Pros and Cons of getting a turkey with my chickens

[Luke 13V34]

I have 21 bantam chicks, 5 keets, and 2 pheasant chicks. All between 2-4 weeks. A local guy is selling turkey poults between 1-3 weeks. What are the pros and cons to getting one? It would be American Heritage Bronze, and I am nervous it would just get way too big to join the flock. I hope to get a pair of Royal Palms one day, so I will likely just wait since they are smaller… But just wondering what people's thought are on keeping big turkeys with smaller poultry?

 

[ivan3]

If you are meaning "join the flock" in the sense you'd be free ranging them together? Probably doable. Maintaining them in the same run/coop? I'd not want to try it (that includes the "smaller" Royals).

Turkeys will do just fine (most of the time) with chooks (common fence separating runs). We''ve ranged our chooks & turks together for over a decade, now, with few issues. The turks, however, have their own run and shed.

When you do get turks, get more than one (easiest management scheme is one tom with 2-3 hens) as they are very social birds.

 

[Luke 13V34]

If you are meaning "join the flock" in the sense you'd be free ranging them together? Probably doable. Maintaining them in the same run/coop? I'd not want to try it (that includes the "smaller" Royals).

Turkeys will do just fine (most of the time) with chooks (common fence separating runs). We''ve ranged our chooks & turks together for over a decade, now, with few issues. The turks, however, have their own run and shed.

When you do get turks, get more than one (easiest management scheme is one tom with 2-3 hens) as they are very social birds.

I appreciate the input! I know nothing about turkeys, only they are big. I have only raised chickens. I had a friend who had two males free ranged and I do not remember if they stayed in the same barn with his chickens or not, but I think so. I really want to get Royal Palms "eventually." They aren't easy to find as I would say it seems they are pretty much a pet and not much for eating...

 

[ivan3]

The Royals are a good choice. Our only problem with them has been the hens' penchant for wanting to nest in the woods where their otherwise attractive plumage is like a neon diner sign to preds. More than one tom will require a bit of patience and betadine for the testosterone fueled sparring: Our guys have been consistently tolerant of their poults. The human imprinted hens can be insufferably nosy and bothersome when one is gardening or working around/on coop/shed, but they have their moments. Six foot welded wire fencing will contain the flock 90% of the time - the other 10%? Plenty of info. and links on all aspects of turkey "husbandry" on BYC, just read up, post any Q's, and good luck

 

[Luke 13V34]

Tho

The Royals are a good choice. Our only problem with them has been the hens' penchant for wanting to nest in the woods where their otherwise attractive plumage is like a neon diner sign to preds. More than one tom will require a bit of patience and betadine for the testosterone fueled sparring: Our guys have been consistently tolerant of their poults. The human imprinted hens can be insufferably nosy and bothersome when one is gardening or working around/on coop/shed, but they have their moments. Six foot welded wire fencing will contain the flock 90% of the time - the other 10%? Plenty of info. and links on all aspects of turkey "husbandry" on BYC, just read up, post any Q's, and good luck

Those are some beautiful birds! Thanks for the info and pictures! I can see how nesting in the woods could go wrong quickly being anti-camouflaged. From my understanding, turkey's are the second most domesticated in comparison to chickens and other poultry.

 

[copper2]

Right now I have my turkeys with the chickens.( because I recently put my 15 pound?poults in the other run, so had to move my tom and hens till they get along. Seem like the turkeys are getting along just fine with the chickens

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

apparently I am the only one to ever have turkey on chicken aggression, mainly from raising them with chickens as they imprint on them and as they become sexually mature there can be problems, I had a pair of toms peck a rooster so bad he had to be culled. Now raised without chickens they tend to be the dominant species, I would house them separately, but mine free range with chickens, occasionally harassing them, but never anything more than chasing, but my chickens can get away, and the turkeys get locked in there pen, I observe my birds a lot, so some of he things I've come across. Had chickens for twenty years plus and turkeys for seven. And my banties are frightened by my turkeys and retreat to their pen when the turkeys are out.

 

[farmhartranch]

i have a bronze female turkey with my hens and they get along great, of course the turkey is much bigger then the rest of the flock and my flock is free range so i consider her as the protector so the pros and cons about getting a turkey would be that they are extremely people friendly when they imprint on humans but they may pick on the hens once in a while but if they're raised together it should be just fine.

 

[ivan3]

apparently I am the only one to ever have turkey on chicken aggression, mainly from raising them with chickens as they imprint on them and as they become sexually mature there can be problems, I had a pair of toms peck a rooster so bad he had to be culled. Now raised without chickens they tend to be the dominant species, I would house them separately, but mine free range with chickens, occasionally harassing them, but never anything more than chasing, but my chickens can get away, and the turkeys get locked in there pen, I observe my birds a lot, so some of he things I've come across. Had chickens for twenty years plus and turkeys for seven. And my banties are frightened by my turkeys and retreat to their pen when the turkeys are out.

Order of precedence & familiarity can completely alter the "relationships". Our first chicks were raised with a slightly spraddle legged BBB poult. The hens & roo pretty much tolerated the BBB, but didn't hesitate to "move him along" when foraging. When our heritage poults were big enough to let out with the chooks - the chooks ruled the roost (chasing turks from dust bathing areas/clearing them from blackberry canes that had setting fruits, etc.). Even as adults, those turks (male and female) kept their distance from the lowliest chicken hen.

That said, we never have kept male turkeys in a run with any of the chooks (turks merely sparring could inadvertantly injure chickens & the potential for hormones leading to attempts a breeding? Simply best to keep them separated by a fence).

Going on four generations on, the turkey hens still keep a weather eye out for the chooks & pass this "caution" on to their poults. If the toms are strutting around and the chooks approach the boys furl the feathers move off to a safe distance and resume the display. The toms occasionally charge the cats, but avoid the chooks.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Interesting, must be nice to have the chickens dominant. Thanks for the info, I just figured I had rowdy turkeys.