Does anyone have any ideas on how to build a shelter for 5 full grown turkeys? I'm in NY so it has to be able to provide winter protection. It also has to be cheap to build since finances are at an all time low here. I have a good supply of pallets and was hoping to do something with them but need some constructive ideas. Also, do I need to provide roosting areas and if so how high do they need to be. thanks

-- teresa (teresam@ascent.net), November 19, 2000

Answers

You might be able to build the walls of a shed with pallets then stuff the space between the boards with leaves or grass and cover outside with plastic. I don't know and am sure you will get a better response. That is my basic hog shelter and seems to work. gail

-- gail missouri ozarks (gef123@hotmail.com), November 19, 2000.

I don't have turkeys, but I did build a super easy & cheap shelter for my chickens out of a few bales of straw and some scrap wood. We stacked the bales on their side in a U shape and placed a sheet of old, scrap plywood on top. Then we placed a cinder-block on top to keep the 'roof' from flying away in the wind. My chickens have been perfectly happy with this. Since the materials were all scrap and scrounged it was free. They have made nice nests and I simply pick the plywood up and grab the eggs. I'm in CO and we've had some very cold weather...never a problem. I got the idea from a friend who welped her Aussie cattle dogs in a similar setup. Only she stacked the bales 2 high all the way round. Except one in the front, which was single high. Then she placed more bales over the plywood top. Her pups were snug as could be!

-- elle (hotging@aol.com), November 19, 2000.

Teresa, if you have a good supply of pallets, you should be all set, if you can take them apart. I know they can be difficult to get apart, though. And see if you can get some of the big pallets from a store that sells snow machines -- I see stacks of them by the dumpster almost every time I go by! If you can double-wall the structure, I don't really think your turkeys need insulation. Once snow flies, mound snow up around it and it will provide all the insulation they need, as long as they are well fed and have water. What kind of turkeys do you have? If they are broad-breasted kinds, there isn't much point in trying to winter them over, as they can't breed naturally and are better eating now than when they get older.

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), November 20, 2000.