Finding the perfect roost for my turkeys was a challenge because, quite honestly, I didn't know what I was seeking. My husband took a partial cattle panel out to the coop and propped it against the wall when the poults were small. They hated it. The wires were too small or they couldn't figure out how to use it.When my husband was out of town, I decided to remove his work and find a real solution. You can't let your birds free range unless they roost in your coop. Turkeys that don't roost in the coop won't return to the coop at night, so they will be unprotected. They are also difficult to catch when needed. So, I put roosting turkeys on the top of the list.
I hung a pole from the roof like a giant trapeze. Too swingy, I guess. They didn't like it. I, then searched high and low for something that I thought a turkey would like.
Finally, I called a man who is dedicated turkey hunter and asked about favorite roosts of wild turkeys.
"In the tops of pine trees on branches about three inches in diameter," he said.
K and I started searching for 3" branches and I just happened to have a few perfect ones in our Katrina cedar pile. They were there all along, I just didn't know what I needed. As soon as the limbs were installed, the turkeys started investigating - playing if you believe animals play.
That night every poult roosted.
2 comments:
Your Katrina cedar pile?
Sounds like a post in itself...
I'm just glad the birds are roosting now :-)
Hurray! And how often does that happen, that the thing we need was there all along if we only knew that was what we needed.
I also think the Katrina cedar pile might warrant a post, though it might be just a fancy description for all the wood that blew down during Katrina.
Post a Comment