Yey I have got my first turkey... but how old is he/she????

[teresa-78]

I will keep that in mind about the cedar chips... I will have to check the label of my wood shavings but doubt it is cedar, would hay be ok to use, as I use this for my chickens in their nest boxes???

So cant wait until he can free range like my other chickens, he is far to small at the minute, what would be the best age to let him free range with the other hens ??

Thanks again everyone for your help

 

[Lagerdogger]

Enjoy your turkey!

One of the age indicators that seems to work for me is that at about 5 1/2 to 6 weeks, you start to notice that the head is becoming bald. Your birds head seems fully feathered still, so if it is 5 weeks, you should see some thinning very soon.

I use wild rice hulls for flooring/bedding. They are easy to come by around here, the poults don't eat them, and, as Steve mentioned, the water tends to get drawn away from the birds. I've never tried sand, but I like that idea.

Do you have a roost for it? I suspect it would love to have a 12 or 15 inch high roost to jump up to.

 

[teresa-78]

In England the most we can get is woodchip... straw or hay lol.... anything else like aspen and things costs a fortune.... I will try woodchip and see how it goes, if its not working out then sand would be my next bet...

There is a roost in the tempory shed, but none of the young uns seem bothered by it.... they will be moved shortly to a wooden house (kids playhouse) which I get delivered on friday, so should be up and running saturday or sunday. Should be large enough for them all to coincide with one enother, with plenty of room, as it will eventually be only for sleeping in, on a night time.