Is it hard to take care of turkeys? — Thank Chickens

Turkeys are not any harder to raise than chickens are and although they do require some special considerations it can be well worth your time to raise a few turkeys and enjoy the pure pleasure and satisfaction of eating a fresh turkey for Thanksgiving.

How do you take care of turkeys?

They create tight family bonds and are fairly intelligent. If you’ve raised chickens, then you have a good basis for raising turkeys. Like chickens, they need quality feed, fresh water, a secure living space and run, clean bedding, roosting poles, and ground-level nesting boxes.

What should you not feed turkeys?

What not to feed turkeys

• Low-Quality chicken feed.
• Dairy foods.
• Onions.
• Raw meat.
• Chocolate.
• Processed foods.
• Fruit pits and seeds.
• Tomato and eggplant leaves.

How difficult is it to raise turkeys?

Turkeys are not that hard to raise, but they differ a bit from chickens in terms of what they need, and raising them from poults (baby turkeys) is more time- and energy-intensive than raising chickens from baby chicks.

Do turkeys need a coop?

If you plan to raise your turkeys from poults, then the answer to “Do turkeys need a coop?” is a resounding yes. Once the poults outgrow their brooder, they will need a secure coop at night, just like any other type of poultry.

What age can turkey poults go outside?

Most often poults will be fully feathered and will be ready to move into their outdoor housing around 6-7 weeks of age. But until they are fully feathered they need to be kept in a draft-free, temperature-controlled brooder space protected from predators and supplied with fresh food and water.

Do turkeys like to be pet?

Pet turkeys are very friendly and social

She loves to be pet and will even sit down on our feet to try to get attention! Every turkey is different, and some toms can become territorial. However, most turkeys are generally docile, making them a good animal to be around children.

Can a turkey be a pet?

Since turkeys are so docile and loving, they make excellent pets for children. They like to play and are more resilient than smaller, delicate birds, like chickens. Once your turkey has bonded with their family, they will enjoy spending time around you.

How long do turkeys live for?

Turkey

What kind of treats do turkeys like?

Safe Treats For Turkeys

• Kale.
• Lettuces (avoid iceberg)
• Cabbage.
• Cucumber.
• Zucchini.
• Summer squash.
• Cooked sweet potato.
• Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and cranberries.

What will attract turkeys?

Turkeys love acorns and pecans, as well as dogwoods, huckleberries, blueberries, and other fruits found in the understory. Planting food plots: Follow these tips to establish food plots as a supplement to natural forage. Food plots can also be used to increase turkey sightings and harvest success.

What is poisonous to turkeys?

Mycotoxins. Mycotoxins are a toxin produced by molds (fungi) that are harmful to many animals, including turkeys. Mycotoxins, specifically aflatoxins can affect turkeys through contaminated food or bedding.

Do turkeys need nesting boxes?

A turkey will need a large 18″ x 18″ box. The nesting area does not need to be a series of individual boxes. Some birds enjoy using communal boxes (others however do not).

Do turkeys need to free range?

It’s like free-ranging chickens. The free-ranging can give the birds access to natural vitamins and nutrients they need. But it isn’t enough to sustain them properly. Make sure you give your turkeys grain and grit along with their free ranging.

Do turkeys bond with humans?

They create long-lasting social bonds with each other and with humans. Turkeys love to be stroked, petted and cuddled. They will remember your face and if they like you, they will come up to you to greet you. Turkeys also love music and will cluck along with the songs.

Do turkeys stay in your yard?

Keep an eye on them, they will tend to stay around home base, but may wander due to their curious nature and herd mentality. If they see you, they will most likely run to you, and follow you around, so be careful of leading them to your garden area! This is generally how it goes until they reach 3 months.

Will free range turkeys fly away?

Because turkeys are able to fly, those birds have been confined to the caged yard. We wanted to allow them free range in the fenced-in grassy area. However, because it has an open top, the turkeys would be able to fly away. Clipping the wings, a painless procedure, prevents the birds from taking flight.

Do turkeys need to be locked up at night?

Turkeys are very vulnerable to predation, especially overnight. Because of this, turkeys must be closed into their indoor space before dusk and should not be let out again until the sun is coming up in the morning.

How long do turkeys stay in the brooder?

Poults often remain in a brooder until they are fully feathered, roughly six to eight weeks of life, potentially longer depending on the weather. During the time in the brooder, it is imperative to provide adequate space to ensure livability without hindering the growth of the birds.

What is a chick brooder?

A brooder is used to keep the chicks warm during this crucial time. A simple brooder consists of an infra-red heat lamp with a hood over it to direct heat toward the floor, and a brooder guard. A brooder guard is a cardboard or wire mesh ring to keep the chicks confined to an area near the heat source.

How many eggs do turkeys lay a day?

Synchronous Hatching

A turkey hen lays one clutch of eggs per year, these clutches can as small as four to as large as 17 eggs per nest (that’s a big clutch and that’s cool fact #1)! The hen lays only one egg each day, so if she lays 14 eggs it takes two full weeks to lay the entire clutch.

What do you feed a pet turkey?

Feeding. Turkeys should be fed pellets as their main diet. You can buy fowl pellets at many farm and pet stores. In addition to the pellets they can also be fed fruits and vegetables.

How do you house a turkey?

Roosting Area

Turkeys require elevated roosting spots to spend the overnight hours, ideally with a sheltering roof to protect them from the elements. It is possible to build a single roost pen with space for several birds (a five-by-eight-foot roost will house about 20 turkeys) or you can build a set of roosts.

How much space does a turkey need?

