Blackhead Disease

[Mason57]

I am looking to raise a few turkeys for our personal use. I have a flock of chickens that i collect eggs from. Does anyone have any advice for set up and management between my chickens and turkeys?

 

[ivan3]

The general rule is to keep them in separate areas (to be absolutely sure - of tranmission from chickens - chickens are not the only means of contraction). However, the Protozoan has to be in residence to begin the process (primarily, but not always, amplified by the chooks and passed to the turks).

This thread has a lot of info. links (with photos). Along with treatments, what agencies to check with, etc.: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/591070/3-month-old-turkey-with-blackhead

Many folks are able to, and have, kept chooks and turks together for decades with no problem. Others find out the vector is in the soil only after losses to the disease. Location/climate incidence/prevalence in your area is important. information to hunt down.

 

[BarneyChick97]

We've had turkeys/ducks/and chickens for over a year now. They all have separate coops, but they are all under one roof. They have their own housing, and they do not go into each other's coops. Granted, our turkeys only hang out with us for about 9 months (because they are for meat), our chickens are for eggs, and or ducks are for slug control and eggs. No problems that I know of, other than aggression issues. This is the first year we've let everything free range all together. Occasionally one of the feisty chickens will get into it with a turkey, and I do intervene. The turkeys could do some damage. (we have bronze turkeys) I don't think I was ever told about "blackheads disease". I know I wasn't supposed to house them when they were chicks. Just make sure they have a lot of space.

 

[Frosty]

Blackhead is histomonhiasis, a protozoa. They don't recommend even keeping chickens and turkeys on the same property. That being said, if you haven't had problems by now it likely isn't in your area so I wouldn't worry.

 

[BarneyChick97]

Good to know. I would of hoped that the local farm store that sold us the chicks all at once would of mentioned that! They would have a lot of unhappy customers!

Yes, my birds are all together. Nothing weird that I can see, since April 2011.