Free ranging turkeys

bucktail

Senior Member
I want to get some thoughts from y'all about free ranging the turkeys I've been raising. So I've got 6 merriams that I got as chicks (7 the donkey killed one). I got them cause I thought it would be a fun addition to the barnyard. I've got an old ornery donkey, old horse, 12 chickens (one rooster), and 6 turkeys. I want to let them free range.

Does anyone have any thoughts on if they'll wander off or will stay around and go back to there coop like the chickens do?

I've never even hunted merriams. They were the closest to a wild turkey I could get.

I'm a bit worried cause they're a wild breed and I really don't want to loss them. I have let them out for short periods with direct supervision making sure to always leave one or two locked in the run so the flock is separated. I have been able to round them up and back in.

They are pretty cool to have around, the males just starting to gobble! looks like I have 3 males three females. They even called in 2 wild eastern jakes to the barnyard last week.
 

Jeff Raines

Senior Member
I've free ranged domesticated turkey's in my yard.They would stay in the yard because my chickens were there.But I only did 1 turkey at a time/year.
You have a wild breed that is it's own flock that could very well strike off on their own.
I've also seen a jake kill chickens that he tried to breed.The hens would squat and he would mount and crush them.
 
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