Turkeys are social creatures, so plan on raising at least two. They are bigger birds than chickens and thus more space is required. You’ll need a minimum of 25 square feet of outdoor space per bird for them to exercise, with predator-proof fencing on all sides, as well as overhead.

Why does my turkey follow me around?

Turkeys will follow you around for hours seeking your approval! They love to run circles around you often causing you to almost trip, but never stop suddenly if they are behind you, they are destined to collide into your legs!

Can a turkey live with chickens?

One of the main ways to keep turkeys healthy is too NOT raise chickens and turkeys together. When turkeys and chickens are raised together, turkeys run a high risk of contracting the disease histomoniasis, also known as blackhead.

Can you house train a turkey?

Now Albert the rescue turkey is mostly a house pet. He sits on the sofas and hangs out in the kitchen, and always sits waiting at the door when Pinvidic gets home from work. Albert is even house-trained, which is a pretty impressive feat for a bird.

Do turkeys remember faces?

He reports, “Turkeys remember your face and they will sit closer to you with each day you revisit. Come back day after day and, before long, a few birds will pick you out as their favorite and they will come running up to you whenever you arrive.

Are turkeys aggressive?

Wild turkeys that adapt to urban or suburban communities, especially young and mature males during the breeding season, can become quite aggressive towards people. Rarely do they cause serious damage, although they often will chase and harass children.

Where do turkeys go in the winter?

What are turkeys favorite food?

Preferred foods of wild turkeys

Generally, turkeys thrive in and near mature forests that produce abundant amounts of mast, the fruits and nuts of woody plants. In the spring, they tend to eat leaves and grasses, and in the fall, they feed more on fruits, berries, seeds and insects.

Can turkeys have carrots?

Turkeys love to pick at natural plants. They will consume all sorts of leaves and grasses. You can also feed your turkey various vegetable plants like lettuce, cabbage, carrot leaves, and much more.

What do you feed turkey poults?

Poults should be fed 28% protein turkey starter until 8 weeks of age. 24-26% protein turkey grower crumbles should be fed after the first 8 weeks until they are approximately 6 months of age. At that time, they can be switched to 16% – 18% lay pellets, crumbles, or mash.

How do I find turkeys on my property?

Consider the factors below to determine likely roost sites:

1. Proximity to water. The old hunter’s adage suggesting, “Turkeys love to roost where they can hear their droppings hit water,” rings true here.
2. Heavy, mature timber.
3. Open areas.
4. Evergreens.
5. Shelter sites.
6. Look for sign.
7. Use your ears.
8. Use your eyes.

What shrubs do turkeys like?

Turkeys will be naturally attracted to trees and shrubs like dogwoods, chokeberries, viburnums, hickories, beech, hawthorns, and more. Oak trees should also be on the top of your list with white oak and red oak trees, in particular, proving to be effective at attracting turkeys.

How far do wild turkeys roam?

Wild turkeys generally move a mile or two in one day depending on habitat and distance to food and water sources. The annual home range of wild turkeys varies from 370 to 1,360 acres and contains a mixture of trees and grass cover.

Can turkey get worms?

There are two groups of worms that affect turkeys: gape worms which live in the bird’s trachea (windpipe) and cause gasping (these worms are exceedingly rare) and intestinal worms. There are three species of intestinal worm: Capillaria, Ascaridia and Heterakis.

Is turkey poisonous to dogs?

The short answer is “yes and no.” Turkey is not toxic to dogs. It is an ingredient in many commercial dog foods and is rich in nutrients like protein, riboflavin, and phosphorous. When cooked plain, under the guidance of a veterinarian, it can be an essential part of a homemade dog food diet.

What kind of bugs are on turkeys?

Different lice, ticks and mites can infest turkeys and cause direct and/or indirect harms and in some cases can also be fatal.

How big of a pen do turkeys need?

The following is the amount of coop space per turkey that will be needed: 0-8 weeks: 2-2.5 square feet per turkey. 8-16 weeks: 3-4 square feet per turkey. 16-20 weeks: 5-8 square feet per turkey.

Do turkeys lay eggs in trees?

Nest Placement

Wild Turkeys nest on the ground in dead leaves at the bases of trees, under brush piles or thick shrubbery, or occasionally in open hayfields.

What do turkeys nest look like?

Most turkey nests are in the woods, but within 100 feet of an opening such as a woods road, clearing, or field. The hen looks for a concealed spot with overhead cover from which she can easily watch for predators. Typical locations are depressions in thickets or beneath the branches of fallen trees.

How do you keep a turkey from flying away?

How we keep our Turkey from flying over the fence

How long do baby turkeys need heat lamp?

They will be happiest if you keep their brooder temperature at 95-100 degrees for the first week, then lower the temperature by about 5 degrees per week until they are fully feathered, approximately 6-8 weeks old. They will still appreciate a heat lamp at night for a few weeks after this period if the nights are cool.

Can you house ducks and turkeys together?

Raising ducklings and turkeys together is possible! So long as you offer a proper environment, they can usually be raised side by side, sharing food, water and a heat lamp until feathers develop and they are released into their ‘adult’ pen!

Do turkeys show affection?

It’s a thing and it’s more common than you might think. People are beginning to pay closer attention to these birds and are taking notice of their unique personalities. One thing they seem to have in common is an ability to bond, show affection and yes, enjoy a little snuggle now and then.

Are turkeys dirty animals?

Foul Farming

Turkeys and other animals raised for food in the U.S. produce far more excrement than the entire U.S. human population, roughly 89,000 pounds per second, all without the benefit of waste-treatment systems.

What is the IQ of a turkey?

86.8

Rank	Country	IQ
77	Turkey	86.8
78	Argentina	86.63
79	Sri Lanka	86.62
80	Mauritius	86.56

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