I'm confused. Can I have my Turkey with chickens or not?

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Chiko

Chiko

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I've read lots of Turkey info pages and some say It's fine if my turkey is with the chickens but others say to keep turkeys away from chickens. What do I do? My turkey grew up with 2 ducks and 2 chicks. They are about 2 months old now and are doing fine. The turkey has made a big bond with the older chickens as well. What to do?
 
I'm in the same situation and the best I've been able to determine is to evaluate the risk of blackhead disease in your area and make your own decision after that research. I've checked my area and the risk is low so I let mine run together during the day and segragate them at night for feeding and sleep. A lady I know here in town has wintered her pet turkey thru 3 long winters with her chickens in a tiny coop, no problems. I understand that a professional raising operation has a lot at risk to have chickens within miles of them but my 10 turkeys and 7 chickens would not wipe me out if I'm wrong in running my birds together in a acre pen.
 
Quote:
I also have one turkey with all my chickens, and only option for now is together. Also from Utah, let me know what you find out. He may go to the Nugget Run with the meat chicken, but they will expire long before Thanksgiving time. Don't think I can leave him alone that long either.
 
Yes you can.I have them all together and nothing has happened except some fights between the tom and the rooster.
People are afraid of blackhead but I had no problem.
 
i never knew there was an issue with keeping chickens & turkeys together until i joined this forum! So rightly or wrong our bourbon reds - we got 2 pair in 2009 - have been running together, free-ranging over the same acreage, overwintering & penned up in the same barn at nite - in with a bunch of ducks and chickens. In meat-raising season we may have as many as 100 assorted birds here and i can report - thankfully - no turkey health problems. However this forum topic comes up a few times if you look thru the index so i guess it becomes a problem for some folks. My approach will be just to educate myself as to what exactly blackhead is so that i can kill on sight or treat accordingly. But i'm not going to get upset about a problem that 'could be', i am just going to carry on with current practice til nature tells me otherwise!
 
If you have Blackhead in your flock, your chickens can be carriers and give it to the turkeys. If you do not have Blackhead, then they cannot be carriers. Some people keep chickens and turkeys together with no problems, but some people can't do that.
 
I have always had no less than 80 chickens and a max 150 chickens and 3 to 30 turkeys at one time. I have always had my chickens and turkeys together with no Blackhead problems.
 

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