Anyone keep turkeys?

If anyone here happens to keep them, I'd be interested in hearing more about your setup.

Just placed my order for next spring and am looking for ideas to add to the stuff already milling around in my head. I ordered some Lilacs, and some Red Slates.

My parents keep tone of turkeys. A whole yard full of 'em. I'm not sure about the exact setup. They let them run in a fenced area. They have a whole cut in one of their bird shacks that they can come and go in.

What exactly are you wondering about?

Just enjoy looking at/hearing about how others keep animals I'm interested in keeping. Stuff like what sort of square footage per bird in the shed, how much in the yard? Do you keep them penned or free range them some of/most of/all of the time? What are your pens made of? Anyone keep turkeys and chickens on the same ground? (Any problems with blackhead or is it really as dangerous as they say it is?)

Just general stuff.

Okay I got ya.

Square footage and actual numbers I'd have to talk with my father about.
They were free range until they wanted to go to the concrete to lay their eggs and the only concrete was a 55mph road so it got ugly. I still consider them free range even though they are in a the pen for the most part. They can get out anytime they want but very rarely do. It's a pretty large area. They keep chickens and turkeys together. My dad quarantines all his new birds and he seems to get a few every week or so. This has really cut down any new illness from entering his stock.

His pens are made of wire fencing, chicken wire, some chain link and 4x4 wooden posts. Very basic Kentucky type set up. His coupes are old, run down shed like coupes. Nothing new. They were there when he bought the property and he has just renovated a few things to fit his needs.

I have no idea about the certain types. I talk with my parents pretty regularly so for conversation's sake I'll ask him a bit more.

Good luck with them anyhow, I'm sure you'll be good. They are all very hardy birds from what I have seen.

Originally Posted by Shadera

If anyone here happens to keep them, I'd be interested in hearing more about your setup.

Yep, I have Bourbon Reds, Blue Slates, Royal Palms and Standard Bronzes at the moment.

I use to let them go wherever they wanted in the daytime but I got tired of trying to get them off the roof of my garage and house at night so I penned them up. I've hatched my own two years straight now.

We range fed ours they had a barn to go in at night. Had one tom that would try to mate everything that moved the poor gopher tortoises always got mounted while crossing the yard.

Originally Posted by Shadera

Anyone keep turkeys and chickens on the same ground? (Any problems with blackhead or is it really as dangerous as they say it is?)

Cheryl lost hers to Blackhead.

http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/foru...d.php?t=133486

Mine are now confined within a chain linked fence with several sheds. I haven't measured it out. Like I said above I use to let them roam but after losing a couple to coons when they didn't make it into the sheds at night and I didn't see them, I changed their setup.

I put up a new fence and moved their location to keep them from getting on the roofs or in the trees. So they have to head for their sheds at night.

I hate coons. I've lost rabbits, chickens and a couple of turkeys to them at different points.

Originally Posted by radera5

Okay I got ya.
Very basic Kentucky type set up.

As a Kentucky girl, I approve! Thanks for all the info.

Originally Posted by Bill T

We range fed ours they had a barn to go in at night. Had one tom that would try to mate everything that moved the poor gopher tortoises always got mounted while crossing the yard.

Will keep this in mind as I'm out bending over weeding the garden.

Originally Posted by Dennis Hultman

Mine are now confined within a chain linked fence with several sheds. I haven't measured it out. Like I said above I use to let them roam but after losing a couple to coons when they didn't make it into the sheds at night and I didn't see them, I changed their setup.

I put up a new fence and moved their location to keep them from getting on the roofs or in the trees. So they have to head for their sheds at night.

I hate coons. I've lost rabbits, chickens and a couple of turkeys to them at different points.

Thanks for all your detailed info, Dennis. I wasn't sure if you still had some around or not. We've definitely got at least one coon around here. I found his grubby little tracks in the bottom of my freshly emptied decorative pond/fountain the day after we bought the place. (Go figure) I really want my rabbits outside, but since I don't have the resources right now to set them up outside like I want, in a predator-proof building they're having to make do in cages over slant boards in my garage. I figure the turkeys will be handled in a similar way, with them in a fully enclosed pen system the coons can't get into. I may rig up a tractor system and move a few around, see how that goes. The chickens are at least smart enough to head back to the coop when it gets dark, to be locked in. Turkeys, you have to do their thinking for them.

Thanks for the help, guys. I lurk the farm boards, but nothing beats getting info from those folks you already "know".

You can choose to free range if its safe enough. i like free range as it gives the birds more excercise and gives them a chance to eat/chase bugs. i only had 1 and she would stay with the chickens and protect them i think she though she was a chicken lol. when you first get them as babies make sure you have them in a brooder with enough room and heating. i used hay for bedding they loved to chase each other around while holding a peice pretending its a worm. when they are fully feathered around 6-8 weeks they are good to go outside. dont put babies with adults though. A good website to find more info on is backyardchicken.com great advice on there.