A few weeks ago, I posted about incubating and caring for newly hatched turkey poults with the intent to write another post shortly afterwards about socializing the poults to become pets. Sorry for the long wait and thanks for your patience.
Today I finally had some time to get my thoughts together and below is what Mr. Freak and I have done with our Royal Palm turkeys from the point of hatching up to them reaching young adulthood.
Feeding:
From hatching until 8 weeks of age a turkey poult should be fed a game bird/turkey feed that is 28 - 30 % protein. Do not skimp on this as the young turkeys need this much protein to grow during the first weeks of life.
After 8 weeks of age, move to a game-bird/turkey pellet that is 20% protein. Supplement the feed with berries, cracked corn, fruits and vegetables.
De-worming:
Keep in mind that turkeys can get parasites from the ground and also if they are raised with other types of poultry (chickens, ducks, etc.) At 8 weeks of age, they should be de-wormed. We used Panacure brand de-wormer that was recommended by our vet and it works well to keep the parasites/worms away. Follow the directions on the package. After the initial de-worming, the turkeys should be de-wormed again every 3 to 4 months.
Socializing/Bonding:
To form a bond with your poults, start handling or holding them periodically during the first week of their life so that they get accustomed to you. They will imprint on you as their "mother" and look to you for food and security.
At 2 weeks of age, get some small crickets from your local feed store or you can order them in bulk at flukerfarms.com (very inexpensive if bought in bulk). Hold each poult in your lap and offer them a single cricket. They will usually take it from you and try to swallow it whole. You may have to kill the cricket in order for the poult to eat it. Then the next time you offer the poult a cricket, set him on the ground and snap your fingers, while holding a cricket in the other closed hand.
The poult will soon associate snapping fingers with a treat, even when no treat is in your hand later on. Do this "training" for a couple of weeks and they should be fully trained to come to you when you snap your fingers (at around 3 - 4 weeks of age).
From 2 weeks on, spend time with the poults - letting them sit in your lap or near you while you pet them. The only way for them to get used to you is to be near them and be calm and quiet while around them. They will come running to you when they see you after this initial bonding period.
We started taking walks around our property with the turkeys at 1 month of age. They will follow you as their "guide" if they have bonded to you from the "cricket training"
Housing/Shelter:
At about 4 week of age, place the poults in an enclosed pen, cage or barn area where you plan to have the turkeys spending the night as they grow older. You need to get them familiar with their "safe place". Turkeys need to know that there is a place that they can run to if they are scared or want to take a nap.
We have set up an old barn for this purpose for them. They like to roost in the rafters of the barn and sleep there at night. But, an enclosed 10 foot by 10 foot dog kennel will work just as well, as long as there is a roof on it to keep predators out.
Ongoing Care:
As the turkeys get older, take them for walks, spend time with them, feed them treats and let them sit in your lap to nap if they want to. If you spend the time to do all of these things, the turkeys will make wonderful, smart and enjoyable pets.
