A verminproof, weatherproof roosting shelter for growing poults is an
important piece of equipment. A square or rectangular structure with a
shed or gable roof makes a satisfactory range house. A shed roof is more
easily constructed. The use of wire guards called "antiflies" will keep
turkeys off the roof. Allowing for a 5-foot wire-floored alleyway to hold
the feeders and waterers, a house about 10 feet wide and 25 feet long
(figs. 16, 17, 18, and 19) will accommodate 150 to 175 growing turkeys to
market age; a similar house about 16 by 18 feet is large enough for 100
birds. Feeding and watering can be done inside. For a permanent house, a
height of 5 or 5-1/2 feet at the caves and about 8 feet at the front (or
the peak, if gable-roofed) is sufficient. If no alleyway is used, a house
9 by 26 feet containing roosts only should care for 130 to 150 turkeys to
market age (figs. 20 and 21).
[Illustration: Figure 21.--End elevation of range shelter for
turkeys. This type is built without an alleyway and measures 9 by 20
feet.]
With the latter type of house, feeding and watering must be done outside,
preferably with a covered feeder, as shown in figure 15. A cheaper
portable coop, not so high and with framework of lighter material, is
shown in figure 22. This coop is built on 4- by 10-inch skids and is
equipped with raised wire floor and with roosts.
[Illustration: Figure 22.--Portable turkey range houses equipped
with wire floors and antiflies. The house on the left is 16 by 20 feet
and has a feed storage room at one end.]
A permanent house should face south or in a southerly direction so that
the front is not exposed to storms. Board sides on the north and west
are desirable. Practically open-air conditions, combined with good
protection, may be obtained by leaving wire-covered openings about 2 or
2-1/2 feet wide across the north, west, and east sides at about the level
of the roosts. These Openings should be made closable by shiplap doors
that may be partly opened in warm weather and closed during cold weather
and storms. The south side may be left entirely open except for 1-inch
hexagonal mesh of 16- or 18-gage wire and enough boards to give strength
to the building and protect the birds from rainstorms.
As mentioned on page 29, desirable roosts may be made of 2 by 4's with
edges beveled and laid flatwise but slightly titled up at about the angle
of a quarter-pitch roof in the direction toward which the birds are
likely to face. Roosts made of 2 by 4's or other sawed lumber may cause
dents in the breastbones if they are laid perfectly flat. Smooth poles
2-1/2 to 5 inches in diameter also make good roosts. Material less than
2-1/2 inches wide is not recommended for turkeys half grown or older.
Roosts should be placed preferably 20 to 24 inches apart (center to
center), about 14 inches from the wall and lengthwise or the building.
Those nearest the back wall of the shelter should be the highest, and
each of the others should be about 6 inches lower than the one back of
it. This arrangement insures an even distribution of the birds on the
roosts without crowding. Allow about 1 foot of roost space per bird as
they require as much space as this when approaching market age.
The space beneath the roosts should be fenced off and covered with
1-1/2-inch, 18-gage wire mesh to prevent the birds from getting at the
droppings. This wire should be placed either on the under side of the
roost supports (fig. 17) or on special wire supports (fig. 21), and it
should be 6 to 12 inches below the top of the roosts. When a wire-floored
alleyway is used, removable vertical panels made of 1- by 4-inch boards
covered with the 1-1/2-inch hexagonal, 18-gage wire mesh should be placed
directly under the roosts which border the alleyways in such a way as to
close the opening underneath the roosts (fig. 19).
In very dry regions, it the space underneath the roosts and wire floors
is entirely enclosed, the droppings may be allowed to accumulate
throughout the entire growing season to save labor. In damp climates,
however, the droppings should be removed frequently.
Wire floors may be used, as described, in the alleyways of roosting
shelters to provide a place for inside feeding and watering and may also
be used in the outside yards when close-confinement rearing is practiced.
A practical method of construction is to make the floor in removable
sections, each about 5 feet square. The framework should be made of
2 by 4's placed on edge, with the top edge beveled to present about
three-fourths inch of surface; the center supports may be of 1 by 4's,
also placed on edge, spaced 12 to 16 inches apart, and laid lengthwise
of the alleyway (fig. 19). This frame should be covered with 1-inch
hexagonal, 16-gage wire mesh or chain-link fabric wire. Hardware cloth
in a 1-inch mesh made of 14-gage wire is perhaps more satisfactory and
will last longer, but the first cost would be greater. The wire may be
fastened with eight-penny nails and 1-inch staples alternated, one for
each strand of wire, but fastened only to the top or sides of the 2- by
4-inch framework, not to the center supports. The sections should be set
loosely in the alleyway and held 1 inch apart by nails driven into the
sides of the framework. Supports made of either 2 by 4 or 2 by 6 inch
material should be placed on both sides of the alleyway, directly under
the outer framework of the floor panels, and blocked up so as to hold the
floor frames 1 foot above the ground.
Since hen turkeys fly well, it is sometimes difficult to keep them in
their runways. Clipping the large outer feathers (called primaries) of
one wing will do much to prevent the turkeys from flying, but it is
usually necessary to put a 3- or 4-foot guard made of 1 by 4 or 2 by 2
inch material and lightweight poultry wire around the edge of the roof of
the roosting shelters, on gates, and on the fences themselves for 2 or
3 rods out from the buildings. Whenever practicable, these "antiflies"
should be slanted in toward the yard (figs. 16 and 20). Clipping the
wings of the toms is undesirable and is usually unnecessary when
antiflies are properly constructed.
A 5-foot fence is usually high enough to confine turkeys, except near
buildings and over gates, where the fence should be 8 or 9 feet high.
Even a 4-foot fence has been reported as satisfactory by some growers.
Steel posts and square-mesh poultry fencing of full standard weight make
good turkey fences.