hi padge, I have Wild Americans which are small and hardy, we dont think we could do this way of turkey keeping with the large commercials. Mine can mate naturally and are good brooders and parents, ie as mine are the original turkeys they do well more naturally. Mine graze more like geese and only get fed at night when I lock up and some in a morning while i am doing the milking, as we have no deadlines such as xmas we dont need to feed to fatten , just let nature take its course. They share the goat paddock and only fly in and out to nest in the bushes, they come back with the babies when they are ready. Mine dont mix with the chooks at all so no risk of blackhead and we have no foxes so if they want to stay out they do. Otters dont come near the house so they are not a danger either. We dont let them have tinies over winter as that would be too much to house and feed so as i did yesterday destroy any nests I find till spring. They lay better than the ducks , longer season and just as good eggs , the eggs up here in town sell at 75p each but I just sell them as duck egg prices. I think thats all about my turkeys at the moment, if you have a paddock( and no close neighbours as they do fly) and a good shed Wild Americans are a good buy.
