Will this work for turkey housing?

[briana1975]

Right now the turkeys are living with the chickens and it works very well. Yes one of the hens plucked all the feathers off the Silkie roos head, but he has now learned to leave her alone and she has learned to lay eggs into the nest boxes instead of the ground. But I have 2 pairs, Sweetgrass and Bourbon Reds. They have always been together the toms know their pecking order and almost never fight. I know to get them to breed true I need to seperate them, but after searching on here I learned after I sperate them I won't be able to put them back together.

So I am hoping this will be a good solution. We planned on building a hoop house for the spring and summer use. If I build it twice as long seperate it by a chicken wire wall with a door for me to go in and out of they will still see each other but be seperate for breeding. Can I keep them this way for the spring so I can get hatching eggs and then allow them back together after I have all the poults I want?

 

[chseeads]

Sounds fine to me.

 

[pdpatch]

When ever we separate turkeys for more then a few days there is always a period where they have to work them selves back into the pecking order.

Tom

 

[briana1975]

Quote:
Even if they can see each other the whole time?

 

[pdpatch]

Two years ago year we separated the ones we wanted to keep and those to be butchered, they were insight of each other about 30 feet apart. When ever we let them out to free range we had to do it separately for each group. Other wise the males would fight. Even when we stopped free ranging together they would stand outside of the others pen and challenge each other.

Now we just keep them all together until it's butcher time.

Tom

 

[rockstarchickfarm1989]

you cant raise them together the turkeys can get very sick from the chickens

 

[chseeads]

Quote:
That depends on where you're located - if you have blackhead present. If not, then they can be raised together just fine.

 

[ziggywiggy]

Something killed one of my turkeys, (just ate the neck) so I built an enclosed pen. I built it 8x8x8 just for them to roost in. It is to small. The Tom will not hop off the the roost in the morning he flies off and when he flies he hits the sides or his wings scrape the door. The door is 4' wide. Just saying, if you build a pen, especially an enclosed one, make it large.

 

[Cacklin" Hens]

Quote:
just a tidbit but if something just ate the neck and head it was a raccoon. Hope this helps!

 

[Frosty]

If it was a free range turkey I would actually suspect an owl more than a raccoon.