Housing and Fencing for Raising Turkeys

Turkeys are much different from chickens when it comes to housing and pasture fencing needs. Adult turkeys prefer to be outdoors. They're hardy birds, tolerant of many different weather conditions. So, you can keep them outside most of the time from the age of eight weeks onward. Before that, however, you must house them in a brooder, perhaps with access to a sun porch.​

Below, review some basic requirements for housing and raising turkeys.

Requirements for Raising Turkeys

Once your turkeys are old enough to live outside, you must provide them a roosting area with a roof, protection from predators, and access to fresh pasture or range. The essential requirements for raising these birds include:

• Protection from predators
• Places to dust-bathe
• Roosts to fly up into at night
• Access to range grass
• Enough space: 75 feet by 75 feet for up to 12 turkeys

These recommendations for roosting structures and fenced pens work well when raising spring turkeys that will be harvested for meat at around 28 weeks of age.

Roosting Area

Turkeys require elevated roosting spots to spend the overnight hours, ideally with a sheltering roof to protect them from the elements. It's possible to build a single roost pen with space for several birds (a 5x8' roost will house about 20 turkeys) or you can build a set of roosts. Either way, mounting the roost or roost pen on skids or wheels will allow you to move it easily. Moving the roosts around the range area helps prevent manure from building up in one spot.

Wood is an ideal construction material (although electrical conduit can also be used) to place on top of wooden skids to keep the roost structure lightweight and easily moved. If the roost is particularly lightweight, you may need to stake it down so it doesn't blow over. Perches should be about 15 to 30 inches above the ground. If higher, an angled ladder structure allows the birds to climb to the perch locations. Cover the roost structure with a lightweight metal or fiberglass panel roof to protect the resting birds from the weather.

Fencing

Whether your turkeys are allowed free movement over range pasture or are confined in a pen area, the fencing material should be as high as possible, at least four feet, given that these birds can and will fly. You can also trim the wing feathers of rogue flyers, as most turkeys will probably stay in the pen happily unless something disturbs them. If you keep your turkeys in a pen, topping the fence with netting protects the birds and prevents escape.

You can use electric poultry netting for temporary fencing in a range pasture setting. Use woven-wire fencing, metal T-posts, or wooden posts to build a more permanent enclosure.

You can turn turkeys out onto pasture with cattle. The birds will improve the land by eating weed seeds like nettle, dock, and chicory. Turkeys will further benefit the pasture by picking corn and other digested grains from manure and spreading them around.

Ensure your fencing is flush to the ground and sturdy to protect your turkeys from predators, such as foxes, raccoons, and weasels.

Housing for Breeding Turkeys

There are special requirements for raising breeding pairs of toms and hens to lay and hatch eggs. When raising breeding birds, you must provide winter housing and nesting.

A more solid, permanent turkey house can work well for breeding. Divide the enclosure into at least two spaces to separate the toms and hens. You can let out toms for a few hours every day to graze, then put them back in before letting the hens out to graze. Coax the birds back into the turkey house by offering them poultry feed. Ensure the turkeys have access to pasture each day, even for breeding stock. About half of an adult turkey's diet should consist of grass and plants from pasture.

A small pen or box with solid sides makes a good space for a broody hen to hatch poults. You can place this pen within the larger turkey house.