Raising turkeys and chicks...

[deerman]

Quote:
Earth worms are the host for blackhead. Pass from bird carry to soil to earthworm then back to birds.

I dont even let people in my peafowl pens, for fear they may have chickens at home, and carry it on their shoes.

Have over a 100 peafowl, sure not worth the risk.

 

[LoveMyBirds]

Search for BlackHead and you should find an article well written on a simple way to deal with the disease.

Put Cayenne powder in your birds drinking water..

I haven't had any problems so far, but after reading this forum for a few months, I have started adding cayenne powder to my birds drinking water..

If it helps to kill the little buggers in the digestive tract. Then the turkeys and chickens both should benefit from it..

 

[spikeboy]

I am new at raising turkeys. I have 3, 2 girls and 1 tom.

I got mine at 12 weeks and but them ins cage inside of the chicken coop for about a week and then I let them out with the chickens. So far I have had no problems and they are about 34 weeks now.

 

[frank53061]

There is a full proof way to raise chicks and Poults together this way is to hatch both and keep from the ground till 8 weeks old.
There is no way for them to get black head till they come in contact with the ground this parasite cant be passed onto the Chicks threw the egg.

Second possible way buy both with from a good hatchery and raise together off the ground till 8 weeks and medicate to prevent.

Of course keep them away from adult Chickens or the ground till 8 weeks and then medicate to prevent.

 

[LampLightMan]

I have a subscription to Backwoods Home magazine. There is an interesting entry by a very seasoned homesteader regarding raising the two together. In fact, they have, according to the article, raised them in conjunction very successfully for 30 years now with no problems with blackhead. It seems to be a much more prevalent disease in commercial flocks.

 

[Sally8]

I have a tom and hen that I hatched and raised for nearly a year. About 6 mo ago, I thought we had blackhead with the tom. I obtained the meds needed and started giving it to him. After days went by, my hubby commented that 1 night "Chuck" didn't get in the coop before it was locked. We have 3 dogs and I've seen them chase after the chickens and turkeys. I believe that that night when we let the dogs out, they chased after him and he beat his wings against the fence to get into the chicken run I called our local agriculture department at our county house and learned that Blackhead sort of lives in areas and I'm not in one. That's not to say we still couldn't. The woman I bought the eggs from has had hers live together successfully for 20+ years. (She lives in the next county over) I no longer worry at all. (Give your county ag department a call)

I also, at least a couple times a week, I shake cayenne pepper over their food. At first I did in the water too but now just the food. I don't measure and I'm very liberal with it. They love it. It's quite inexpensive in the bulk foods at our grocery store

If I ever raise turkeys from the egg again, I'm going to keep them off the ground for at least 2 months. My mother said even my grandfather never let them touch the ground (for a time) back in the early 1900's. Very interesting, huh?

 

[momchick4]

I know this is an old thread, but how do you raise them together. Everything I read says the turkey poult needs more protein than the chicks.

 

[R2elk]

I know this is an old thread, but how do you raise them together. Everything I read says the turkey poult needs more protein than the chicks.

The problem with these old threads is that the posters who made them are often no longer even visiting BYC or in the case of @deerman (deceased in 2012).

The way I brood chicks, poults and keets together is to give them the feed that is appropriate for the keets and poults which is 28% to 30% protein turkey or gamebird starter. I have not seen any evidence of harm to the chicks from getting a higher than recommended protein level.

 

[momchick4]

Thanks for the response. The turkey was not planned. My son picked it up thinking it was a chick. When the feed store said it was a turkey, he still wanted it. We have raised chicks, but never a turkey. They told us the poult could eat the same as the chicks. My husband said yes he could get it with the chicks and we brought it home. Dad is a sucker!

 

[Mortlach]

We have a mixed flock 7 turkeys (bourbon reds, blacks, sweet grass, Royal Palms and bronze) , 5 mixed breed Ducks, 2 Pheasants, and 30 chickens (french Marans,RI Reds, Dixies, Araucana, Waydonnette, Ophington, Astralorp and Turken) and 2 Geese(1 Toulouse and 1 Embden) plus 2 Pheasant. I add Dia Earth to feed (1/2 cup) 3 times a year to deworm flock. We haven't used any meds and the only loss we had was from Owls(4 lost)