can someone please help me with this about turkeys and chickens

[Henny peeny]

ok bare with me please I have thought about getting turkey but on anopther board they say Tom is able to sqoosh the hen Chicken so what of the female can they get a long with Chickens I had a giinea fowl female but she died of kindney failure I was told she had the small of ammonia and they said that is kidney failure, So now I need info BEFORE I GET ONE to see if you all think the same had the same thing happen or ?

I have a large pen for my hens BUT I would like to put something else in there to look at they said a tom could sqoosh the hen and if I handle him enough he will think I am one of his and try to keep me in line which I took as he will jump on me peck me ot flog me to understand HE IS BOSS where I should be boss.

So now I wonder of the hens are then like this to do they get along with Chickens, I have room for one or two Turkey hens OR will they be like the Giunea and stay to themselves.

Can someone please help me with this

Rhayden

 

[Celie]

Turkeys are social animals and far too curious and inquisitive to ever stay to themselves. They will imprint on whatever animal they are raised with. Like ducks, they imprint very young, so expose them as soon as possible, safely! I would suggest that you wait until spring to get turkey poults, because they are much more fragile than chickens and should not be put out until the weather is warm, as they are susceptible to a chill if put on the ground before 8 weeks old. After they are grown, they are very hardy.

 

[Frosty]

I wouldn't keep a tom turkey with a chicken hen. When breeding season hits, he will try to breed with the chickens (especially if they are all that he has there) and yes, the hens get squished.

 

[Henny peeny]

what if I got some turkey hens would this be able to put with the chickens I planing spring for turkeys it is not good to be in winter with any fowl as I understand it has to be warm for them to be ok.

I was hoping for a tom to raise for a holiday but my husband said I will get to attached to kill him I agre it could happen. but if I have females then I don't think they will be for eating just pets.


What do you think .

Rhayden

 

[Frosty]

I have two broad breasted hens that live with my chickens and they aren't a problem. I have seen a few posts recently about turkeys hens being aggressive to chickens, but never had that happen. In all honesty, I only had one turkey tom that killed chickens, but it was enough for me. If you want them for eating, it helps to have several that all look alike, that way you don't have favorites. At least that works for me

When they are adults, turkeys take the cold just fine. Mine have gone through -38 with no supplemental heat, both broad breasted and heritage. I had a White Holland hen escape one December and she disappeared. I finally gave up looking and figured that either the weather or predators got her, then the following March a neighbor called to tell me that there was a white hen in her yard. This girl made it through a North Dakota winter with several blizzards and severely cold temps on her own and survived. I don't know if someone was feeding her or what, but I was surprised and happy.

If you want to keep a few for pets, I would recommend heritage turkeys, they aren't prone to leg problems and heart attacks like the broad breasted can be.

 

[maidenwolfx80]

I have never had one of my toms try to mate with a chicken hen. My toms live with and free range with my chickens and with my 2 month and younger chicks and have never had one stepped on. They are big so the others watch out for them. Both turkey hens and toms can be aggressive towards the chickens in certain situations such as food and roosting aggression. My turkeys sleep in a different area than the chickens for this reason. They work out their own feeding time routine and I have several feeders to make sure everyone can eat. The tom will not become aggressive towards you because you handle him. He will see you as part of the flock and follow you everywhere and talk to you and show off for you but will not peck and attack. You will always be head bird and just like with chickens you need to always make sure they know this. It doesnt have to be warm to have them, but turkeys generally are seasonal breeders so spring and sometimes in fall is their time to hatch. Spring time is best though so that it doesnt chill. Once they are feathered out they will be fine. When I got mine I got them to raise as food, I am attached to them now. They have vibrant personalites and you cant help but get attached, they are now breeders. I am raising turkeys in spring to sell. I am already thinking of what other breeds I want.

 

[gryeyes]

I have three turkeys in my mixed flock of chickens, ducks and geese. No squooshing of chicken hens, but my confirmed Tom (a Midget White) isn't sexually mature yet. The two BBB turkeys might both be hens....

In any case, everybody ranges freely together AND sleeps together in the coop, which is garage sized.

With 70+ birds on my two-thirds of an acre, everybody can get away from anybody who harasses ''em.

Turkeys do eat a lot.. Far more than the other fowl.

 

[Frosty]

I have never had one of my toms try to mate with a chicken hen. My toms live with and free range with my chickens and with my 2 month and younger chicks and have never had one stepped on. They are big so the others watch out for them. Both turkey hens and toms can be aggressive towards the chickens in certain situations such as food and roosting aggression. My turkeys sleep in a different area than the chickens for this reason. They work out their own feeding time routine and I have several feeders to make sure everyone can eat. The tom will not become aggressive towards you because you handle him. He will see you as part of the flock and follow you everywhere and talk to you and show off for you but will not peck and attack. You will always be head bird and just like with chickens you need to always make sure they know this. It doesnt have to be warm to have them, but turkeys generally are seasonal breeders so spring and sometimes in fall is their time to hatch. Spring time is best though so that it doesnt chill. Once they are feathered out they will be fine. When I got mine I got them to raise as food, I am attached to them now. They have vibrant personalites and you cant help but get attached, they are now breeders. I am raising turkeys in spring to sell. I am already thinking of what other breeds I want.

Folks who come here asking what to do when their toms are attacking them will disagree with you. I had one tom start agression when he was 4 years old. He tasted good, though. While I can agree that handling them doesn't guarantee that they will get mean, they are more likely to go after you if they see you as part of the flock.

I have three turkeys in my mixed flock of chickens, ducks and geese. No squooshing of chicken hens, but my confirmed Tom (a Midget White) isn't sexually mature yet. The two BBB turkeys might both be hens....
In any case, everybody ranges freely together AND sleeps together in the coop, which is garage sized.
With 70+ birds on my two-thirds of an acre, everybody can get away from anybody who harasses ''em.
Turkeys do eat a lot.. Far more than the other fowl.

If by BBB you mean Broad Breasted Bronze, you can easily tell the sex by adult plumage. A hen will have light colored tips on the breast feathers, the toms will have black tips. Heritage turkeys don't eat nearly as much as the BB type turkeys do. Not all tom turkeys try to mate with the chickens, but if you start finding dead hens in the spring I would seperate him out.

 

[maidenwolfx80]

Folks who come here asking what to do when their toms are attacking them will disagree with you. I had one tom start agression when he was 4 years old. He tasted good, though. While I can agree that handling them doesn't guarantee that they will get mean, they are more likely to go after you if they see you as part of the flock.

I disagree, they will be less likely to attack if they see you as part of the flock. They dont just get mean. Like any animal with a pack or flock dynamic there will always be a member that will try to over throw the alpha. Of course this may be you if you are part of the flock. This needs to be corrected quickly or you will no longer be alpha. If they see you as an outsider they will go after you without a second thought. I do not think it is impossible for a tom to become aggressive but when this occurs he either needs to be put in his place or be put in the roasting pan. I did not say he would not become aggressive, I said he would not become aggressive BECAUSE YOU HANDLE HIM. any animal can become aggressive, it is the way you handle it that determines if this behavior continues.

 

[kuntrygirl]

I guess I wouldn't be able to help you with this because I have NEVER EVER had any aggressive Toms and have never had just chickens and a tom. My Tom's are as gentle as a lamb. But at the same time they have their female lady friends (female turkeys) so they have no need to look at the chickens. If you won't be getting any female turkeys, I wouldn't put that Tom with those chickens.

Can you get 1 male and 1 female turkey? Do you have room for that?