Breeding turkeys at home is quite a responsible and serious matter, because birds are demanding of conditions and, if improperly maintained, can be subject to various diseases, grow poorly and gain weight. Therefore, for the successful cultivation of turkeys and obtaining quality indicators of productivity, it is necessary to create comfortable conditions for them and properly equip the turkey hen.
General requirements for turkey breeders
Building a barn for turkeys is not difficult, but it is very important to design it taking into account all the hygiene standards: dryness, heating, ventilation, lighting, etc. In general, it should be assumed that birds should feel safe, comfortable and spacious.
The following requirements are imposed on the turkey barn:
- Space. The territory of the premises should be as spacious and free as possible, per one bird not less than 1 square meter per adult. m square. On the same area you can settle 5 small turkey poults. Accordingly, if you keep a small flock of birds in the amount of 13-15 individuals, you will need a barn with an area of about 15 square meters. m
- Ventilation. Turkeys do not tolerate strong heat and stuffiness, and at the same time the cold also adversely affects their well-being. In addition, the birds are sensitive to drafts, so it is very important to organize high-quality ventilation in the room so that the air does not stagnate. As a rule, to create a ventilation system use a box with a valve, which is placed on the ceiling.
- Warm and dry. The house should be warm and dry throughout the year. Especially this requirement is relevant for regions where harsh climatic conditions prevail, cold winds blow, which cool the room. During the winter period, temperature indicators should not fall below 0 ° C with the content of domestic breed turkeys and +10 ° C - with foreign birds. The optimum moisture content in the turkey bass is 65-70%. To ensure dryness in the room and prevent the ingress of moisture from the soil, it is necessary to create a strong foundation and a reliable floor.
- Purity. The house should always be kept clean, paying special attention to litter material, which should be dry, fresh, free from litter. In winter, the litter is partially changed, only the top layer, the rest of the time - completely.
- Materials To allow the walls of the turkey to "breathe", to let the air through and thus prevent it from stagnating, it is recommended to use natural materials for construction, such as wood.
Learn how to grow turkeys for meat.
Where to build on the site
It is important not only what the house will be, but also where it will be located.
If it is possible to choose a place to build, then you should give preference to a site that:
- located in a sufficiently lit place, since it is unacceptable to build a barn in places of constant darkening;
- located on a hill or on a plot of land where groundwater is fairly deep;
- has a large area, which is enough to build the house and a special walking place for birds;
- is far from various buildings: garages, saunas, summer kitchen.
Check out our guidelines for keeping turkeys in the winter.
What better to build a barn for turkeys
A shed for turkeys, first of all, should be built in such a way that it is warm inside the room during the winter and fresh and not stuffy in the summer. Therefore, to achieve these goals, it is recommended to build a capital structure using brick or stone as a material. 
Option combination of various types of building materials
When living in areas with a temperate climate, it is allowed to build a poultry house made of wood. Under more severe environmental conditions it is necessary to warm the walls with mineral wool, sawdust and sheathe with a string.
For the roof it is better to take slate, tile or other roofing materials that can be found in the farm. Attic space should be insulated with mineral wool, or hay or straw should be used as a cheaper option.
Learn how to make a brooder for turkey poults.
Dimensions
As mentioned earlier, turkey accommodation should be as free and spacious as possible. Adult birds should be kept in small flocks, taking into account that one adult turkey will require at least one square meter.
As for small turkey poults, they can be placed more closely - by 1 square. m to 5 chicks. If the room is crowded, then a crush will begin between the birds, which can lead to undesirable consequences. 
Example drawing turkey
Also a prerequisite for the construction of the house is the presence of a vestibule, which will serve as a kind of barrier from the cold air to the birds.
Important! When building a barn for turkey poults, you should not make too high ceilings, since all the heat will go up and it will be harder to heat the room.
How to make a barn for turkeys
For a comfortable living turkeys for them should be built not just a place to sleep, but a real high-grade house. And for this you need a number of materials and tools.
