Our sweet turkey poults are officially 1 month old!

They have grown quickly, and are now living outside in our chicken tractor. I knew it was time for them to graduate to a bigger enclosure when they started escaping! They first started roosting on the edge of the brooder box, then flying all the way out, exploring the garden shed!

Luckily we have a multipurpose pen that works for young chickens, baby goats, and also, baby turkeys! Our chicken tractor is not actually a tractor, but a simple coop on wheels. It is lightweight enough to pull onto new grass daily, and kept dry with a stylish brown tarp over the top. It may be a bit of an eyesore, but the chicken tractor makes the perfect in-between home for growing turkeys. We have had our chicken tractor for going on 4 years now!

If you want to make your own chicken tractor, there are many designs to chose from online. Ours has a wooden frame on the bottom, a real screen door, and PVC pipe tunneled over the top. A tarp over the top keeps everything shaded. The tarp doesn’t go all the way to the bottom, except for in one corner. That way, there is always ventilation, but also a corner for the birds to get in when it rains. It is not meant to be a permanent home for the turkeys. They will one day move into the goat pasture and goat barn.

Our poults have been living in the tractor for the last 2 weeks without any issues! The weather has been hot and humid, with daily rain showers. Despite this, everyone seems healthy and happy! They love to come up to us and are very social, much more so than chickens! They have eaten about 13 pounds of feed in this first month. I feed them NatureServe gamebird starter (in the crumbles). They have been doing fantastic on this feed and I highly recommend it!

 

Turkey Tip – Perch in the Tractor

Much like in the brooder, the poults will enjoy a perch in tractor. They will most likely roost on it at night. A roost keeps their minds busy as well as keeps them safe off the ground, away from ants.

Turkey Tip – Provide a Box

Even with the tarp all the way to the ground in one corner, heavy rains and wind can still dampen the tractor inside. To combat this, I like to provide a small box with hay inside. The turkey poults can get inside the box if they need to. It is a simple way to provide a small place of refuge. We use an old plastic milk crate turned over on its side, with a bit a hay.

 

We love our 3 turkey poults so much! They are such comical little creatures that truly love to spend time with us! Sweet Pea, Peter Pan, and TinkerBell all have different personalities, and we enjoy them all. Check back in soon to see how they’ve changed!