Turkeys anyone?

[NH homesteader]

I know I should ask this over at BYC but I "hang out" over here so I'm going to try here first.

Anyone raise heritage turkeys? I'm looking to see what people use for fencing and if you clip their wings? I need to give mind some (read: a lot) more space but I can't have them getting out all the time.

They're blue slate and black Spanish. Not super flighty but they are super capable of it.

 

[TAH]

@micah wotring

 

[chiques chicks]

I keep a few, ask my toms died. I keep them in a 12x30 covered run. Any that have ever gotten out became predator food. They never flew into the trees to roost.

A five foot fence didn't contain them, but I never clipped wings.

 

[Southern by choice]

Our heritage turkeys free range. They roost on top of the buildings or in the trees. None of ours will go "in" anywhere for shelter.
When we had 7 ft fencing they could still go over it. They JUMP from the ground and perch on our 6 ft fencing like it is nothing.

If you must pen them clipping wings may help but you have to keep up with it.

Ours do lay their eggs in the woods and hatch out their poults. The losses we get are when they hens take their poults way down the road or off the property.. If they are on the property they are protected by the dogs.

Poults are not too smart though and try to get themselves killed in so many ways.

We have had Chocolates, Blacks, Slates, and Narragansett''s.

 

[NH homesteader]

Thanks to both of you. We can't let ours free range. The game warden lives a mile up the road and he would have our heads if we let our turkeys comingle with the wild ones! Also I don't let anything free range because of my daughter, frequent visitors, etc. And lack of a LGD! How cool it must be to have semi wild turkeys!

I love Narragansetts. I'm on the lookout for some.

 

[micah wotring]

I have bourbon reds! I have tried clipping their wings and that keeps them in the 4 foot high hardware cloth chicken fence I have for my chickens but not in the (slightly sagging) 3.some foot high electric netting. Now I do have one hen that flies over to roost in her favorite spot outside the coop/run but for the most part they stay in.

I am making a time lapse thing of my turkeys growing if anyones interested. Here is the link.

How cool it must be to have semi wild turkeys!

Um kinda. After a while cleaning off the entire porch every evening for your mom get frustrating. XD They're real pretty roaming around the yard though!

 

[NH homesteader]

Yes. The I other reason there is no free ranging allowed at my house. Occasionally I enjoy a poo-free walk outside. Once in a while you know.

I think I have it! @Baymule posted that lovely coop a while ago with cattle panels. Why wouldn't that work? It would be tall enough for roosts so they could get that instinct out.

Until spring they're in a coop with a little run, but this might work!

 

[farmerjan]

Cattle panels will work; Had a welder use old bed frames to weld them around the edges so they were stiffer to be able to move them. Did them in 8 ft sections so that it was easier to handle also. Then just laid one or what ever you need over the top and it's a moveable,pen that can be disassembled easily, sides can be tied together and make square corners or whatever. I have had Royal palms and they fly good, get up in the trees and did a great job of setting and raising poults. Toms never bothered them. Had Bourbon Reds that really flew even being bigger and heavier, but the hens were lousy mothers once the poults were hatched. They needed to be more contained and might've done better. Try looking up NH Poultry fanciers and see if they have a website. I used to belong to the club when I lived in Ct. and they had a poultry show every fall and you might find some other varieties of turkeys. Also, there is a HUGE poultry show at eastern states in springfield mass in January, called the Northeast Poultry Congress. Usually have 1500 or more birds. Alot of breeders sell surplus and if you don't really want show birds, might find some with faults that would work well. Also try getting the Poultry Press newspaper; has all the shows and show results, articles, and a classified section that will have eggs, birds etc for sale.... You can find all that on line also. We show at the va poultry breeders show here in va in Nov. I am a district director although the club isn't as active as it used to be. The biggest show is in Ohio in Nov. and you can find info on that on the web too. Usually 2-3,000 birds. Lots of poultry shows around to go look and get googgly eyed over some of the breeds...

 

[chiques chicks]

I used 2x4 welded wire and pvc electrical conduit (cheaper than water pvc, and grey) to construct a hoop house. The hoops are 20 feet long, so there is some sort required in the center. My 12x30 hoop structure cost around $200, using mostly new materials. That doesn't include a tarp to cover part of one end for shade/ shelter. That added about $50 for a cheap ones that lasts about two years.

 

[micah wotring]

The biggest show is in Ohio in Nov. and you can find info on that on the web too. Usually 2-3,000 birds. Lots of poultry shows around to go look and get googgly eyed over some of the breeds...

So, I've been researching some and the closest to me is the Ohio. Is it like only people showing with the APA and stuff can go or can I as a young guy with a bunch of mutts go walk around and see al the different breeds without being connected to the org at all?