Necessary materials
The construction of a bird shed begins with the procurement of all the necessary materials. From the point of view of environmental friendliness, safety and economy, the most suitable building material for the construction is wood. 
When building a house, consider the possibility of separate keeping of birds of different species and breeds.
In addition to her, you also need to stock up:
- concrete;
- cement.
Find out if wings can be cut from turkeys, how to eliminate fights from turkeys.
Tools for work
During the construction work, the following tools will be required:
- measuring instruments: construction level, tape measure;
- Bulgarian;
- fasteners: screws, nails, screws, metal corners;
- saw and hammer;
- drill and screwdriver.
An example of a house with departments for chickens and turkeysStep-by-step instruction
In order for the future construction to serve for a long time and fulfill all the functions assigned to it, during the work it is necessary to take into account all the details of the technology.
Learn how to keep chickens and turkeys together ..The construction of the turkey-hen is performed according to the following algorithm:
- Filling the foundation. The foundation is the basis of the house, so it must be as durable and reliable as possible. Filling is carried out according to the classical tape technology: a trench is dug not less than 0.5 m wide and poured with the prepared concrete solution. Concrete is carefully leveled and left to harden for several days.
- Walling. The best method of building walls is a frame construction, for which the bearing beams are placed on the foundation, the upper lag is installed and the vertical beams are mounted with a corresponding interval. All parts are fastened together with metal corners and screws.
- Formation of openings. The next step is to form all the necessary openings: windows, doors, holes for ventilation, manholes for turkeys, etc. It is recommended that you additionally heat all the holes made through the mounting foam.
- Roof mounting. Next, proceed to the installation of the roof: form the transverse and counter lattice, which is insulated with special materials (mineral wool, insulation). It is recommended to lay a vapor barrier film under the insulation layer, since a large amount of moisture will come out of the house.
- Wall insulation In order to always have a comfortable temperature inside the room, it is necessary to warm the walls with materials that allow air to pass through well, which may be mineral wool or ecowool.
Self-made turkey: video
Internal work
The construction of the poultry house frame is not the end of the construction work, because then it is necessary to carry out a number of activities for interior decoration, lighting, heating and ventilation.
Lighting
The daylight duration of the turkeys should be about 13 hours, so it is very important to ensure sufficient lighting in the house. For this, electrical wiring with lamps is mounted. In the summer, additional lighting is not required, and in winter and autumn they use ordinary fluorescent lamps with a power of 60 W or LED lamps.
Find out how much turkeys grow before slaughtering.It is recommended to turn on the light every day at the same time so that the birds get accustomed to the regime:
- in the morning: from 6:00 to dawn;
- in the evening: starting from the first twilight until 19:00.
Ventilation
Simply installing several windows in the house will not be enough for a comfortable stay of turkeys, therefore, without installing the supply and exhaust system - installation, ventilated air due to its forced output, you can not do.
Important! Arrangement of ventilation and exhaust ventilation is a mandatory measure in the event that the birds will live in a room of foreign breeds. Such birds are very sensitive to high humidity, dampness, and air pollution, as a result of which they often get sick and reduce their productivity.
To do this, even during the construction of the barn, a special box with dimensions of 25x25 cm is installed, which is equipped with three outlets: to the floor of the poultry, under the ceiling and in the middle. At the same time the pipe of the mine for ventilation is displayed on the street.
When installing pipes in the wall gaps should be eliminated with foam
Temperature
One of the most important conditions for keeping turkeys is maintaining a comfortable temperature. To do this, you must create an internal heating system, as well as conduct high-quality insulation of walls and floors.
The floor should rise not less than 20 cm above the ground, and if the birds are kept in harsh climatic conditions, then not less than 40 cm. It is recommended to use hay, sawdust, straw, which are covered with a layer of 10-15 cm as a bedding material.
Find out what should be the temperature regime for turkeys.The litter is changed when it becomes wet. Usually this procedure is carried out once a month. It is permissible to clean the top layer of the litter every two weeks, changing it to clean and dry.
