I'm new to turkeys....help. lol

[KcChick]

I have no experience with turkeys but am going to be buying 3 2mth old poults - Bourbon Red, Narrangasetts or Royal Palms soon. Logic with 3 is that 2 will be for breeding (hopefully!), one for eating.

I've dealt with chickens in the past, but this is not my farm. It's completely organic - no pesticides or antibiotics. It currently has 30 free range chickens with a huge coop at night. There are no roosters. There is a huge hoophouse where we raise tomatoes peppers & herbs where the 25 guineas live.

I'll be adding 25 "easter egg" mix pullets once they are old enough to the coop. I'll also be adding 5 silkie pullets to the mix as they're going to hopefully help raise the guinea eggs.

Advice on this? lol. IF we have to separate we can but it would be easier to put the turkey poults in with the chickens. The coop is honestly huge.

I would prefer to get a heritage turkey that isn't that personable as I have a problem with turning them into pets. We're hatching out the guineas to be food but it's not as difficult as they're not very friendly.

 

[jm93030]

I know that having chickens and turkeys toguther , turkeys will get sick by balck head desease


Blackhead is one of the critical diseases of growing turkeys and game birds
It is carried by an intestinal parasite and the symptoms are:- loss of condition, drowsy appearance, ruffled feathers, and diarrhoea, sometimes mixed with blood.
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

Occasionally the caruncles of the turkey may become dark blue or purple (hence the name black head)

If you have an outbreak, dead birds and their droppings must be burned
All utensils should be disinfected daily and, where possible, quick lime should be applied to the run

To prevent an outbreak, Turkeys should not be run with fowls, and young turkeys should not be run in contact with adult birds

If this is not possible, then chicks and hens should be kept on clean dry, well-drained pasture and move about frequently

 

[KcChick]

I've read about Blackhead.....and while I'm hesitant about putting my turkey poults into the mix, it doesn't seem Blackhead is in my area. I do hope that's the case.

 

[kuntrygirl]

My turkeys and chickens AND geese AND ducks have been living together for MANY MANY MANY years and I have NEVER EVER had a problem with blackhead. You will need to check your local ag office or call you state Agriculture office to find out if blackhead is common in your area. It is always good to be on the safe side and research this problem in your area. I think it is a personal choice for owners if they decided to house their turkeys and chickens together. I have 100+ animals and I would never risk the chance if I knew that there was the slightest chance of any type of breakout of blackhead. I have invested a lot of time and money into my hobby farm and if blackhead was a problem in my area, I WOULD NOT house my turkeys and chickens together. That's just my 2 cents. I'm not an expert. I'm only speaking from years of experience. I hope that this helps a little. Good Luck.

Please see the links below. They are links where others are discussing this subject.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=526551

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=512060

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=501536

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=433348

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=372832


Pic of all of my animals together.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:
Good point to make. Double check by contacting your local Ag office. Good Luck.