Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
SAFETY TIPS FOR TURKEY TOTS
Be careful not to use dangerous infrared heat lamps for warmth for turkeys. Use only
regular heat lamps to maintain even heat adequate to prevent them from becoming
chilled.
When moving young turkeys from one place to another, keep in mind that they are
easily frightened and will frequently freeze from fear in the spot they are placed. They
may remain that way for several hours, so be sure to check on them to make sure they
don't crowd on top of one another and suffocate those on the bottom.
Housing
Once your turkeys have outgrown the plastic tub brooders and the brooder shed, you
must determine what their future will be before you can choose appropriate housing. If
you are going to make Thanksgiving dinner out of your flock, do not spend a great deal
of time and energy on housing them. Provide them with a basic shed with a nice roost,
(as described in
chapter 2
, Housing and Supplies) and confine them to it for several days
so they learn where home, food, and water are located. With adaptations, this can easily
be the same shed where you have been housing them. Once they become accustomed to
their new home, then you can start letting them out in a pen, or runway, or to free range.
Should you decide to keep them beyond the holiday season or even to breed and raise
your own satellite flock of heritage-breed turkeys, you'll find that even in the winter
they do not require a fancy facility as long as it is dry and reasonably accessible to them.
Don't panic about the threat of winter. In northern Canada, where it is frequently 40°F
below zero (−40°C) in winter, folks have minimal problems raising turkeys by simply
providing them with a draft-free, dry place with natural light. When choosing or design-
ing a shelter, don't go overboard and cover all of the windows, making it warm and wet
inside from the turkey's respiration. Turkeys don't do well in tightly closed buildings.
As turkeys get older, heat requirements start decreasing rapidly. Once they reach their
teenage years and start roaming around, you must take great care to make sure they get
back in a closed structure at night. Trim your heritage birds' outer wing feathers, then
train them to come home. Just as the sun is setting, herd the turkeys into their shed to
roost there. I usually take a long branch or giant ragweed stem, get behind them, and use
it as a guide to move them along into the shed.
If the roost is right — between 4 and 5 feet (1.2-1.5 m) off the ground — they'll re-
turn each night. This is important because turkeys are easy prey for owls, foxes, coyotes,
and dogs — especially at this particular age, when they are adventurous. Owls have been
