Turkey Care

Housing Your Turkey

To give sufficient turkey care make sure your turkey has a good home. A turkey will need around 6 square feet of room each. There are some who advise caring for turkeys inside; some recommend leaving them out in the garden or yard, but beware of predatory creatures being a risk. Wherever you choose ensure there is nothing hazardous in the area.

Wood shavings are perfect for turkey litter. Sawdust and newspaper are not appropriate as they can cause harm if the turkeys eat it or slip up. Turkey litter should be scooped up in the same way as cat litter would.

If you decide you prefer to look after turkeys inside, provide fine gravel or sand. Turkeys outside will take care of that themselves.

Feeding Turkeys

Feeding turkeys will vary depending on how old the turkey is. Check with the feed shop staff how much you should give, as amounts of protein will be different. If you are using food that is medicated for disease prevention, you should cease feeding this for a significant time prior to slaughter.

Young Turkeys

Turkey care for young poults will require more than caring for turkeys that are older. Keep a heat lamp near the floor by the young. The temperature should be set at around 38°C, then lowered by a couple of degrees each week from then on.

Ensure that when caring for turkeys they know where their feeder and water is available. If they do not know this they could accidentally eat litter. Adjust the height of feed and water according to the turkey’s growth.