Great idea or not possible?

[DamnearaFarm]

Hmmm... I had a thought. Dangerous, I know.


We currently have one pig in a small paddock (50x50, perhaps?) who will be headed to freezer camp in late February. We plan to get another pig immediately and butcher around mid June. We don't want to raise a pig during the heat of the summer.

This paddock is securely fenced with woven wire fencing with a top hot wire along one side and a bottom wire around the whole thing. The pig has a hut for protection, along with a large shade tree.

I've been thinking of buying some turkey poults and raising them in the pig pen until Thanksgiving. After they're gone, another pig comes in. Of course they wouldn't go 'out' until they're old enough. Can you keep turkeys from flying the coop? Trim flight feathers like you do on a chicken?

Thoughts? I am trying to maximize the amount of food I can raise by utilizing my different paddocks/pens the best way I can.


Thanks, y'all.

[Wendy]

The majority of domesticated turkeys do not fly. They are just too darn heavy. You can clip their wings if needed, but I have never had any of mine try to fly & I have raised several different kinds.

[Bearfootfarm]

I'd be worried the pig would kill and eat the birds

[Shygal]

I think she means use the pen for Turkeys until they are ready to get another pig, after the turkeys are butchered. I dont read it as them sharing a pen at any point.

But yes, domesticated turkeys do fly, the heritage breeds do. My Narragansett turkeys sure flew! Trimming the wing on one side, solves that problem.

[tinknal]

As previous posters have said, it depends on the breed. If you go with broad breasted birds they will probably stay in. I think that even with clipped wings that a heritage bird might be able to clear a short fence.

[Micheal]

Originally Posted by RamblinRoseRanc

We don't want to raise a pig during the heat of the summer.

Wouldn't the same thought(s) of not raising a pig apply toward not raising turkeys????? I'd think they would "suffer" as much as a pig would during the summer heat.

[rockhound]

Not only will turkeys fly, they will be ready to fly at about 3 weeks. Full-grown birds of some breeds are less likely but you've got to get there first. I'd put mesh wire over a part of the pen for the turkeys.

[DamnearaFarm]

Originally Posted by Micheal

Wouldn't the same thought(s) of not raising a pig apply toward not raising turkeys????? I'd think they would "suffer" as much as a pig would during the summer heat.

Oh... it's not the pig that would suffer, it's the PEOPLE who have to smell the pen during the summer.

Having horses, goats, rabbits and other critters I am fully confident in my ability to keep them comfortable throughout all four seasons here.

[DamnearaFarm]

Fence in 4 ft tall.
And yup, it'd be turkeys only during the summer.
If we do this, I'll definitely have someone (or watch a lot of Youtube videos) clip a wing. I will probably want to go with heritage breeds. I have a lot of research to do.

Thanks, y'all.

[tinknal]

Rose, is this the 6 inch square fencing? A 3 week poult could walk right through this and I believe that the electric could kill a young bird.

[painterswife]

The turkeys will fly. My heritage turkeys could get 20 feet up in a tree. My broad brested could hop a four foot fence. They just need a bit of a run at it.

[lisa's garden]

Swine and fowl share some diseases...you may want to look into that before you move forward on this plan. It may be unlikely, especially if you worm and clean up in between, but there are bacteria and viruses that I would be concerned about.

[Ellie Mae]

Our two breeds can fly just fine, lol
we have black spanish and Narrangansett and we have to clip their wings regularly. Even with one wing clipped they can "jump" up to the top of the shorter coop which is about 4ft tall.

DH spent time yesterday replacing deer netting that had gotten damaged in our last storm, but it works well to keep them in.
He attaches tall pvc pipe to the fencing and uses zipties to attach the deer netting, simple, but effective and easy to fix.

[6e]

Most turkeys, even the heavy breeds can fly for awhile and the heritage breeds can fly their whole lives, unless you cut their wings, but that can get time consuming especially if the turkeys aren't all that keen on being caught. But like someone posted already, they can hop. When they're young, they will go right through woven wire fence. I've never seen a hot wire stop a bird. The best set up I saw for turkeys was a shed with a pen made out of cattle panels with chicken wire wrapped around it.

[mary,tx]

Originally Posted by RamblinRoseRanc

Oh... it's not the pig that would suffer, it's the PEOPLE who have to smell the pen during the summer.
..

Perhaps you haven't smelled turkeys.

[KIT.S]

We use trampoline netting around and over cattle panels for our heritage turkeys. If they get out, they join the "wild" same-breed heritage turkeys who live all over around here. And they roost over 30 feet up in trees. Hilarious watching them climb from limb to limb at dusk to get up as far as they want to go. The limbs are close enough together that they can't just fly up there, they actually go up one limb at a time. But if they get out, we have to use a turkey hunting tag to get our own turkeys! Can't be distinguished from local "wild" population.
Kit

[pancho]

Originally Posted by KIT.S

We use trampoline netting around and over cattle panels for our heritage turkeys. If they get out, they join the "wild" same-breed heritage turkeys who live all over around here. And they roost over 30 feet up in trees. Hilarious watching them climb from limb to limb at dusk to get up as far as they want to go. The limbs are close enough together that they can't just fly up there, they actually go up one limb at a time. But if they get out, we have to use a turkey hunting tag to get our own turkeys! Can't be distinguished from local "wild" population.
Kit

If I remember right from the days when I used to have to get permits for the game birds I raised, a wild turkey has one more bone in their wing than a domestigated turkey. Crossbreeds may have the bone or may not. All turkeys are basically the same with the exception of the ocellated turkey and they will even crossbreed.

[DamnearaFarm]

Had typed a response earlier but the 'net ate it.

Mary-
It's gotta be better than a pig, lol.

Tink-
The fence is 4x4 at the top, 2x4 at the bottom. I wouldn't be putting them out until they were large enough to be contained... I have a few houses/tanks to contain them in until then.

Lisa-
Thanks for the reminder.


Okay, general consensus is....
make sure they're large enough to be contained in the fence and make sure their wings are clipped and everyone is properly dewormed and healthy.

Almost forgot.... what do y'all use for roosts/shelter?

Thanks.

[Shygal]

Originally Posted by RamblinRoseRanc

Oh... it's not the pig that would suffer, it's the PEOPLE who have to smell the pen during the summer.

I kind of hate to burst your bubble here, but turkeys....smell

[pancho]

Originally Posted by RamblinRoseRanc

Had typed a response earlier but the 'net ate it.

Mary-
It's gotta be better than a pig, lol.

Tink-
The fence is 4x4 at the top, 2x4 at the bottom. I wouldn't be putting them out until they were large enough to be contained... I have a few houses/tanks to contain them in until then.

Lisa-
Thanks for the reminder.


Okay, general consensus is....
make sure they're large enough to be contained in the fence and make sure their wings are clipped and everyone is properly dewormed and healthy.

Almost forgot.... what do y'all use for roosts/shelter?

Thanks.

Don't invest too much if you expect the turkeys to stay in. Might buy a chicken or two to give it a test run.