Thanks for responding. They are wild rio grande turkeys. I took a walk down at the edge of our property just before dark and I could hear the tom calling. I suspect they will roost in the trees there tonight. They were not well imprinted in hind sight, I should have kept them penned longer. Still not sure they would stick around even if I had kept them penned longer. We weren't too attached and I can always get some more from my friend who is overloaded. I will give it some more thought. Not sure if they will be more work than pleasure.
) http://www.ranches.org/rio_grande_turkey_project.htm . However, two people with 5-6ft. sticks held out from their sides, moving towards turks - slowly - is more than enough to `herd' the birds to where you want them (in the old days a couple of kids, outfitted so, would herd up to three hundred turkeys, over several miles, to market using the stick method). If you get them back, keep them inside except in the evenings when you are there to herd them back inside at dusk (when they start eyeballing your roof you'll know it is time...) Once trained they'll return to coop/shed/barn every evening (exception being hens when in nesting phase).
(3 hens and 1 tom) They came back that evening, we saw them further down on the land. Me and B/f came up from behind them and coralled them back into their pen. Since then we have clipped their wings so they can't fly up high distances. We left them free range o a few times a week and they just stay in the yard and walk back to their pen when they've "had enough". I guess we got lucky that way.
