[tinwheeler]

I'm keeping turkeys for the first time this year, raising meat for Xmas.


I've converted an old caravan into a roosting house for them and they have a large open pen.


Each night they choose to sleep outside on an old box rather than go into the caravan. At first I didn't mind but they seem to stay out in the rain and we now have minus 8 at night! I'm going out each night and carrying each one into the caravan to try to keep them warm in fear that they might succumb to the cold.


Am I being over protective?

[bigchicken]

Yes some can be so thick last year my first with turkeys they had a very large shed and I made a run out of sheep hurdles topped with netting and they were so thick they would have spend all night outside if I had'nt shooshed them in eventually I kept them in the hut permanently.

[Hermit]

Turkeys are wierd birds, they die if you breathe on them the wrong way but are as tough as nuts in the rain! I lock all mine in a stable at night as I dont want them using energy to keep warm .

[manian]

Turkeys don't get the hang of roosting  inside like chickens do.
some of ours are 3 years old now and still roost on the fence until they see us walking down. they then jump off and we walk them into the shed.
on the plus side if we want to put everything away in the summer when still light; turkeys are soooooooooooooo much easier than chickens!!!
some of the christmas (well the 2 in particular will be easter) turkeys jump over the 8 ft fence and join the chickens (so much for blackhead) and sometimes go to bed with them in their coop tho' . neither seem to mind
we can't leave ours out as foxes will have a feast
Mx