turkey nesting box

[Hawkeye95]

I'm building my coop right now. I have one female turkey baby (about 17 wks) and I'm preparing to get 10 pullet chicks later when the coop is done. I know chickens don't need large boxes. But I'm hoping to accomodate both turkey and chickens. I have already decided the height to be 18 inches- but how how wide would you go? I'm a turkey newbie! Do turkeys even USE nesting boxes??

Will she lay eggs year round like a chicken? What is the smallest a turkey could fit into? She is a Royal Palm, and pretty small.

 

[kuntrygirl]

My turkey use the nesting boxes as well as lay on the floor in the chicken house. Depending on your area, your hens may only lay at certain times of the year.

 

[ColbyNTX]

18X18 is a good size for turkeys. Only need to be about 8-10" deep depending on how much bedding you use. Some use them and some don't and they are seasonal layers. Be carefull of running turkeys and chicken togather due to blackhead. Most will do it with no problems but if its a problem were you are or the chicks come from a blackhead area, you could kill your turkeys.

 

[kristirose125]

Is it ok to mix turkeys and ducks? I plan on raising both after we get the barn set up. Instead of horses in the barn, the stall will be the area for the turkeys or ducks. They wont be sharing a stall, but they'll be in the field together and housed relatively close to each other. I have no desire (rather, my husband has no desire) to raise chickens, but we love ducks and want turkeys also. Would turkeys cathc anything from the ducks?

 

[Smiles-N-Sunshine]

Welcome to BYC, Kristirose!

Blackhead disease seems to be the main cross-species concern with turkeys, and I've only heard of chickens being carriers. We run turkeys and ducks together here, with no significant issues.

You DO know ducks are messy, right?

Bryan

 

[Smiles-N-Sunshine]

I think our larger nest boxes are 18" x 18" (built pre-turkey), and they're not large enough for the gals to turn around in. I think I'd go a bit larger.

(This is a Midget White, just because I like to show off my birds

)

 

[pdpatch]

Many turkeys choose not to use them so don't be disappointed if they don't. Most turkey hens will lay every other day starting in the spring when there is enough day light. Some will also lay in the fall but not very often. Yes 18 x 18 is a good size to try.

 

[coopqueen]

How many turkeys to a nest box? We have nine hens and two males. Should I seperate the males? They are 26 weeks old and they fight some now, but they seem to work it out. I will build two tractors maybe to keep them seperate. Then I could put 5 and 4 hens in each pen. Is this a good idea or not?

 

[TammyP]

I have 2 Toms and if they get separated (I have a turkey coop and a chicken coop and sometimes I'm too lazy to pull out the turkeys from the chicken coop and put them in the turkey coop at night), the one who wants to be 'big daddy' is the aggressor in the AM and try to fight with the other. It's a pain but only lasts for awhile and he calms down. However, when they are penned up together, there isn't any fighting. Strange but true.

If yours are going to be penned up all day and not free range with each other then I wouldn't see a problem with it. This is my first year with turkeys so I'm just giving you what I've discovered first hand so far.

 

[ivan3]

coopqueen wrote: How many turkeys to a nest box? We have nine hens and two males. Should I seperate the males? They are 26 weeks old and they fight some now, but they seem to work it out. I will build two tractors maybe to keep them seperate. Then I could put 5 and 4 hens in each pen. Is this a good idea or not?

Depends on the size of the `nest box'. Toms only need be separated from nesting area by a low fence (usually), our brooding hens just hiss them away. The toms might spar a bit while hens are brooding
but, it probably won't result in all day/night snood pulling fests.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/611316/turkey-nests