Girl or boy?

[ElfenLied89]

So my neighbor's turkey got into my yard (still no clue how), and won't leave lol. I was told that this baby is a girl. How do you tell the difference and at what age? I have chickens. This is my first turkey experience. Also, this baby is the ONLY turkey so of course I had to go buy 2 baby poults so it has other turkeys to be around lol.

 

[R2elk]

Looks like a hen to me.

 

[ElfenLied89]

Looks like a hen to me.

Awesome. Bc I don't know ANYTHING about turkeys. I am still learning about chickens as it is.

 

[R2elk]

Awesome. Bc I don't know ANYTHING about turkeys. I am still learning about chickens as it is.

Your new poults will need a high protein turkey or game bird starter. It will be best in the long run if you don't brood them with chicks.

 

[ElfenLied89]

Your new poults will need a high protein turkey or game bird starter. It will be best in the long run if you don't brood them with chicks.

I was told they could all grow together. Was also told chick starter would work as the one I have is 18 or 19% I believe. O.O I guess I gotta go to TSC tomorrow. I don't have a separate area for the babies, but once they are big enough they can go into gen pop.

 

[R2elk]

I was told they could all grow together. Was also told chick starter would work as the one I have is 18 or 19% I believe. O.O I guess I gotta go to TSC tomorrow. I don't have a separate area for the babies, but once they are big enough they can go into gen pop.

You were misinformed. Turkey poults need a high protein turkey or game bird starter. Chick starter does not have the levels of protein, lysine or methionine or niacin that turkey poults need for proper development.

The problem with raising poults with chicks is that the poults become imprinted by the chicks. Once they are adults they are not capable of understanding that the chickens are not turkeys. Having something as large as a turkey treating a chicken the same way it would another turkey doesn't work out well for the chickens. It is especially bad if the turkey is a tom and tries to breed the chickens. They chicken usually ends up squashed.

 

[Molpet]

I have a few chickens squashed by my turkeys because they don't understand they are a different species.