Raising turkeys togheter with geese

[razvanM]

Hi,I am raising organic free range geese and ducks for meat,and during the night I keep them in a barn.From next spring I want to start raising some turkeys( dinde fermiere bronze GB 308 from grimaud freres) wich is a kind of large heritige turkey not a BB bronze.And my question is can I keep them togheter with the geese ? And can mother geese raise baby tukeys ? Because I heard baby turkeys can get various ilnesses from geese wich are disease resistent.

 

[aoxa]

Hi,I am raising organic free range geese and ducks for meat,and during the night I keep them in a barn.From next spring I want to start raising some turkeys( dinde fermiere bronze GB 308 from grimaud freres) wich is a kind of large heritige turkey not a BB bronze.And my question is can I keep them togheter with the geese ? And can mother geese raise baby tukeys ? Because I heard baby turkeys can get various ilnesses from geese wich are disease resistent.

They can contract blackhead, but it is all dependant on your area. Call your local agriculture department and ask how widespread Blackhead is in your area.

I raise my turkeys with my geese, ducks and chickens. No issues at all. Blackhead is very rare in my area.

 

[Haunted55]

Hi,I am raising organic free range geese and ducks for meat,and during the night I keep them in a barn.From next spring I want to start raising some turkeys( dinde fermiere bronze GB 308 from grimaud freres) wich is a kind of large heritige turkey not a BB bronze.And my question is can I keep them togheter with the geese ? And can mother geese raise baby tukeys ? Because I heard baby turkeys can get various ilnesses from geese wich are disease resistent.

My experience says it's not a good idea to keep them together. The geese will attack the turkeys and keep them from feed. As the turkeys get older they will in turn go after the geese and then you have some real issues. If they were started together as babies.....maybe, but they are so very different. I know this from free ranging all of my birds together during the day. Chickens and turkeys get along fine. Ducks with turkeys isn't impossible but geese and turkeys? Nope. You can try but be prepared for problems. Turkeys are very territorial as are geese.

 

[aoxa]

My experience says it's not a good idea to keep them together.  The geese will attack the turkeys and keep them from feed.  As the turkeys get older they will in turn go after the geese and then you have some real issues.  If they were started together as babies.....maybe, but they are so very different.  I know this from free ranging all of my birds together during the day.  Chickens and turkeys get along fine.  Ducks with turkeys isn't impossible but geese and turkeys?  Nope.  You can try but be prepared for problems.  Turkeys are very territorial as are geese.

:/

You have the wrong breeds of geese than.

My turkeys are really good with the geese, ducks and chickens. The turkeys pick on the roosters, but the ducks and geese get along very well with the turkeys!

 

[wafflechicken]

My turkeys are really good with the geese, ducks and chickens. The turkeys pick on the roosters, but the ducks and geese get along very well with the turkeys!

This has been my experience this year as well.

Yes, when i toss feed out the geese will generally try to corner it, but everyone eventually gets fed. I've taken to looking at the geese as the mafia of the yard. They run a protection racket and the method of payment is first dibs on the feed. No one hurts each other, though. Really it's just a lot of running around to make sure no one else had a better pile of food - but I've seen that with just the chickens, too. Seems more like a bird thing than anything.

That's the geese and turkeys, the ducks have totally suckered me. They stand at my feet and look up expectantly, not even going for the tossed out feed.... so I hand feed them. It's embarrassing but what can I say, I'm weak.

 

[aoxa]

This has been my experience this year as well.

Yes, when i toss feed out the geese will generally try to corner it, but everyone eventually gets fed.  I've taken to looking at the geese as the mafia of the yard.  They run a protection racket and the method of payment is first dibs on the feed.  No one hurts each other, though.  Really it's just a lot of running around to make sure no one else had a better pile of food - but I've seen that with just the chickens, too.  Seems more like a bird thing than anything.

