Celebrating my husband’s birthday this week led to us impulse buying turkeys from Tractor Supply.

These two were the last two at the store and we just couldn’t let them be. Our boys were so excited to go pick them up! We set them up in a brooder and they are doing so well! This weekend we are expecting snow, so we’re praying they handle that well and the heat lamp is enough.

We are planning to name them, but haven’t gotten there yet. I thought Thanksgiving and Christmas would be appropriate, but I was voted down. Any ideas?

If you’re wondering what turkeys need to survive, it’s basically the same as chickens at this stage.

1- A brooder. The brooder needs to be a protected space where you can control the temperature with a heat lamp. We have used commercially bought brooders, a cooler, and a metal water tank. As long as it has a lid with mesh or vents, you should be good!

2- Food and water. This seems pretty obvious. We feed our turkeys a game bird mixture from Tractor Supply. It is actually the same feed we use for our ducks.

3- A protected place outside when they are big enough. We’re building a coop for them. The biggest difference with turkey and chicken at this point is that turkeys need taller roosts. Once we get it built, I’ll share a picture!