Turkeys and winter housing.

[LittleSquidgenHome]

I live in far northern Indiana, we are that little bit that is zone 4 instead of zone 5 like the rest of the state. I am wondering about housing requirements for adult turkeys in my area. We are thinking about an adult trio before the winter is over and then keeping the trio for breeding, so permanent housing is a must.
How much shelter do the need? Space requirements and/or insulation? Do they need a heater? Can they be in with any other fowl or should they be in their own house? I know nothing about turkeys, other than the fact that I am in love with them. I would also like any and all helpful book titles. Thank you for your help.

 

[Kennyog]

I have a barn,so that is where they stay.They need to be out of the wind.I live in Missouri and we have had a bad winter.It has been very cold here with - temps.It's let up some now.I don't really do anything special for them.I do keep alot of straw or hay for them to bed on,they seem to like that.Here is a good link for turkey information.

www.porterturkeys.com

 

[sandspoultry]

The best book is Turkey Management by Stanley Marsden and J. Holmes Martin. It is an old book but has a wealth of information in it. There is also a book Storey's Guide to Raising Turkeys by Leonard Mercia.
Sharon

 

[chocolate m'scovy]

Even if it's the teens (or below) here, my turkeys just roost in the barn, which is open to the north winds. Now the toms shun the barns and roost on an A-frame structure in front of the house. There is one tom who likes a junk pile, and another who likes to roost on the goat gate!

 

[pdpatch]

When it gets down to -20 wind chills you need to keep that cold wind off of them. You need some roost so they can get off of any wet bedding that may be in there area.

As long as you have enough so that they can huddle together to stay warm you really don't need heat. But it does help.

We have an 8 x 12 foot area for 5 hens and two males it has some insulation, but not much. We have a milk house heater in a metal enclosure for them when the temps get
below 0 degrees. They have an outside run about 10 feet wide and 25 feet long, but we don't let them out if temps are below 0 degrees. I the warmer times we have supervised free ranging since our have a tendancy to wander off and get lost.


As far as being with Chickens it all depends on your situation. In warmer and wetter climates certain deseises that the chickens may have will kill the turkeys. But usually you can check with your local ag office to see if there is any reported cases in your area. Many people do keep Turkeys and other poultry together.

Tom

 

[natrgatr]

This is my first winter with chickens(8)/turkeys(2) in NE Indiana and they are doing great. They are in the same coop as my chickens and are doing fine. Some of the roosters have a little frostbite on their combs, but they don't seem to care. The coop is uninsulated but well ventilated and, when it's really cold, they will just stay inside. They have been out in the snow and just go back in when they are ready. There is no heat in the coop, just a heated water container that is just warm enough to keep the water liquid.