How difficult are turkeys?

[roadsendchicken]

Thanks for your info as we'll, like I said we just learned about it from a neighbor of ours who stopped with turkey's and is only dealing with chickens now because of that reason. So thank you for providing more information!

 

[Ozarkhomesteader]

2 acres of roaming space is plenty that I would not worry about your turks free ranging on it. The chances that there is an "active" chicken poop on 2 acres that your turkey will find is pretty darned slim (LOL)...unless you had like 100 chickens ranging that area. The virus is carried by earthworms. A chicken eats an infected worm, passes the blackhead virus and then your turkey picks it up if he eats the poop (walking thru it and cleaning off his feed will do it too). A turkey can get it from earthworms too, but since turkeys don't usually dig and scratch like chickens, they really don't munch on worms..they are more interested in crickets and grasshoppers.

lol, thank you! Looks like i will be getting some turkeys this summer!

 

[chknoodles]

We got our first turkey egg today..almost a month earlier than last year. We do sell (and ship) hatching eggs. Got to Chick N Stuff on facebook and take a look.

 

[Ozarkhomesteader]

We got our first turkey egg today..almost a month earlier than last year. We do sell (and ship) hatching eggs. Got to Chick N Stuff on facebook and take a look.

cool!! YOu have some nice birds!! I may be coming to you if i go the route of hatching eggs!

 

[PirateShipp]

Thanks for the info! We have 18ish acres so I think it will be ok to let them all free range. However, we did lose two hens this week I believe we have a coyote problem.

 

[Ozarkhomesteader]

Thanks for the info! We have 18ish acres so I think it will be ok to let them all free range. However, we did lose two hens this week I believe we have a coyote problem.

sorry for your loss...i just lost some to a fox and am now having to build my runs completely closed in...gonna be some expensive eggs, lol

 

[PirateShipp]

sorry for your loss...i just lost some to a fox and am now having to build my runs completely closed in...gonna be some expensive eggs, lol

Thanks. We've since cooped them up. We had a few clusters (?) of eggs that were infertile in the incubator. Since cooping them up we've got fertile eggs! Trying to look at the positives I guess.