Hi lbrykowski2011,
Welcome to turkeys. They're amazing and wonderful birds.
I think one of the reasons that you're getting confused is because some of the recommendations you're reading are for heritage turkeys, and some are for the broad breasted turkeys, and maybe you don't realize how different these two groups are. The heritage turkeys are similar to wild turkeys in the care they need, but they are domestic birds. They need high protein diets when they're young, they fly, they roost up high, they grow slow, they breed and reproduce naturally, and they come in purebreds and often there are mixes of those purebreds. There are specific guidelines (the Standard of Perfection) for what the purebreds of many breeds are supposed to look like, although they don't all reach those goals. The hens of most breeds should reach 18-23 pounds by 1-2 years old, and the toms of most breeds should reach 26-33 pounds by 1-2 years old. When eaten, they are typically slaughtered around 8-10 months of age, but can live and reproduce for many, many years
The broad breasted birds, on the other hand, are not at all like that. They are a hybrid that has been specifically developed through generations of selective breeding to have one characteristic -- to gain weight as fast as possible, at the lowest feed cost, to create the biggest possible profit for factory farming. Nothing else is considered, as long as enough of them reach slaughter size to be profitable. When they're young they seem just like the heritage birds, and do all the same things. But they RAPIDLY grow to huge size, to the point that their size prevents them from doing almost everything that nature intended them to do, other than eat. They can't breed naturally (they are artificially inseminated in commercial agriculture), they quickly outgrow their ability to run and play and fly and roost and everything else, except eat. If not slaughtered by the time their legs become too uncomfortable to walk, they eventually park themselves in front of the feeder and just lay there eating, pooping, and gaining more weight. The toms will get over 50 lbs, and the hens over 40 lbs, sometimes substantially more, by the time they're a year old, although they usually don't live that long. That level of growth is a huge stress on their heart, and many die of heart failure as they get older (and sometimes while younger). Most are slaughtered at 4-5 months of age.
There are exceptions, mostly among those that are raised as free range birds. With enough exercise, limited food, and reasonable protein levels, the growth of BB birds can be slowed down enough that they can remain comfortable, and can be kept to a reasonable size for a later slaughter date, if needed.
They will be able to use the roost for a short time until they become so heavy that they can't balance on it anymore. Be sure that it is at least 3-4 inches wide, and very well braced to hold their upcoming weight. You can make it more comfortable for them by putting several layers of foam pipe insulation over the roost and wrapping that tight with several layers of vetwrap. They will likely enjoy 8-12 inches of "white shavings" (from non-aromatic woods, such as pine, fir, aspen, etc, but absolutely no cedar shavings, which are toxic to bird lungs) as a soft bed when they get too big to roost. Sometimes if it gets too hot, they like to stand in, or sleep in, a shallow tub of water to cool down or stay cool.
