Quote: I'd never consider keeping 30 turkeys in a 10 X 10 shed -- they'd be miserable, and unhealthy. If all they did was roost in the shed, and were let out to free range at first light, then it might work. It'd need to be well ventilated and kept clean, but it could work, especially with really cold nights. Unfortunately, birds are often overcrowded, sometimes severely, by well-meaning people who read something but forget to apply the common sense test. Or empathy!
I can't imagine what 1000 birds per acre would look like. Probably one big manure pit!!! My seven heritage turkeys and seven LF chickens in the 2013 flock have a 15 X 30 foot covered pen that is predator proof, and they have a one acre fenced area to free range in. They rarely fly over the fence (although the turkeys can easily) because they enjoy where they are. The pen is big enough that they can fly in circles and play if they can't be left out the entire day. But even with only 14 birds per acre, the yard is taking a beating. It still has grass everywhere, but it's quite trampled in places, with probably a bit more fertilizer than ideal. But 1000 birds is more than 71 times what I have! I don't think there'd be a blade of grass left after one day, and I'd be more than ankle deep in droppings in less than a week.
I have only skipped over two sections of the manual, and have not read anything about housing yet. but I would never consider such overcrowding. From what I've seen of their personalities so far (they're 6 months old), these are birds that need to spread their wings and MOVE! And they can't do that if they're so crowded that they crash into each other every few feet. Real farmers meet the needs of their stock, not maximize density regardless of the consequences. Thank you for being upset. We all should be.
