I have a question for other Turkey owners....
Currently, I have Black Spanish Turkeys and we really like them. However, they do not seem to want to stay on our property, which pisses off one of our neighbors. The 9 acres we have is completely fenced in with woven wire fence (to keep the goats and pigs in), but as you may already know...Turkeys are really good fliers! They have no problem "hopping" the 5-foot fence. So....I caught four of them and trimmed their wings. All was good as they roosted on the ground until something killed and ate them all in one night. However, the Turkeys that roost 6+ feet up were and have always been just fine. I walked the perimeter of the fence and saw where something had dug under the fence. I filled in the hole, but obviously it could happen again. I later shot a couple of foxes...
Our turkeys will not go in the coop, even if it is 20 below zero as they prefer to roost outside (yes....it gets that cold in Montana). So I have given up on trying to "force" them into a coop and to be quite honest, I can't really catch them every night anyways. Although they are friendly, they are not friendly enough for me to "easily" catch and force into a coop they don't want to go into anyways.
When I cut off the primary feathers of the right wing, it unbalances them and they cannot fly very well, keeping them in the pasture. However, they also cannot fly up to the roost.
I have been thinking about building a "stepped" roost starting at about 3 or 4-feet high and going higher so they can jump from one rung to the next. Has anyone ever used this or does anyone have any other suggestions?
If we want to keep the turkeys (and we do) we have to cut the primary feathers of one wing to keep them on the property, but it is just a matter of time before a hungry predator digs under the fence again. It is also apparent that if they can get 5 to 6 feet off the ground, they are safe.....so just feeling around for comments or suggestions if anyone has had a similar problem with their turkeys.
thanks!