Single hen

[magamamma]

i am planning to rear my own turkey for christmas dinner next year but i really need a plan for a hutch of some sort. Has anyone done it or has livestock and has plans?? any info would be recieved with open arms!!!!

many thanks

maggie

lily

bluebelle

henrietta

[Martin B]

Ditto. I'm thinking of doing the same but maybe with hens.

[sparkleeeeee]

i wanted to do it this year but never got around to making a hutch. i will do it next year though. it would be great if omlet could quickly make us some turklus for the spring.

i would have to send the turkey to the butcher for the plucking etc as i am bound to become to attached to them and i wouldnt be able to do it.

hubbie says we should eat some of our chooks this christmas as i have nine that dont lay, they are all supposd to be laying, cream legbars are 39 weeks and the marans and sussex were supposed to be in lay when we got them the workmen keep saying that my chooks are spoilt and thats why they dont lay. there are jokes every day about the lack of eggs. the work experience boy was today told he could have a job if he could get a chicken to lay.

[sparkleeeeee]

oh the hutch i was planning to make was going to be a big version of a wooden chicken one. i am not sure if that would be ok. when i have seen turkeys before they had a nesting box and a perch but the hutch door has to be bigger.

[Martin B]

I'm being quite serious, too many treats might be responsible for lack of eggs.

 

Lesley has turkeys and she might have some advice.

 

I seem to recall there being 3 sizes, I think I'd have to do the smallest one if I decided to do it.

 

Martin

[sparkleeeeee]

well they have organic layers in the morning and any s"Ooops, word censored!"s in the afternoon (bread pasta etc) and some corn. the builders were laughing at me taking huge big branches out of the skip from a tree that had been trimmed and adding to the adventure playground they have in their run. as they cant free-range at the moment they like to get up high and watch the builders doing the extension. that wouldnt affect the laying would it? they seem happy. they have grit and glugs topped up every day and i change the paper in the trays every day and s"Ooops, word censored!"e the bars and jetwash as necessary so the cube is clean. i have tried straw, hemcore and paper in the nesting box and even tried nesting boxes in a partially enclosed corner of the run.

[Martin B]

Just shake the roasting tin at them! I can't believe the amount of people who are actually convinced that works. I am yet to be convinced!

[sparkleeeeee]

they did look a bit worried when the silkie cockerels went to a new home.

i do have a huge maran and a sussex that is almost as big. i am sure they will make a nice meal (only joking!!!!! )

 

i am sure in the spring i will have loads of eggs and the workmen will be taking boxes home with them. i just really wish one of them would just start laying now!!!!!! especially with the bird flu.

[Lesley]

We converted small sheds which are actually meant to be breeder kennels for dogs.

 

http://www.collissheds.co.uk/pets_corner.html

 

We added a perch and cut a large hole in the door. We set them on railway sleepers to deter rats so we then had to make a ramp for them to get into the shed.

 

but.................. they like to roost outside, on the edge of the fence We used to move them but they're getting a bit heavy for that now so we leave them. They go in the sheds during the day sometimes.

 

We chose ours at 5 weeks and the breeder needed to know the eventual weight we needed them to be - we had to choose between Minis, Plumpies and Roly Polys

[Louise]

http://www.agri-plastics.net/calfhutches.html

 

These could be converted for turkeys they should never be used for calves that much I know it is soul destroying going onto a farm and seeing calves tethered like dogs to these things

 

Great for turkeys though you would just need to add a perch and some of them have an integral water supply

[Lesley]

They would be great for turkeys!

[magamamma]

brilliant ideas i must say. The only prob with the plastic one is i dont know if after doing this turkey rearing next year that im going to want to do it again!! So i think the converted shed is for me.

Well i will get to making the shed in the new year and i will post some pics and maybe it'd be nice for a few of you who said you wanted to do it too to post how you are doing too!

Cant wait!!

[clucking mad woman]

i have just brought my first turkey and will soon have a companion for her. no she's not for eating.!!! as eglu's are not big enough, i'm buying a plastic dog kennel and double run for them.if anyones interested in pic's when it arrives i can post some. i am looking forward to tasting turkey eggs.we have lamb or beef for christmas as we don't like turkey

[Lesley]

Oooooh, yes please.....photos

[Mollie333]

I loveeee my turkeys. I don't eat them, though. We got Cheryl last year, she was a huge Norfolk Bronze meat turkey, sadly the fox took her. She was soo friendly. Heres a video of her running to the mealworms!

http://s205.photobucket.com/albums/bb37/3Mol3/?action=view&current=Chooooks005.jpg&newest=1#!oZZ94QQcurrentZZhttp%3A%2F%2Fs205.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fbb37%2F3Mol3%2F%3Faction%3Dview%26current%3DChooooks017.flv%26newest%3D1

and Cheryl:

 

 

And heres Biscuit my bourbon red and Hatter my lavender, so small.

[Lesley]

Great photos! - I love the Lavenders, so pretty. I love the noise they make, I might think about keeping some.....