Feeding a mixed flock

[Happy Chooks]

A friend and I split an order for turkeys. Neither of us have raised turkeys before. I've read that turkeys need higher protein than chickens, but I can't seem to find anything on feeding a mixed flock of turkeys and chickens. Both of us currently feed our flocks Flockraiser. (20% protein)

So once they are feathered out and together with the chickens, what do we feed them? Do we mix Flockraiser with Gamebird feed or Turkey feed?

 

[roostersandhens]

dont know!

 

[Scottingitup]

young turkeys need high protein! 28% or greater until at least 12 weeks of age, 16 weeks is best in my opinion.

You will have to keep them separated or somehow supplement only the turkeys. They will live on 20% - but for best results in size and conformity you need 28% or higher.

Once they have reached 12-16 weeks you can feed flock raiser to everyone.

 

[Celie]

The feed store near me doesn't sell Turkey starter, so I feed mine Game Bird feed, but the bag says it is good for turkeys, too. It is 30% protein. I feed it to them until they are old enough to go outside with the rest of the flocks.

 

[Lagerdogger]

The feed store near me doesn't sell Turkey starter, so I feed mine Game Bird feed, but the bag says it is good for turkeys, too. It is 30% protein. I feed it to them until they are old enough to go outside with the rest of the flocks.

Game bird starter works great for turkeys. Really its the protein that is the biggest difference between the feeds. Some have more or les calcium as well, but that's not as critical as protein until laying time. But it is tough to mix chickens and turkeys because the chickens will eat the turkey food and leave the turkeys the low protein stuff. They just won't grow without the protein. I prefer non-medicated.

 

[Celie]

I feed the game bird starter to all the hatchlings and once they go outside, they all eat the same feed, because they all free range and live together in a big barn at night. I have a automatic deer feeder set up that holds 6 sacks of feed at a time, which we refill every other day. The turkeys are the gluttons around here and seam to eat first and the most, along with the meat Broilers. The feeder has an automatic timer that goes off at 10am and 5pm. This encourages them to forage what they can on empty tummies when we let them all out at 7am. After they are fed from the feeder at 10, I weed them a high fiber snack around noon like oats, stale bread, grains, etc., so the chickens will come eat most of that, as their 2nd feeding, then in the evening shortly before dark, they all put themselves away to perch in the barn, after having full bellies from their 5pm meal and we go out about then and close the barn doors. Of course, during the summer, this is stretched out to account for the longer daylight and more bugs and plants to forage on. Our property have a lot of gravel for them for grit and I keep a pail of crushed oyster shell within their reach and feed back to them all the dried shells from the incubator and kitchen. In the summer, they all also get scraps from the veggie garden and whatever fruit falls off the trees and whatever the little thieves can steal from the lower branches! LOL

 

[chicken pickin]

I feed the game bird starter to all the hatchlings and once they go outside, they all eat the same feed, because they all free range and live together in a big barn at night. I have a automatic deer feeder set up that holds 6 sacks of feed at a time, which we refill every other day. The turkeys are the gluttons around here and seam to eat first and the most, along with the meat Broilers. The feeder has an automatic timer that goes off at 10am and 5pm. This encourages them to forage what they can on empty tummies when we let them all out at 7am. After they are fed from the feeder at 10, I weed them a high fiber snack around noon like oats, stale bread, grains, etc., so the chickens will come eat most of that, as their 2nd feeding, then in the evening shortly before dark, they all put themselves away to perch in the barn, after having full bellies from their 5pm meal and we go out about then and close the barn doors. Of course, during the summer, this is stretched out to account for the longer daylight and more bugs and plants to forage on. Our property have a lot of gravel for them for grit and I keep a pail of crushed oyster shell within their reach and feed back to them all the dried shells from the incubator and kitchen. In the summer, they all also get scraps from the veggie garden and whatever fruit falls off the trees and whatever the little thieves can steal from the lower branches! LOL

Oh dried shells from the incubator that sounds like a good plan. Does anyone else do this? I have a mixed flock of chickens and turkeys all different ages and I never know what to feed. I have been feeding a multi flock starter/grower 22% protein over the winter. but now spring is here and everyone is begining to lay again incluing my turkeys who just started. I almost feel I need to go back to a chicken layer and blue seal makes one called turkey breeder. But what about my roosters, I hear they shouldnt have calcium? It is all very confusing.

 

[sdsmowen]

We will be doing turkeys for the first time this year so i was full of questions also. A good family friend has been doing a mixed Turkey and Chicken flock for years and uses the game bird starter for the turkeys in the begining then flock raiser for everyone with free choice oyster shell for his laying hens. That is what we will be doing also.. our flock will be Chickens, Ducks, Geese and Turkeys

 

[WaterfowlWierdo]

The Purina Flockraiser is meant for a mixed flock suck as that... I have found it to work well with waterfowl and chickens together.

 

[gryeyes]

We will be doing turkeys for the first time this year so i was full of questions also. A good family friend has been doing a mixed Turkey and Chicken flock for years and uses the game bird starter for the turkeys in the begining then flock raiser for everyone with free choice oyster shell for his laying hens. That is what we will be doing also.. our flock will be Chickens, Ducks, Geese and Turkeys

I have chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys, too. Game bird starter for poults at first, then Nutrena All Flock with everybody else; crushed oyster shell in a separate dish, available free choice (not mixed with the feed).