given a big enough area, a 4 foot fence is enough to keep them in, most days. At just 8 months old they were roosting over night outside in their tree in -29 degree temperatures. I tried to force them into the barn but they would not have it.