can I house a turkey or two with my Rhode Island Reds?

[dosdunnz]

We have a dozen RIR's (11 hens 1rooster) they are about six months old. Been laying for about 2 months now. There coop is 5X16' with a caged in yard of 16X25. We were thinking about raising a couple turkeys for meat. Can we raise them together? Would they be alright eating the laying crumbles and fresh vegees along with the chickens?

 

[Farmergreen]

I've read several posts wanting to know about mixing Turkeys and Chickens. It has been my understanding never to mix Turkeys with anything. Turkeys carry diseases that are bad for other birds.

Any Royal Palm Breeders ???

 

[dosdunnz]

Good to know... thanks.

 

[hdmax]

We have a dozen RIR's (11 hens 1rooster) they are about six months old. Been laying for about 2 months now. There coop is 5X16' with a caged in yard of 16X25. We were thinking about raising a couple turkeys for meat. Can we raise them together? Would they be alright eating the laying crumbles and fresh vegees along with the chickens?

You can raise them together, but if you are getting day old turkeys, you don't want to put them together until the turkeys are a few months old. And the turkeys need a much higher protein food then what the layer foods will provide. Most laying mash is in the 16% protein range, and turkeys grow best on 25-30% protein.
I would like to know what diseases turkeys carry that is bad for other birds.

Turkeys can get Blackhead from chickens, and it can and most likely will kill them if untreated. You can check with your local game and wildlife agency to see if any cases have been reported. (Or local farmers, and feed stores!)
This site has a vast amount of knowledgeable people. One of them will chime in I am sure.

12 chickens and two turkeys will have the greens gone in a 16' x 25' run in short order. You may want to consider a larger run, or free ranging them if possible.