I'm just curious as to how true it is NOT to keep chickens and turkeys together. I'm sure it isn't impossible. I've got 30 some odd chicken and a pair of Muscovys and I would LOVE to add a pair of turkeys.. They all run as free as they want all day Everyday. Got a coop they go in at night. And we have a barn. Maybe the turkeys could roost there. I just want to make sure I'm making the right decision which ever I make!! Oh yeah, if I do get turkeys I will get the from a reputable hatchery!!!
Black Head in Turkeys?
- Thread starter MakNat
- Start date
- May 13, 2008
- 10,684
- 192
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I also breached this same subject last year when I decided to raise Turkey's. I did as you are doing and came on here to find the answer, This is what I learned.
Chickens are born with the organism that causes blackhead disease in turkeys, it does not harm the chickens at all, but can readily be contracted by turkeys through feces ( chicken poop ). Many people have posted and said, hey!! I house my turkeys with my chickens without any ill effects, But many more have said that they do not because of blackhead. I built a seperate area just off my chicken coop & run they could see each other but no contact, so it was easy to feed and care for them.
I did not have any problems at all with this set-up, and both did just great, I thought better safe than sorry, I just think that with blackhead disease that it would be irresponsible to just discount the findings and house them together anyway. Some say that it is just carried by chickens, and you have to have the ground soil tested, but they say it gets contaminated from the chicken poop in the first place. Some have free range chickens and turkeys forage together and say they have not had a problem ( YET ).
The moral of the story, do what you think is best for you, but do your homework, in my case I did not want to have raised these fine birds to big size and be ready to process only to have them fall ill and croak right before the time was right. what a waste that would be.
Good luck with your Turkeys and your housing choice.
AL
Chickens are born with the organism that causes blackhead disease in turkeys, it does not harm the chickens at all, but can readily be contracted by turkeys through feces ( chicken poop ). Many people have posted and said, hey!! I house my turkeys with my chickens without any ill effects, But many more have said that they do not because of blackhead. I built a seperate area just off my chicken coop & run they could see each other but no contact, so it was easy to feed and care for them.
I did not have any problems at all with this set-up, and both did just great, I thought better safe than sorry, I just think that with blackhead disease that it would be irresponsible to just discount the findings and house them together anyway. Some say that it is just carried by chickens, and you have to have the ground soil tested, but they say it gets contaminated from the chicken poop in the first place. Some have free range chickens and turkeys forage together and say they have not had a problem ( YET ).
The moral of the story, do what you think is best for you, but do your homework, in my case I did not want to have raised these fine birds to big size and be ready to process only to have them fall ill and croak right before the time was right. what a waste that would be.
Good luck with your Turkeys and your housing choice.
AL
I've housed chickens and turkeys together for nearly 20 years. I've had as many as 35 turkey with 100-plus chickens. Blackhead is not here in this part of Missouri. I think the first thing you should do is see if blackhead has occurred in your area.
I raise mine together with zero problem. However, they all free-range and the turkeys sleep outside at night, while the chickens sleep in their coop. Only in rare circumstances (windy cold weather) do I pen them up with my chickens.
We have 6 different breeds of turkeys and all of them share space with chickens, geese, ducks, guineas and peafowl. In all the years we have been raising them zero problems.
Steve in NC
Steve in NC
deerman
Rest in Peace 1949-2012
Its is always a risk, myself I dont mixes peafowl or turkey with chicken. I also raise them on wire untill they are 10 weeks old.
Know people who have lost a whole flock of peafowl to blackhead after adding the chickens.
Not all chickens carry blackhead, Only takes one.
If you keep your birds wormed, this will help.
Lot of people lose baby turkey, but dont know why. These same people try raising them with chicken and on the ground.
I lose very very few baby turkey or peafowl.
If you want to take the risk, sometimes it works, sometimes not. Try just what you can afford to lose.
I have over a 100 peafowl, an over 15 breeding turkeys, NOT WORTH the risk for me.
Know people who have lost a whole flock of peafowl to blackhead after adding the chickens.
Not all chickens carry blackhead, Only takes one.
If you keep your birds wormed, this will help.
Lot of people lose baby turkey, but dont know why. These same people try raising them with chicken and on the ground.
I lose very very few baby turkey or peafowl.
If you want to take the risk, sometimes it works, sometimes not. Try just what you can afford to lose.
I have over a 100 peafowl, an over 15 breeding turkeys, NOT WORTH the risk for me.
- Thread starter
- #7
Quote:
There are all kinds of risks, the wild bird that flys over your pen or in it can bring sickness. etc etc etc. Unless you raise your birds in a closed house you never know. Here we breed our birds for resistance, the weak and sickly are culls. It's the way nature does it and it seems to work. Our turkey hens sit and raise poults every year, sure some are lost but we think our flock is made stronger by these poults becoming our breeders. I guess it's just how you breed your birds, I want mine to be as healthy and sickness proof as they can be, this may sound cold but only the strongest and the best make it to be breeders here.
Steve in NC
There are all kinds of risks, the wild bird that flys over your pen or in it can bring sickness. etc etc etc. Unless you raise your birds in a closed house you never know. Here we breed our birds for resistance, the weak and sickly are culls. It's the way nature does it and it seems to work. Our turkey hens sit and raise poults every year, sure some are lost but we think our flock is made stronger by these poults becoming our breeders. I guess it's just how you breed your birds, I want mine to be as healthy and sickness proof as they can be, this may sound cold but only the strongest and the best make it to be breeders here.
Steve in NC
deerman
Rest in Peace 1949-2012
Quote:
There are all kinds of risks, the wild bird that flys over your pen or in it can bring sickness. etc etc etc. Unless you raise your birds in a closed house you never know. Here we breed our birds for resistance, the weak and sickly are culls. It's the way nature does it and it seems to work. Our turkey hens sit and raise poults every year, sure some are lost but we think our flock is made stronger by these poults becoming our breeders. I guess it's just how you breed your birds, I want mine to be as healthy and sickness proof as they can be, this may sound cold but only the strongest and the best make it to be breeders here.
Steve in NC
Well everybody raise birds in their own way.
Myself I have raise baby turkeys many years without losing any. After they are 12 weeks old I dont have any trouble putting them on the ground. My breeder are still stronger, I do worm my birds, but rare if I have one come down sick.
Myself I try to raise every bird I hatch.
Most people that raise turkey,or peachicks with chickens will lose a few. Those same people also put them on the ground when young.
One of these is the reason they lose birds.
Proud to say I raised every turkey I hatch this year.
There are all kinds of risks, the wild bird that flys over your pen or in it can bring sickness. etc etc etc. Unless you raise your birds in a closed house you never know. Here we breed our birds for resistance, the weak and sickly are culls. It's the way nature does it and it seems to work. Our turkey hens sit and raise poults every year, sure some are lost but we think our flock is made stronger by these poults becoming our breeders. I guess it's just how you breed your birds, I want mine to be as healthy and sickness proof as they can be, this may sound cold but only the strongest and the best make it to be breeders here.
Steve in NC
Well everybody raise birds in their own way.
Myself I have raise baby turkeys many years without losing any. After they are 12 weeks old I dont have any trouble putting them on the ground. My breeder are still stronger, I do worm my birds, but rare if I have one come down sick.
Myself I try to raise every bird I hatch.
Most people that raise turkey,or peachicks with chickens will lose a few. Those same people also put them on the ground when young.
One of these is the reason they lose birds.
Proud to say I raised every turkey I hatch this year.
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