We think we broke our heritage turkeys

[Farmerwife1]

We kept our heritage turkeys in a pen and they do fly up to their roost (they started flying in their pen at just a few weeks old). When we thought they were big enough, we let them out of their pen. They just sat on the ground the last two nights and did not fly up to any place to roost. How do we re teach them to fly up to a tree to roost at night? Last night we put up a board and set two of the turkeys on the board. The first one sat down, the second on kept standing. So, we didn't put the third one on it, because we were afraid we would freak out the standing one, by shoving another bird on it. I went out this morning at 5:45 AM (before I left for work) to check on them. They were all Exactly the same place they were when we left them last night. The first one was sitting in the same place/ facing same direction, second one standing same place/same direction and the third one sitting in the same place on the ground. We are hoping we can train them to remember they can kind of fly!

 

[Molpet]

We kept our heritage turkeys in a pen and they do fly up to their roost (they started flying in their pen at just a few weeks old). When we thought they were big enough, we let them out of their pen. They just sat on the ground the last two nights and did not fly up to any place to roost. How do we re teach them to fly up to a tree to roost at night? Last night we put up a board and set two of the turkeys on the board. The first one sat down, the second on kept standing. So, we didn't put the third one on it, because we were afraid we would freak out the standing one, by shoving another bird on it. I went out this morning at 5:45 AM (before I left for work) to check on them. They were all Exactly the same place they were when we left them last night. The first one was sitting in the same place/ facing same direction, second one standing same place/same direction and the third one sitting in the same place on the ground. We are hoping we can train them to remember they can kind of fly!

Sounds like you just put them out 2 nights ago?
They might be afraid. I would put them up on a roost in a secure area at night. They will learn. How old are they?

 

[Farmerwife1]

Sounds like you just put them out 2 nights ago?
They might be afraid. I would put them up on a roost in a secure area at night. They will learn. How old are they?

They are 8 months 3 weeks old. We put up a roost for them three nights ago and another one last night. We checked on them just after dark last night and one on them was on the roost. We caught the other two and put them both up on them also. It was kind of cute, because the one that had gotten up on his own, snuggled over to the one that stayed on the ground for two nights and it looked like he was comforting him. They were all still where we put them this morning when I checked. Hopefully they will get up there on their own tonight! My husband is 6'8" tall and I am 5'11" tall and it was hard for both of us to shove them up on the roosts we made for them. We need them high enough, the neighboring farm dog can't get to them, if he decides to pay another visit (he did the first morning after we had let them out. Our own dogs are locked up in another portion of our yard for the time being)(Two of the turkeys are a little worse for ware, but will survive.)