I am thinking of buying a Turkey. I have a few questions before i do.
1. Would housing of a 8x8 shelter (small barn type) be fine?
2. I plan on keeping him in our yard which is extremely big but will let him out when we are out walking. We live on 6.5 acres. Will he follow us back in to the yard (which is completly fenced in) or would we be better to keep him behind the fence?
3. Do I have to do anythng extra in the winter for heat?
4. We would have a dirt floor, can I use wood shavings or is hay the only thing on the floor.
5. The barn would have fencing around the front only so would I need to shut the door and lock him in the barn at night?
6, Should the door be closed during the winter months?
Thanks Lee Ann :unsure:

I wrote a long response and hit some kit and deleted it all! I will try again. A 8'x8' house will be fine but it's good if you can let him out for exercise. If you have him from the time he's a baby, he will bond to you and should follow you. But, there's no guarantee he won't run off if loose (especially if scared by something). Domestic turkeys won't go far and can't really fly but wild turkeys can fly right over your fence. If you get a domestic, yes, keep him within the fenced area. To get him used to the house/roost, you should confine him there for a few weeks so he knows where home is. Turkeys normally return to roost at the same place each night. This is more likely if you have more than one turkey.

In the winter, exposure is the main concern. If the house is fully enclosed (with some ventilation), that will block precipitation and wind. You can also add a heat lamp sold for chickens. I use a reptile ceramic heat emitter instead (no light) but my chickens don't sit under it! A group of turkeys can snuggle for warmth so a single one is more apt to need the heat.

I put pine shavings on the dirt floor in our chicken house but it's pretty poopy in there. I don't suggest hay only because it can poke a hole in a turkey's feet when they land off the roost. My chickens have gotten infected feet that way when I used to put straw down. Straw is for bedding; hay is for feed (for other animals, not turkeys). Both have seeds that chickens and turkeys will eat though.

Yes, I would lock the barn up at night to keep out predators and in the winter, to block the wind and rain/snow. In the winter, you'd only leave an opening big enough for the turkey to get in and out. At night, close him up. In bad weather (blizzard), I keep the birds closed in. When snow ends, I dig them a trail in the run and let them walk in there if they want to. My current 2 hens are scared a lot and stay in their house but I think they're scared of the 2 roosters!

Good luck with your turkey, and I hope you don't eat him!

"If you have him from the time he's a baby, he will bond to you and should follow you. "

Nod. I sincerely suggest you to buy a turkey egg and ...... :D