Raising turkeys can be an extremely rewarding experience. From their comical, curious nature to the delicious meat they provide, there are many benefits to keeping these large, charismatic birds. However, in order to keep turkeys healthy and happy, it is essential to provide adequate housing and space This allows them to demonstrate their natural behaviors, reduces stress, and prevents common health issues.
When planning your turkey housing, the most important factors to consider are
Space Per Bird
Turkeys are active foragers that need room to roam The exact amount of space needed depends on whether they are confined or free-range
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Confined Turkeys: Require 3-4 square feet per bird inside the shelter.
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Free-Range Turkeys: Require at least 100 square feet per bird of outdoor space for exercise and foraging.
Overcrowding causes stress, injuries, poor hygiene, and can facilitate the spread of illness. Be sure to provide sufficient area for the number of birds in your flock.
Shelter Size
The shelter should allow all turkeys to move around freely and have room to perch. Key elements include:
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Adequate headroom so turkeys can stand fully upright.
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Perches or roosts for each bird to sleep on at night.
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Nest boxes for hens to lay their eggs in privacy and comfort.
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Easy bird access to food and water stations.
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Sufficient ventilation and air circulation.
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Protection from the elements, drafts, pests, and predators.
Larger breeds need more space than smaller heritage breeds. The shelter layout should suit the specific needs of your turkey variety.
Outdoor Access
Turkeys relish spending time outdoors. An enclosed outdoor run or free-range access allows them to enjoy:
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Natural sunlight for health.
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Fresh air and improved ventilation.
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Opportunities to forage on grass and insects.
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Dust bathing to clean feathers and skin.
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Exercise to develop muscles and strength.
Try to provide as much outdoor access as possible. Even a small enclosed run is beneficial.
Brooder Size
Young poults up to 8 weeks old need special housing called a brooder. Common brooder sizes per poult are:
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Days 1-3: 1 square foot
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Weeks 3-6: 2.5 square feet
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Weeks 6-8: 2.5 square feet
The brooder should have a heat source and bedding. Increase the brooder size as poults grow.
Group Size
Turkeys are social and do best when kept in a group. Minimum recommended flock sizes are:
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Confined Birds: No less than 3-4 turkeys
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Free-Range: 5-6 is ideal for security and socialization
Avoid keeping solitary turkeys. They can become stressed and anxious when alone.
Predator Protection
Turkeys fall prey to a wide array of predators attracted to their size and awkwardness. Ensure housing includes:
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A sturdy roof, walls, and floor.
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Small spacing in fencing/wire to prevent entry.
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A securely latched door.
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Covered windows, entrances, and ventilation holes.
Predator-proofing is essential for safety. Lock turkeys inside a predator-proof shelter at night.
Litter Management
Wet, soiled litter quickly builds up harmful ammonia fumes. Regular litter maintenance improves health. Ideal practices include:
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Using an absorbent litter like pine shavings.
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Frequent litter changing/stirring.
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Keeping litter dry with proper ventilation.
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Providing adequate floor space per bird.
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Scooping out wet areas promptly.
Good litter management goes hand in hand with adequate space allocation.
Range Rotation
For free-range turkeys, rotate their pastured area frequently to prevent overgrazing and muddy conditions. Divide range into sections and rotate turkeys through one portion at a time. This promotes cleanliness and restores vegetation.
Biosecurity
Adopt biosecurity measures to keep turkeys disease-free:
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Restrict shared use of equipment with other farms.
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Isolate and quarantine new arrivals and sick birds.
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Clean and disinfect housing between flocks.
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Limit visitors and their contact with turkeys.
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Avoid introducing birds of various ages together.
Proper space contributes to better biosecurity. Less crowding reduces disease transmission.
Access to Food and Water
When organizing space, ensure turkeys can easily access feeders and waterers multiple times daily. Avoid cramped competition for resources.
Space for Health Management
Adequate space enables close observation of bird health and behavior. Sick birds can also be separated for treatment. Built-in handling areas facilitate tasks like health checks and transport.
Behavioral Enrichment
Turkeys have lively personalities and are very intelligent. Provide enrichment like perches, dust bathing areas, natural vegetation, and toys to engage their curiosity and prevent boredom-related issues.
Space for Growth and Mating
For breeding turkeys, allocate additional space for mating displays like fanning and strutting. Growing poults also require increasingly more area. Plan housing around maximum adult size and habits.
