Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Be sure to keep water available at all times.
Flyers
At approximately three to four weeks of age, heritage turkeys will start to test them-
selves by jumping around some and flying a bit. Once they reach that juvenile stage they
will start flying and exploring. They will be excited to find that tops of nearby trees are
a place to roost. Much like young teenage children learning how to drive, they will test
their limits to see just how far and fast they can go. If they see a tree in front of their
pen, they will one day try to reach the top of it, and will continue to try until they do.
Once they reach the top, they will see if there's something higher and just keep flying
and exploring.
Grounding Your Birds
Because heritage turkeys are naturally curious, like to roost up high, and delight in
their aerial powers, it is very important to start controlling their behavior at three to
four weeks. Their lust for the highest perch is a trait derived from natural breeding; in
the wild, turkeys seek safety by roosting high off the ground to foil predators such as
coyotes and foxes. I typically find a few young birds that I cannot get into the shed at
night roosting 25 feet up in a tree. Eventually, they come down and into the shed at night
once it starts snowing or freezing rain — though some will not come down even then.
Wild turkeys roost high above the ground, and heritage birds retain that deep instinct.
