Will this keep them safe?

[Augie1]

Turkeys will sleep wherever they feel like it. Heritage breeds will be using those trees a lot! To roost and as a takeoff to get over the fence. Please don't let my negative thoughts deter you from turkeys. I absolutely loved raising them and look forward to getting a new batch in the spring.

No, it's absolutely fine. I plan on raising 2-3 turkeys for meat for Thanksgiving. Do you recommend heritage or high production? For this setup.

 

[RLockhart68]

No, it's absolutely fine. I plan on raising 2-3 turkeys for meat for Thanksgiving. Do you recommend heritage or high production? For this setup.

Solely on my experience there are definitely pros and cons for both.
High production will finish out like meat chickens compared to layers. So less days from purchase/hatching to butcher day. They are much easier to keep contained because flying is not an issue. But the rapid growth and weight can cause leg problems. I had one we fondly called waddles because she limped/waddled everywhere. She made it to butcher easy enough. Just was easy to pick out of the flock (I had 12 mixed breeds)
Heritage breeds definitely grow slower. They are harder to contain due to the ability to fly. I had 2 that chose the roof of my garage as their night roost when the A frame we built collapsed under their weight. That is the main reason I am planning to get a hoop house built for the next flock. Definite pros is they don't have leg problems and forage really well.
Both are definitely easy to train (when you hear that they are the dogs of the poultry world it is not a lie) and were MY gateway drug to chickens. Your setup is definitely better thought through than mine was. We bought as we went. My initial plan was to house them in a coop at night and free range throughout the day. Then I got chickens and everything went out the window

 

[ChickForLife]

Legal limit is 30

What do you mean?

 

[Augie1]

What do you mean?

I'm located in the city where the limit for any fowl is 30

 

[3KillerBs]

I have always wondered about premier one fencing, can chickens just fly over it?

Yes, they can if they're motivated. I've given up trying to chase the California White when she gets out. She can fly back in when she want to.

Most of my other hens will get too heavy to clear the 48".

99% of the time they stay put.

I did not know about that. I will look into it

I'll try to remember to take photos tomorrow morning.

 

[Augie1]

Solely on my experience there are definitely pros and cons for both.
High production will finish out like meat chickens compared to layers. So less days from purchase/hatching to butcher day. They are much easier to keep contained because flying is not an issue. But the rapid growth and weight can cause leg problems. I had one we fondly called waddles because she limped/waddled everywhere. She made it to butcher easy enough. Just was easy to pick out of the flock (I had 12 mixed breeds)
Heritage breeds definitely grow slower. They are harder to contain due to the ability to fly. I had 2 that chose the roof of my garage as their night roost when the A frame we built collapsed under their weight. That is the main reason I am planning to get a hoop house built for the next flock. Definite pros is they don't have leg problems and forage really well.
Both are definitely easy to train (when you hear that they are the dogs of the poultry world it is not a lie) and were MY gateway drug to chickens. Your setup is definitely better thought through than mine was. We bought as we went. My initial plan was to house them in a coop at night and free range throughout the day. Then I got chickens and everything went out the window

I'm thinking of getting a high production. What do you do now?

 

[Augie1]

Yes, they can if they're motivated. I've given up trying to chase the California White when she gets out. She can fly back in when she want to.

Most of my other hens will get too heavy to clear the 48".

99% of the time they stay put.



I'll try to remember to take photos tomorrow morning.

All my ducks and chickens stay put except 2 leghorns.

Another problem My soil is dry and hard. Will the gates work?

 

[RLockhart68]

I'm thinking of getting a high production. What do you do now?

The chickens are in the coop. The turkeys have all been processed and are in freezer camp. Definitely better than anything I got in the store.

 

[Augie1]

The chickens are in the coop. The turkeys have all been processed and are in freezer camp. Definitely better than anything I got in the store.

That's good to hear. Did you keep the turkeys with the chickens?

 

[RLockhart68]

That's good to hear. Did you keep the turkeys with the chickens?

I did at first. Then the turkeys started hogging the feed and chasing the chickens, so I had to separate them. That's when we got the premier one fencing. With only a couple turkeys compared to the flock I had you should be fine keeping them together.