Free ranging turkeys and chickens together?

[Charlene]

I have 4 laying hens right now and am considering raising some turkeys next year. Will they be able to free range together or will my hens get picked on? Also, my hens are not flyers, they need a step to get on their roost, just a stall door! There isn't much room, will the turkeys push them out, or will they roost in the tree? I wanted to try maybe 6 turkeys. Any thoughts?

 

[lorrir]

Turkeys get HUGE and eat alot. I have 20 Turkeys and 11 chickens, they are in seperate pens, but I guess you could keep them together. I let my chickens freerange, but am keeping the turkeys locked down as thanksgiving approaches. I think free ranging in the end makes the meat taste "gamier" and it's tougher.

My turkeys and chickens mix nicely when I let them free range together.

 

[zatsdeb]

my chickens and guineas and ducks and turkeys all free range together with the goats. they also go in the fences with the donkeys and horse too.

 

[MandyH]

I have 30 adult and God knows how many juvenile turkeys that free range in our 4 acre pasture with the sheep and the miscellaneous chickens (used for eating eggs) and have no trouble at all. However I can tell you that years ago I had some turkeys and chickens together penned in a BIG pen and had a tom kill several chicken hens before I could get him out.

 

[AkTomboy]

All of my chickens and turkeys live together. I even have two toms and everyone is still fine. Hope yours are just as happy if you get them

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

Same here we have turkeys, chickens, ducks, geese, guineas all sharing the same areas and they do fine together.

Steve in NC

 

[mullers3acers]

We had 5 turkeys 4 died we put our remaining turkey (hen) in with the chickens they almost killed her. She's at 20 lbs and if she is let in the chicken run they still pick on her. So I guess it's your choice.

 

[jenjscott]

Those that free range free range together (large fowl, guinea, turkeys) but they are cooped separately.

 

[4boysmama]

This Spring I bought 2 turkeys, and one died little. The other one I raised in my basement until he got big enough to go out with the rest of the barnyard. The first few days I lock him in a pen by himself. The one evening my hubby left him out. The next morning we found him, he had been pecked to death by my older (3yrs) chickens. They are a sassy brood and He was a sweet little turkey (nearly as big as the chickens). If I get any more, I will keep them separate. I think the older chickens get too sassy...

You will probably be able to watch them 30 minutes and figure out if they will be OK together.

 

[Portia]

One of my hens raised 2 eastern wild poults and a chick together. 1 poult disappeared, but the other remains with my free range flock. I think he thinks he's a chicken, a very big chicken. He struts around and signals danger with my roosters and finds delectable tidbits for the hens. At night he flies up and roosts in one of the trees near the coop, all the hens go into the coop. He used to roost in the coop with the chickens when he was younger, but at around 10 or 12 weeks he started roosting in the trees. He gets up before the chickens and will stand outside the coop door and sing until it opens in the morning. I plan on having another of my hens raise some more poults in the spring.