For the formation of flooring experts advise the use of wooden bars, tight to each other. Concrete for flooring is impractical to use, because although it is durable, it is very hot from the cold, thereby quickly cooling the air inside. 
Of course, during the cold season it is necessary to install additional heating devices in the house. To do this, you can use infrared lamps, which are of low cost and can quickly heat the air.
Did you know? The characteristic "kuldykanie" is inherent exclusively in male turkeys. They extract such interesting sounds for several reasons: firstly, they thus attract the turkey, and secondly, they warn other males that the territory is occupied.
As alternative equipment, traditional air heaters or modern film heaters can be used. When young animals are kept in winter, heating lamps are installed directly above the box, where they are located in the first weeks after incubation.
Modern heating option - infrared lamps
Arrangement of the house
Equally important stage is the arrangement of the house, which involves the installation of nests, perches, installation of water troughs and feeders.
Nest
Installation of nests for turkeys is an important condition for their full and successful reproduction. Nests can be made of classic wooden boxes, the size of which is equal to the dimensions of the bird.
Learn how to improve turkey egg production.You can also build the egg-laying structures yourself from plywood sheets, wooden boards, bars, etc. When making nests, several rules must be observed:
- the surface of the boxes should be as smooth as possible, without cracks, so that birds do not hurt themselves;
- the bottom should be covered with natural materials: hay or straw.
Perches
Roosts are indispensable attributes of a turkey hen, because the birds rest and sleep on them. Poles should be fairly long - one individual is not less than 0.5 m, without roughness, chipping, with a smooth surface.
As a rule, perches are placed near the wall of the room that is most warm and remote from the exit. Planks for perches should be wide enough so that birds can almost completely embrace them with their fingers.
Learn how to lay eggs under the turkey.
The roosts must be securely fastened to prevent the birds from falling. In addition, it is better to make them removable so that during the general cleaning they can be easily dismantled. Poles set in the form of a pyramid at a height of about 80 cm from the floor and ceiling. It is recommended to form drawers under the perches, where waste will fall. 
Drinkers and feeders
Drinking bowls and feeders can be made from scrap materials, for example, plastic bottles, wooden boxes, plastic containers. Before using the container as a dish for water or feed, it must be thoroughly disinfected using a weak solution of potassium permanganate, vinegar. After processing, the tank should be washed in a large amount of water.
Did you know? Turkeys have the ability to sense changes in the weather. If the weather conditions will change in the direction of deterioration, the birds begin to actively pluck feathers on themselves.There are many options for homemade feeders and drinkers:
- from traditional cans;
- feeders in the form of a box made of plywood sheets;
- feeders and drinkers made of plastic pipes.
Aviary for walking
When building a turkey breeder, you should first allocate a place for walking on the plot. The area of the proposed enclosure should be large enough so that two adult turkeys can fit on one square meter.
The basis of the enclosure can serve as ordinary land, if it is dry. Otherwise, it is recommended to make a special wooden flooring of the bars, tightly adjacent to a friend.
Check out breeds of turkeys for home breeding.
So, the construction of the enclosure is carried out in the following sequence:
- Create a drawing site.
- Do the layout dimensions of the area according to the drawings.
- They clean the place for walking: they clean up garbage, grass and dry branches, dig the top layer of soil about 40-50 cm.
- Rammed ground, covered with sand and gravel in a layer of 15-20 cm.
- Around the perimeter of the enclosure with a certain interval set the rack, serving as a support for the beams.
- Strengthen beams. In this case, the beams must be pre-treated with antiseptic agents from rotting and thoroughly polished so that the birds could not get hurt.
- The frame is made of wood, which is tightly mounted to the house.
- They enclose the enclosure with metal mesh.
- Top cover with a film to protect the structure from getting wet.
Building a barn for turkeys with their own hands is at least a crucial task, but every breeder is quite capable of it. Having studied the basic technologies of construction and adhering to the rules of keeping the birds themselves, in just one season you can make a comfortable and spacious bird house where they can grow well, gain weight and produce healthy offspring.
