Raising Different Species together?

[EmdubFarm]

I am getting guineas, chickens, turkeys, geese, and ducks!

I was thinking I could raise the guineas, chickens, and turkeys together and then raise the geese and ducks together. I plan on free ranging all once they are old enough.

Will this work?

 

[DUCKGIRL89]

Quote:
1st off

2nd I hear chickens can give turkeys black head? Might want to go to the turkey section and ask

The ducks and geese can be together, but depends on the breed of duck, dont want the ducks to get trampled

 

[BarredBuff]

I see no problem with it. Dont do waterfowl with your dry birds, its just a mess with them anyway. Some DO raise there chicks with their turkeys. I dont have turkeys so I dont know

 

[Flock Runner]

i raised all my birds together(chickens, ducks, and a turkey) and they were just fine. i separated my ducks though after about 2 and a half weeks. i also separate my turkey during feeding because he picks at the other birds feathers, espescially my houdans

 

[SuperChickenDude327]

I happen to know that yesh, chickens can give blackhead to turkeys. Ask a local turkey farmer the risk of Blackhead Disease in your area.
My bus driver once had ducks and chickens. The ducks would clamp their beaks around the chicken's necks and throttle them to death. Be careful of that.
The Guineas are more wild, meaning they usually are't tameable to the point of having one sit with you. They'll do their own thing, and make a whole lotta noise doing it.
I don't have much of an idea about geese, but I doknow that a poorly raised goose, or any animal, will be very wild, most of the times agressive.
Also, there is a teeeeeeeeeeeny problem where turey toms will attempt to mate with a chicken,usually ending up terrible for the chicken. Usually one or two turkey hens will help.
Hope this helps.

 

[ChirpNEggBaby]

Ive always done them seperate EXCEPT for letting LITTLE duckings stay with large breed chicks for the first week only....the ducks and geese are MESSY and need more water than chicks. The turkeys are just flat dumb and suicidal chicks...plus they all have different feed requirements. Chicks get MEDICATED chick starter which can kill waterfowl in large amounts. The Ducks should be on a mix of grains and the turkeys need a higher protien gamebird type starter. Can you do them together...not really if you want them to actually grow up right!

 

[ChirpNEggBaby]

PS the guineas will also need a higher protien starter like gamebird

 

[kelidei]

Quote:
I have turkeys and chickens together... I have had no problems. In fact I just won a bid for runner duck eggs so I will have them soon hopefully. I use Flock Raiser by Purina for that coop and run. All poultry can eat it. You just need to make sure you have plenty of oyster shell available one they get to layer age. Also I keep fishzole for the Turkeys... just in case I see any signs of blackhead... You can get fishzole through anyplace that sells aquarium supplies.

 

[EmdubFarm]

Thanks for everyones input!

On second thought, I think I'll skip the turkeys

 

[zzGypsy]

I have raised ducks and geese together, and chickens, turkeys and guineas together... the waterfowl are, well, WET! So I would keep the dry birds and the wet birds in separate brooders. once they're old enough to free range, they'll all be fine together. at least mine are.

we don't have an issue with blackhead where we are, do ask your extension agent or vet about that.

we have raised all our birds on chick starter, but the turkeys and guineas might be better on gamebird starter. there is a waterfowl starter available too, but we haven't been able to get it here.

whatever groups you raise them in, expect some tussles when they are merged. just like when we added our adult tom, he and our rooster had a few days of boxing before they sorted it out. fortunately they were sparing rather than serious fighting and there were no injuries, but you do have to keep an eye on the for a few days.

there can be other unintended consequences of raising them together. we've got a young spanish tom turkey who was raised with the latest batch of guineas... when he can't get the attention of the adult turkey hens, he'll court the guineas... and there's one in there who will lay down for him. I'm keeping a close eye, at some point I may have to separate them because the tom will eventually be big enough to do her some harm. it is pretty funny when there's a hawk... the guineas all run under him like he's their mom...