Who lets their turkeys free range??

[ozark hen]

Thanks Dixie and Welcome to BYC!

I really appreciate your info as that is what I was looking for. so I will keep my six turkeys up for another four and half weeks before allowing them to leave the coop. I had assumed they would do like my chickens. chickens, when allowed to leave the coop, would stand in the doorway and look out but did not leave the safety of the coop for a couple days and when they did venture out into the run they stayed close to the ramp and pop door. We open the gate to the run when the poultry free range, that way they aren't cooped up in the run with the aggressive roo.

OH, meant to ask, what part of the country are you located in?

 

[dixiedoodle09]

We live about 20 miles south of kansas city, mo.

 

[jjrabbit2]

My turkey poults are 8wks old and have been free rangeing for about 2 wks now. I had raised them with older chicks and when they were 6wks old (the chicks) the turkeys were 4 wks old. I slowly intergrated them with the rest of my flock in the coop and run. When the turkeys were 6wks old I slowly let them come out of the run in the yard while I watched them. And after a few days I just let em go. They Love it. They are now 8 wks old and getting big I cant imagin them still in a brooder. They are Bronze Turkeys I think they are bigger than BR's? Tonight they decided not to go back in the coop and nested down with our goat. Too cute I just let them.

 

[Bird Brain]

I put my turks in a dog pen next to "big pen" for about a week or 2. They stayed there until they were evicted cause my dog had pups. They dont really seem to want out of the pen unless you are standing at the fence, and that is only cause they think you have food or want to be held. I think they went into the big pen at about a month old maybe and no one seemed to bother them.

 

[chickenannie]

Yours might be old enough to roam outside, if you don't have predators, however, make sure they know where "home" is. They will roam much more than chickens, AND they do not like to sleep indoors at night.

When I first let one batch of my poults free-range, they would just pick a fence or chair to sleep on at night instead of going inside. I did that fine for 2 years until a fox discovered my farm. Now i have to pen them up at night for the most part.

HILLBILLY ALERT! - With another batch of poults, I had mine outside in a pen like yours, but bigger, and I just got one of those round plastic table cloths to put on top (kind of like a circus tent) so that mine could stay out overnight. I put a large branch high up so they could hop up there and roost. It was very makeshift, but it worked for 2 months. I too, was tired of catching them and putting them in and out every day. And I had the scratches to prove it.

 

[ozark hen]

chickenannie, great advice! I started letting them in the run the day before yesterday. I had to catch them and put them inside the first night. Last night they all went inside on their own. Yee Haw! I do not plan on letting them free range until they are older. I go sit in the run in a chair and so far two of them have jumped up into my lap for petting. I am in love

 

[walkswithdog]

My turkeys free range. They also go home at night. I made their "coop" very tall 9 ft, very wide 12 ft. and very open. It made a difference. They hate the enclosed chicken coop. Their coop only has two walls and a roof, the other sides are open (hardwired wood frames) and I just tarp them off in winter. They don't like being over sheltered.

 

[ozark hen]

I will keep them in the coop (hopefully) until they are fully feathered out and grown so hopefully they will be safe from hawks, etc. Thanks for the info!!

 

[Oklahoma Lightning]

I DO TURKEY AROUND UP EVERYNIGHT WITH MY BROOM.
Yep, I give them a gental push towards the pen and they go in.
Everyone around here dies laughing at me. But it works.

 

[ivan3]

If they are trained to it, they'll return to their run and shed every evening without fail. They required considerable `reorientation' their first summer (they wanted to roost in the trees and had to be removed after dark).

They would, being curious and sociable, occasionally wander off into the woods following box turtles. They will want to greet visitors and can get in trouble walking down to the road to see the strangers.

Ours are 4yr. old and are pretty laid back home bodies. Their first summer, when they were stretching their wings, was a bit nerve wracking.

We have too many preds to allow unsupervised free ranging.