Winter time

[LadyTurkey]

What do you do in the winter with your turkeys? Do yours go out side? just debating on what to do with my boys

 

[Olive Hill]

Precisely the same thing I do with them in the summer.

They free-range during the day, roost in a big old walnut tree at night.

 

[ColbyNTX]

Feed them and make sure they have unfrozen water! Cold doesn't bother turkeys unless your in Alaska!

 

[Denninmi]

There were a lot of questions last fall about this topic posted on here. Almost without exception, the answer was always "they're fine." Several posts from folks in very cold climates -- MN, ND, even Alaska -- all said that even in those climates there wasn't any problem.

Since the birds live wild in quite northern regions, I guess they are adapted to it.

Also, very few people altered the normal routine. Most said the turkeys continued to roost in the same place year round no matter what the weather.

The only thing different you will definitely need to do is provide an unfrozen water source, such as a heated bowl.

Some people also feed cracked corn in addition to the regular turkey pellets, feeling that the high carbohydrate level somehow "heats" the body more. I don't know if this is true or just an old wives tail, but the Chinese do categorize most foods as either "heating" or "cooling" to the body, and often adjust the diet seasonally based on this system, so it may well have some merit. Certainly won't hurt anything.

 

[Turkeyrangler]

I live in far northern part in Minnesota and the turkeys do very well. They do return to the coop each night. Just be sure to have plenty of food and water and they do just fine. We get down to -40 each year for at least ad few days or a week each year and they do fine as long as they have food. They do get extra scratch every day. There are also wild birds here and I'm guessing that they are hitting deer feeders to make up for not being able to get to food when we have very deep snow.