Providing each turkey an appropriate amount of clean, dry shelter and range goes a long way in supporting their welfare. Consider the unique space needs of your flock when planning their housing. With some preparation and foresight, you can keep your turkeys content and thriving.
Growing your own Thanksgiving turkeys
If you have ever considered raising turkeys for Thanksgiving feasts, now is the time to get started.
Have you ever considered raising your own turkeys to market for the Thanksgiving holiday? Raising market turkeys can be a fun and rewarding way to provide fresh, local food in your community. It is also a great project youth can do to help build animal science content knowledge and entrepreneurial skills.
Most turkey breeds will mature between 14-22 weeks of age, which means you will need to purchase birds early in July to make sure they have enough time to grow. Heritage breeds will take a bit longer, 25-30 weeks, so those birds would need to be purchased in late May or early June.
Turkey poults can be purchased through different hatcheries and are typically a few days old when they arrive to the purchaser. Beginning with the end in mind is a good strategy to help you determine what breed you should purchase. Each breed will vary in the length of time it takes for the bird to mature and the final weight on mature birds. Turkeys should be kept in groups of at least three to six birds.
Turkey poults are raised very similarly to chickens. They will need to be kept in a brooder for the first six weeks and can then be transferred into a coop setting. Turkeys will need a larger area to grow than chicks due to their size, and size requirements will increase as the turkey grows. The following is the amount of coop space per turkey that will be needed:
- 0-8 weeks: 2-2.5 square feet per turkey
- 8-16 weeks: 3-4 square feet per turkey
- 16-20 weeks: 5-8 square feet per turkey
- 20 weeks to market weight: 6-10 square feet per turkey
Turkeys also require different diets during different growth stages. They need a diet very high in protein so that they can grow and gain muscle quickly. Generally, a 30% protein diet is fed as a starter feed from 0-8 weeks of age. After that, birds can be dropped down to a 20% protein grower formula until they achieve market weight. Turkeys must have access to clean, fresh water at all times as well.
“Giving Poults a Good Start” by the University of Maine Extension and “Raising Turkeys” by the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension are great resources that can provide more in-depth information.
Turkeys are sold at a price per pound. In order to determine what you need to charge per pound, consider the following:
- Purchase price of poults
- Feed costs
- Harvesting costs
- Marketing costs
- Other expenses—bedding, supplies, etc.
Determining your input costs will help you set a fair price so that your costs are covered.
Raising turkeys can be a fun and rewarding opportunity for youth to build upon their 4-H poultry experience outside of the local fair.
How much space do I need to keep turkeys? – Is my garden big enough? Raising Turkeys for beginners
FAQ
How much floor space does a turkey need?
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Age
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Floor Space (Sq .Ft)
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Feeder Space (cms) (Linear feeder)
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0-4 weeks
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1.25
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2.5
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5-16 weeks
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2.5
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5.0
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16-29 weeks
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4.0
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6.5
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Turkey breeder
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5.0
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7.5
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How much room does a turkey need to roost?
Will free range turkeys fly away?
What size of coop does a turkey need?
How much space do you need for a Turkey Poult?
Turkey poults need 2.5 sq. ft. each in the brooder and 10 sq. ft. each in the grow out pen. Turkeys on grass need a 25×25 sq. ft. area each. Your turkeys will love going outside, once they are fully feathered. Make sure you have a 4 ft. high turkey proof fence to keep them in and predators out. Home grown turkey, yum!
How many square feet does a Turkey need?
A minimum of 10 square feet is recommended per turkey for outdoor free roaming and foraging. The importance of regular observation and monitoring is also important, as are feeding and watering requirements. Are you raising any turkeys?
How much pen space do turkeys need?
At 16 weeks your turkeys are really going to be growing! From now until 20 weeks they need 8 sq. ft. each of pen space. If you are keeping your birds outside on pasture or your yard, you’ll need to give them a 25×25 foot area per bird. This works out to be 625 sq. ft. each.
How big should a Turkey shelter be?
Shelter is necessary to protect turkeys from extreme weather conditions and predators. It is important to consider the number of turkeys you plan to raise when choosing a shelter size. As a general rule, each bird should have at least 4 square feet of floor space. This gives the turkeys enough room to move around and perch.