Chickens and Turkeys

[beachbummer]

My son wants to get 3 wild turkeys chicks and raise them with chickens. The chickens and turkeys will all be chicks when we buy them. i know about black head and other problems but can they be raised together?

 

[skennedy]

Quote:
I am raising 5 turkeys with my chicks and everyone is getting along just great. When they get older they will probably best of friends.

 

[Ace_king_brahma]

It's best to seperate them. At some point it is more likely the poults will smoosh on the chicken chicks. Or....if they begin to peck the turkey poults might just have a chicken dinner.

 

[Plain_View_Farm]

What about disease? Is there anything that is inherent that can be transmitted between them? Or is that if they become contaminated from an outside source it can be transferred?

David

 

[coopist]

Quote:
As the OP said, the biggest problem is blackhead, a protozoan disease that chicks are mostly immune to and poults are very susceptible to.

"Blackhead (Histomoniasis, Enterohepatitis)

Blackhead is an acute or chronic protozoan disease of fowl, primarily affecting the cecae and liver. The disease is present wherever poultry are raised. Blackhead is one of the critical diseases of growing turkeys and game birds. It may cause stunted growth, poor feed utilization and death. It is of lesser economic importance in chickens since they are more resistant, but the incidence in chickens apparently is increasing.
Blackhead is caused by a protozoan parasite called Histomonas meleagridis. The organism in passed in the fecal material of infected birds. In many instances, the organism is shed within the eggs of the cecal worm of chickens, turkeys and game birds. Free-living blackhead organisms do not survive long in nature, but those in cecal worm eggs may survive for years. Therefore, most blackhead transmission is considered due to ingesting infected cecal worm eggs. Transmission may also occur by the earthworm.

Chickens are frequently infected without showing signs of the disease. These chickens may shed enormous numbers of blackhead organisms, many of which are protected by cecal worm eggs. Outbreaks in turkeys can often be traced to direct or indirect contact with ranges, houses or equipment previously used by chickens."
http://www.msstate.edu/dept/poultry/disproto.htm

They can be raised together, but it's best to keep an eye out for problems. In my experience they end up going their separate ways in adolescence.

 

[Plain_View_Farm]

Thanks,
We had 1 turkey hatch out early in the previous batch and my wife got 2 Araucana chicks from her Aunt that were a few days older. She "said" they were to teach the poult how to eat and drink, but I think it was that she just wanted a pair of Araucana chickens.

I'll show her this and remove the poult from the brooder.

David

 

[coopist]

Well, actually, I wouldn't do that. Poults imprint on chicks very quickly and won't do well behaviorally when you remove them from their group members (they will sometimes "freak out" and run around in circles). They all should be okay as long as they're in the brooder; it's when they go outdoors that you'll start having problems with blackhead.

 

[Plain_View_Farm]

Well the 3 of them do get along well.... I'll keep an eye on the Poult for now then.
It's going to be soon they have to get moved outdoors though.
Were getting overrun with birds in the house

Thanks coopist....