The farm after a typical winter snowfall.
We are also off the grid, so we don't
use things like heat lamps in the coops. In fact, none of our coops
are heated or insulated. So how do we keep our birds warm and
comfortable during freezing weather?
One important consideration is breed
selection. Some turkeys (as well as other poultry) are more
cold-hardy than others. If you live in an area with harsh winters, do
try to find a breed known to be cold-hardy. It's also a good idea to
talk to others in the area who have some experience raising turkeys,
and get their advice.
Old Tom, the patriarch of our Midget White turkey flock.
With chickens, usually a main concern
is frostbitten combs. I wondered myself, with their bare heads and
large wattles, about how our Midget White turkeys would manage when
we had days with the temperature staying below freezing. At the time
I could not find anything in books or blogs about this, so we just
had to learn from experience. Turns out, the turkeys were just fine.
We didn't do anything special to help prevent frostbite. However,
there are a few tips I can give you that have proven consistently
useful.
First, turkeys, when given the choice,
will opt to spend the night roosting outdoors, usually in a tree.
Unlike our chickens, they don't seem to mind being out in the rain or
snow; the toms especially seem disinclined to get out of the weather.
The first couple of years we had turkeys, we were chasing them out of
the trees every night. At this point, almost all the turkeys we have
were hatched on our farm, by broody hens, so they learned from their
mamas to go into a coop to roost at night. This not only keeps them
out of the bad weather, it also helps minimize predator problems.
The important thing about turkeys
roosting in a coop is to make sure the roosts are big enough. Even
smallish turkeys like the Midget White have large feet. Like
chickens, when turkeys roost, they settle down on their feet and
their feathers keep their feet warm. It's critical to use a roost
large enough so their toes can't go all the way around it; otherwise
the tips of their toes won't be covered by the feathers, so they are
vulnerable to frostbite.
What's worked well for us is to use
cedar 2x4s for roosts. If you have another kind of heritage turkey
(most of which are larger than the Midget White) you may need to try
something even larger. We turn the 2x4s so the wide side is turned
up. This seems to be just fine for all ages of turkeys. Our turkey
roosts are about 6 feet long; depending on the size of your turkeys,
if you use roosts longer than this, they may need extra support in
the middle.
Another thing we do in cold weather is
to bump up the birds' carbohydrate intake. The easiest way we've
found to do this is to feed out some cracked corn an hour or two
before they go into their coops for the night. This gives them a
carbo boost to help regulate their body heat during the long cold
winter night.
Turkey footprints in the snow. I used to worry about their feet
getting cold, but snow and ice don't seem to bother them much.
One other bit of advice I'd like to
share: In the winter it's even more important to keep up with
cleaning your coops out regularly. The birds are spending more time
in those coops than they do outdoors when the days are short, and
most of their poop is in there with them. Birds are quite vulnerable
to respiratory problems, so please keep those coops clean and dry.
This is also a good time to make sure
that there is adequate ventilation in your coops. It's easy to think
that your birds will be warmer and more comfortable if you close up
the windows, but air circulation is critical. I promise, it won't
hurt your birds.
To sum up: Select cold-hardy breeds if
you live where winters are cold. Make sure your roosts are large and
sturdy enough for your turkeys. Help keep them warm at night with
extra carbohydrate before you tuck them in. Keep those coops clean,
dry, and well-ventilated. Your turkeys –and other poultry-- will be
happier and healthier.
I'm always interested in hearing about your experiences, especially in different parts of the country. If you raise turkeys, let me know what you do to get them through the winter.
