Want to Start Raising Turkeys with my Chickens

[Rustywreck]

If you like having animals running around you really like turkeys. They are goofy birds and more entertaining that television (with the exception of a Packer game).
I have chickens that are 3 weeks older than the turkeys. One of the chickens will get after the turkeys and keep them out of her way, even though she's less than a quarter the size of a turkey.

 

[emptynesterMom]

I have had a mixed flock of chickens and turkeys for the last year and a half. My shipped turkey poults were way more fragile than the shipped chicks. They had trouble learning to drink and then when they found the water, one fell in less than a 1/2 inch of water and drowned. So, I now put marbles in the water, both to attract them and to help them keep their heads above water. If they aren't drinking and look a little lethargic, I will give them a little taste of water with a 1cc syringe. I didn't have any problems with the poults that I hatched out myself. I did put a chicken egg in the incubator to hatch with the poults and having a chick to show them the way seemed to help. There is a lot of great info on this site and experienced people willing to share. All of the above helpful hints were gleaned from them. (I wish I had read about the marbles before I lost a baby)

 

[Pele]

I would really recommend making an enclosure for your turkeys at night. The only birds we've ever lost are turkeys, and that's because the dumb critters hate going inside at night, and raccoons are expert climbers.

And we love keeping a mixed flock! In fact, I struggled and struggled with hatching my pencilled palms... until I just gave up and shoved them under some bantam cochin hens who never seem to lose interest in being broody. I got 100% hatchrate. *sigh*. I guess it's what I deserve, trying to out-do nature.

 

[susan83]

We have been raising chickens for the last year and have decided we would love to raise a couple of turkey's for future thanksgivings. My question is will our 8x16 run and 4x8 house be enough room to add 2 turkey's (male and female) to our flock of 5 hens and 1 rooster?

 

[20736]

need more room.
We have a pair of Royal Palm Turkeys, and they have a 10 x 10 run to themselves. This works good.

 

[chicken pickin]

We have been raising chickens for the last year and have decided we would love to raise a couple of turkey's for future thanksgivings. My question is will our 8x16 run and 4x8 house be enough room to add 2 turkey's (male and female) to our flock of 5 hens and 1 rooster?

I think this sounds very tight but doable. With 5 hens, 1rooster and 2 turkeys, your run will allow 16 sqft per bird and 4 sqft each in the coop . It would definitely help if they were allowed to free range from time to time. Also if you decide on this living situation keep a close eye on the Tom who could potentially try to mate the chicken hens(that outcome wouldn't be good). Also the Tom and Rooster may fight a bit.

You can come join us on the Turkeys for 2014 thread to ask more questions and read more info. There are great people and great info discussed.

 

[susan83]

What is the bad outcome if they do try to breed my hens? Definitely don't want to cause bad living situations or death do to my lack of knowledge. Trying to do as much research as possible before deciding on raisin them together. I want to completely free range but my husband doesn't want out pets/dinner bothering out neighbors. An he isn't wanting to build another pen/house.

 

[20736]

Our Royal Palms are small for turkeys, and they can kill a standard size chicken with one peck of the beak. They weigh at least 3 times as much, maybe even 4. They are very territorial about the feed and roosts as well.

 

[R2elk]

What is the bad outcome if they do try to breed my hens? Definitely don't want to cause bad living situations or death do to my lack of knowledge. Trying to do as much research as possible before deciding on raisin them together. I want to completely free range but my husband doesn't want out pets/dinner bothering out neighbors. An he isn't wanting to build another pen/house.

Typical outcome of tom turkey trying to mate with chicken hen is squashed chicken.