My introduction

sonworshiper

Hatching
8 Years
Jun 17, 2011
1
0
7
Hi!
I'm from rural Quebec, just above the Vermont border. I've had laying hens for years now, and finally have a set that never seem to stop laying! It's crazy!
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I am on my 3rd year of raising meat chickens, last year I lost only 3 out of 51! My first year (a few years back) was horrid--I've learned much since then! This year, I'm raising 2 sets of 50, just got my second set in today, the others are out and are 5 weeks old now. One runt out of that set still has no feathers so has stayed indoors for now. Today I also got 5 turkeys--thought it would be fun to do and great to have my own turkey for holidays.

I have no idea if I can put out my second batch of chickens out with the first set (when they're ready) or if they should be penned separately. I've read that turkeys shouldn't be put with chickens (although some peopel say they do it), because of "Blackhead". If that's so, do turkeys have to be far away from chickens, or separate but close to each other?

Any info you can give me would be greatly appreciated! I know / realize that this is a chicken forum, but hopefully someone will be able to give me a few pointers.
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I look forward to learning from y'all!
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Sonworshiper.
 
Welcome to BYC. I would keep the chickens seperate and ensure they dont go into a pen where your turkeys are located. Since chickens can carry the cecal worm, and the cecal worm is host for the protozoa...you would not want a chicken excreting in a turkey pen. You can eliminate the host to the protazoa by worming the chickens on a set worming schedule with fenbendazole or albendazole. Histomoniasis (blackhead) is deadly to turkey's. Chickens can be infected by the protozoa as well, treatment to kill it is dosing the chickens with metronidazole. The protozoa can survive in cecal worm eggs in the soil for years. This why a worming program should be established. Good luck.
 
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from Alabama. Great advice given. We checked with our county farm extension to find out if Blackhead was a problem in our area before deciding where to put our turkeys at outside, but I'm not sure what the equivalent to an extension office would be in Canada. You're right, though, some people house turkeys & chickens together & some don't.
Good luck
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I integrated 5 week old chicks with 9 week old chicks fairly well. Kept them segregated in a wire dog crate with a couple of covered sides to offer them a place to huddle together. They were friendly within a week or so.
 

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