Can I free range a few turkeys on 1 acre?

[Lande-la]

I already free range my flock of 10 chickens and they stay pretty close to home. Most of the time they are right outside my front door. I encourage them to stay close with water and food. Are turkeys similar? Or do I need to worry about them roaming farther. My aunt would like to give me 3 turkeys hatched about 2 months ago. I have a secure area where they will stay until grown and a coop for them at night. Once they are ready, I’d like to have the option of free ranging them if possible. I have read that turkeys will return home each night like chickens do. My concern is neighbors or the turkeys roaming to an area where I can’t monitor them. My neighbors aren’t very close, we are rural, but I’d hate if my turkeys roamed far enough to bother them.

 

[R2elk]

I already free range my flock of 10 chickens and they stay pretty close to home. Most of the time they are right outside my front door. I encourage them to stay close with water and food. Are turkeys similar? Or do I need to worry about them roaming farther. My aunt would like to give me 3 turkeys hatched about 2 months ago. I have a secure area where they will stay until grown and a coop for them at night. Once they are ready, I’d like to have the option of free ranging them if possible. I have read that turkeys will return home each night like chickens do. My concern is neighbors or the turkeys roaming to an area where I can’t monitor them. My neighbors aren’t very close, we are rural, but I’d hate if my turkeys roamed far enough to bother them.

If your property is not properly fenced the turkeys will not limit their wanderings to your property.

 

[Devils Flower]

I already free range my flock of 10 chickens and they stay pretty close to home. Most of the time they are right outside my front door. I encourage them to stay close with water and food. Are turkeys similar? Or do I need to worry about them roaming farther. My aunt would like to give me 3 turkeys hatched about 2 months ago. I have a secure area where they will stay until grown and a coop for them at night. Once they are ready, I’d like to have the option of free ranging them if possible. I have read that turkeys will return home each night like chickens do. My concern is neighbors or the turkeys roaming to an area where I can’t monitor them. My neighbors aren’t very close, we are rural, but I’d hate if my turkeys roamed far enough to bother them.

Sorry but turkeys arnt like chickens. They may or may not come home. It depends if they get busy foraging and it gets late. They will stay where they are till morning. Turkeys don't like being put up in to a coop. They rather chill outside. There is a risk of them going farther away from the house to fined more things they like to eat. If they have food 24/7 they are more likely to stay close to the house.
How I fixed this problem with my turkeys going to the next door neighbors. I use a dear feeder to feed my flock of chickens ducks and turkeys. Fist I had it going off 4 times a day for 9 seconds. Well that wasn't enough food for the turkeys. They thought. So they wondered to the next door neighbors yard/barn. This happened a few times before I figured out what to do to keep them home. She has horses goats and cats running around like crazy. So there is alot of feed on the ground around her place and alot more bugs.
So I changed my settings on the dear feeder to go off every 2 hours for 6 seconds. It goes off 7 times a day for a total of 42 seconds total. Even though it's just at touch more feed the turkeys have never left the yard sents. They learn fast the times the feeder goes off. So they don't have time to wonder off because they will miss a feeding.
And my turkeys have 10 acres to free range on and they still went to the next door neighbors place.

 

[R2elk]

I already free range my flock of 10 chickens and they stay pretty close to home. Most of the time they are right outside my front door. I encourage them to stay close with water and food. Are turkeys similar? Or do I need to worry about them roaming farther. My aunt would like to give me 3 turkeys hatched about 2 months ago. I have a secure area where they will stay until grown and a coop for them at night. Once they are ready, I’d like to have the option of free ranging them if possible. I have read that turkeys will return home each night like chickens do. My concern is neighbors or the turkeys roaming to an area where I can’t monitor them. My neighbors aren’t very close, we are rural, but I’d hate if my turkeys roamed far enough to bother them.

My neighbor who has 5 acres and allows his turkeys to free range was just here this morning looking for his 30 turkeys that went on walk about. He lives 1/2 mile away from me and his turkey flock has shown up here two times so far. That is not counting his hen that disappeared for a month before she showed up here.

 

[yesterDAYNE]

My turkeys thankfully stayed by the house when we were free ranging them, but my biggest issue was the hens wandering off to nest in the brush. If we couldnt find them before the next morning they usually never came back, we would eventually find feathers at a nest site. So even if they do stay around, I personally wouldn't fully free range them because of the risk of being preyed on while brooding. It wasnt fun watching birds that Im in charge of their safety getting killed one by one.