That's the geese and turkeys, the ducks have totally suckered me.  They stand at my feet and look up expectantly, not even going for the tossed out feed.... so I hand feed them.  It's embarrassing but what can I say, I'm weak.

I have a very docile breed of geese, so that is probably why I don't see them as the bullies of the yard. The call ducks have more sass than the geese.

As for you hand feeding - haha that's adorable! They have you wrapped around their little feathers

 

[wafflechicken]

Oh they so do have me wrapped around their feathers. And they know it.

(and in case anyone was thinking of attempting it - do NOT try to hand feed geese. They'll try to screw your thumb off.)

 

[aoxa]

Oh they so do have me wrapped around their feathers.  And they know it.  

(and in case anyone was thinking of attempting it - do NOT try to hand feed geese.  They'll try to screw your thumb off.)

All 3 of my geese eat out of my hand. Very gently.. Though they did go through a nibbling stage where they would try to eat my fingers.

 

[wafflechicken]

All 3 of my geese eat out of my hand. Very gently.. Though they did go through a nibbling stage where they would try to eat my fingers.

Hmmm, yeah see mine don't seem to have a "nibbling" phase. That sounds too nice. Mine just grab a digit and twist. Hard.

I don't mean to imply that my geese are mean. They're really not they're just.... feisty. When you pick them up to check weight or just a general checkup you kind of have to be on your toes (ask me how much fun it was to explain the goose bite on my nose that sheared the skin off the end and lasted for 2 weeks...) but then again they don't run to attack people or me in the yard. They just get snippy sometimes. And don't get me wrong, I kind of like them like this. My area is a bit wild yet, they're essentially loose and wild and I don't want them to get too soft, I just have to make sure I remember that's a trait I like in them.

Clearly you have friendlier geese. But I wonder, do you interact with them a lot? I don't with mine. The geese and turkeys, while I feed and talk to them and whatnot, I really kind of just let them alone. This means that occasionally i have to pin a goose down for a bit so they all don't get too snappish and, with the turkeys, the tom will inexplicably decides I should be wooed (yeah i don't know but he does, i do shave my head so maybe that's it?).

 

[aoxa]

Hmmm, yeah see mine don't seem to have a "nibbling" phase.  That sounds too nice.  Mine just grab a digit and twist.  Hard.

I don't mean to imply that my geese are mean.  They're really not they're just.... feisty.  When you pick them up to check weight or just a general checkup you kind of have to be on your toes (ask me how much fun it was to explain the goose bite on my nose that sheared the skin off the end and lasted for 2 weeks...) but then again they don't run to attack people or me in the yard.  They just get snippy sometimes.  And don't get me wrong, I kind of like them like this.  My area is a bit wild yet, they're essentially loose and wild and I don't want them to get too soft, I just have to make sure I remember that's a trait I like in them.

Clearly you have friendlier geese.  But I wonder, do you interact with them a lot?  I don't with mine.  The geese and turkeys, while I feed and talk to them and whatnot, I really kind of just let them alone.  This means that occasionally i have to pin a goose down for a bit so they all don't get too snappish and, with the turkeys, the tom will inexplicably decides I should be wooed (yeah i don't know but he does, i do shave my head so maybe that's it?).

By interact, I do talk and feed them, but rarely do I ever pick them up. They attached to me as goslings without me even trying. They are one of the most docile breeds of geese though, so that is why I think they are like they are. They're dewlap toulouse. If I did pick them up - and I do occasionally as I show them - they are fine with it, and never bite. Even when we were holding them at the show and showing off their docility - they let strangers pet them with no issues.

I only pick up one of my 4 turkeys, as she loves to roost on my crossed leg and hang out, but the tom is very friendly as well - and I've maybe picked him up twice since I bought him. Mainly to move him if he was roosting in the wrong location. Still all four follow me like puppies.

None of my chickens are crazy like that (by crazy I mean needy/friendly). Although there may be one or two.. And my ducks? Forget it. They really don't like people.