mixing chickens and turkeys

[mycountrycabin]

I am getting 15 turkeys on the 1st and I want to know if it is ok to mix the turkeys with the chickens ?

 

[MissPrissy]

I am not an advocate of mixing fowl. The turkeys grow big and fast and will out grow your chickens. They will also pick on the chickens alot and can hurt them due to their size dominance. I like everything nice and tidy living in their own coops and runs.

 

[CUDA]

Not a good idea to mix them if you can avoid it for the same reasons MissPrissy stated.

 

[Marlinchaser]

Also turkeys are susceptable (-1sp) to BlackHead, which can be deadly to them will find a link and post here. ------------>http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/library/lvstk2/EP69.pdf

I know it is a long article, but there is good information in there.

 

[pips&peeps]

Also turkeys are notorious for carrying MG & MS. There is only one state in the Nation that is MS free and that is Minnesota.

MG is usually worse than MS.

There are alot of people out there that claim that by mixing turkeys with chickens the chickens will get an immunity to Mareks Disease.

I have not read any literature on it, but I just don't see how a chicken can get immunity from a turkey.

 

[mycountrycabin]

MARLINCHASER the link is not working ,wat should i do about seperating my chickens and turkey (I dont have alot of land so i cant let them run free ) and my neibor threatened to shoot them

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

How big is your pen? I would mostly be worried about the turkeys jumping on the chickens when they fly down from the perches. A few turkeys in with chickens are usually not a problem, but I'm not sure about having that many in with the chickens. I have three mixed in with a flock of chickens, but they get plenty of free range time.

If you have a lot of space in your coop, you might be ok. If it's going to be cramped, I'd say just build a new coop and run for them instead of taking the chance you might lose birds. If you are only planing to keep a few, you should be fine mixing them. Generally, the turkeys and chickens rarely bother with each other.

I have never had a problem with diseases spreading from my turkeys to my chickens, but I have read plenty about it. It would be hard to prevent some of those diseases from occurring if the two types of poultry are in the same yard, or next to each other. So either if you mix them or if you don't, there is still a chance of birds getting sick. THe only way to fully prevent disease is through super bio security, and even that is not fail safe.

 

[mycountrycabin]

C:\\dillons pics\\SUNP0066.JPG

here is a link that has a picture of my pen on it

 

[Justino]

i definitly wouldnt....those things are waaaay to big...not that i dont like turkeys

 

[LilPeeps]

I have one turkey in with my chickens and they get along fine. Like Lauren said, I've never had a problem with diseases passing between my turkey and chickens, but it can happpen.

dilloncovington, you need to load your pics onto a photo hosting site, like http://www.photobucket.com then you can put the link to the pic in your post.