The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: mentalmilly on July 17, 2014, 07:52:53 pm

Title: turkeys flying
Post by: mentalmilly on July 17, 2014, 07:52:53 pm

I have some turkey poults 4 weeks old and they can all fly like concorde.  I wonder does anyone have this problem and can you clip a turkeys wing to stop this happening, like you can with ducks and chickens.  I dont want them flying off into the distance never to be seen again as they will be free range. 

Title: Re: turkeys flying
Post by: shygirl on July 17, 2014, 08:00:58 pm

yes clip the wings. after years of well-behaved hybrids, our n/blacks suprised us by roosting on the roof  :roflanim: :roflanim:

Title: Re: turkeys flying
Post by: Pundyburn Lynn on July 17, 2014, 11:33:01 pm

Our turkeys would often roost on top of the porch or the barn, but they'd always come down in the morning.  While fantastic in flight, they don't ever go far!


Lynn x

Title: Re: turkeys flying
Post by: fiestyredhead331 on July 18, 2014, 12:25:34 am

clip the wing, they can still jump a fair height but not take off so to speak. Mine used to roost on top of the fence posts at night so just had to walk along and give them a shove back over to their own side.

Title: Re: turkeys flying
Post by: Womble on July 18, 2014, 06:55:28 am

Yes, ours kept flying over the electric poultry netting so I clipped their wings. This largely stopped them, but they took to roosting on top of their 6x4 shed just to show they still could!  ;D

In the end this was only a temporary issue. They quickly get too fat to fly very high!!

Title: Re: turkeys flying
Post by: mentalmilly on July 18, 2014, 04:56:26 pm

Thanks everyone clipping it is then. 

Title: Re: turkeys flying, another query.
Post by: mentalmilly on July 18, 2014, 10:22:25 pm

How soon can you clip the wings of turkeys?  mine are now nearly 5 weeks old.