Please tell me, about your experiences with chickens, turkeys & ducks in your garden

[boyss7]

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I would not mix turkeys with other species. Turkeys can harass them. Ducks are messy and cause a lot of wetness. They aren't compatible.

Ducks need some source of water to drink and bathe.

Both species can eat bugs, seeds, and various greens, but are best feed a good ration.

 

[boyss7]

Thank you very much for your answer.

 

[boyss7]

Beautiful pictures! You have different kinds of turkeys, is ok with you if they get mix with each other? What is your percentage of procreation? When is the time? (spring..?etc). At what age they start reproducing? What age you have them for supper? What is the ratio? (1 tom to how many females?). Do they eat everything? What they eat in the wild? Thank you very much.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

My turkeys are the heritage variety of various colors or breeds. You can mix whatever colors you like, unless you wish to keep a variety pure. Mine start to mate and lay eggs the next spring after they hatched. My turkey hens lay from about April to September. I have a couple of toms but I believe you can keep one Tom to 8-10 hens.

Heritage are slower growing, and can fly somewhat, they can also mate naturally. We butcher usually anytime after 7-8 months. It depends how big you want them. It can take them 2 years or more to reach full size.

Broad breasted are another type of turkey that grows fast and can't reproduce naturally and are best gotten for meat. They are usually ready to be butcher after 4 months.

My turkeys will eat various grasses, bugs and grains. Wild turkeys here eat about the same, but probably a more diverse diet which can include acorns, fallen fruit, berries, and small mammals and amphibians.

 

[boyss7]

Our coop have some net & we will cut some of their wings like our chickens, but is that enough, so they won’t fly away? Thank you very much

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Young turkeys can fly up pretty well even with their wings clip. After they reach a year of age they don't fly up as much anymore, and only the hens will on occasion. I have a 4 foot tall fence, some is covered and some isn't. They mostly stay in. Young turkeys are curious troublemakers, so keeping them in can be challenging sometimes.

 

[ILuvMyFlock]

I have a whole acre full of a mixed flock of chickens, ducks, geese, guinea fowl, and turkeys. The turkeys do fine with the ducks in my opinion, I have had no issues. I keep a pond and a pool for my ducks and geese they love it. I'd say they could eat just about anything really, mine just eat whatever fruit and veggie scraps I give them, including grass, mixed seeds, cracked corn, and other feed. They also love a tasty treat of dried mealworms, they'll even eat live worms and other bugs. If I can, I recommend not clipping any of their wings, yea they can fly a tad but if you raise em right they'll stay, I have never had any of my birds leave. I also kindly recommend you keep them as pets and consider not eating them, Turkeys and Ducks have a lot of love to give, trust me I have some so tame you can hold them and so forth.