How Much Land Do You Need to Raise Turkeys?
- You are likely to attract wild turkeys to your land if you have variable habitats within your plot, including woodlands, agricultural growth and fields. Any size property will suffice, so long as it provides variable vegetation and a warm place for brooding, or nesting, their young for a two-week period. If you provide the variable habitat, the habitat will naturally provide the variable food sources, increasing the chances of the turkeys sticking around.
- Poults are baby turkeys. You can purchase poults from a variety of sources; check with your local agricultural extension office for more information. The brooding period lasts for the first two weeks of life and should be done in a 10 foot by 10 foot sheltered area that is warm and dry. You can provide heat with a 250-watt lamp at least two feet off the ground. Line the brooding area with straw covered in cloth. This will become more unnecessary each day as the poults grow. This type of enclosure can house up to 30 poults until they are two weeks of age, after which time you can treat them like a commercially raised turkey outlined below.
- Commercially raised turkeys technically require no land, but this is a controversial subject with animal rights proponents. It is possible to raise 20 turkeys entirely indoors in a 10 foot by 10 foot shelter that is raised one foot above the ground. The floor should be covered in welded wire and the walls covered with chicken wire. Keeping the birds entirely enclosed may lead to cannibalism.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not have a land-size requirement for free range poultry; they simply state that you must give the birds access to outdoors. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends one and half square feet of outdoor space per bird. Turkeys should be ready to sell at around 25 lbs and 24 weeks of age. - If you plan to keep a turkey or two as a pet then you need to consider, as you do with all pets, the well-being of the animal. Commercial raising prevents you from becoming emotionally attached to an animal that will be consumed by providing for basic needs, but nothing more. There is no magic number when it comes to acres or square feet of land; just consider that in the wild, turkeys like to roam, walking up to four miles per hour, and enjoy varied habitats.
