Single Tom Turkey

[GhostGirlShannon]

Hello! I'm a newbie here but I have been reading your formus for a year now getting advice from a lot of you great people on how to take care of my 6 chickens.

I live in Massachusetts and currently have a great 6 foot high steel chain link fence covered by chicken wire on the top. The run is 20 feet by 20 feet. I have a 4 x 6 foot chicken coop and a few feet away I have a 3 x 4 turkey house with Roost. I want to get one tom turkey to pal around with and he will stay alone and his own separate house in the evening but share the chicken run during the day.

I have a couple of concerns that you guys can help me with possibly. I want to make sure he's not going to harm my chickens if I get one that is roughly around 10 weeks old and handle it every day. I have read here that he may take a liking to having friends around but will he be okay going by himself in his house at night? Massachusetts Winters can get cold. Are there any breeds better than others for hardiness?

Any advice is appreciated

 

[TurkeyTimes]

Turkey's are extremely hardy. I would not worry about the cold nearly as much as I would worry about the summer heat. I would highly advise getting a minimum of 3 turkeys, they are extremely social flock animals. Especially if you only get a single tom and have chickens, the tom will take out his sexual frustrations on your chickens if he does not have any ladies during the breeding season.

 

[R2elk]

Hello! I'm a newbie here but I have been reading your forums for a year now getting advice from a lot of you great people on how to take care of my 6 chickens.

I live in Massachusetts and currently have a great 6 foot high steel chain link fence covered by chicken wire on the top. The run is 20 feet by 20 feet. I have a 4 x 6 foot chicken coop and a few feet away I have a 3 x 4 turkey house with Roost. I want to get one tom turkey to pal around with and he will stay alone and his own separate house in the evening but share the chicken run during the day.

I have a couple of concerns that you guys can help me with possibly. I want to make sure he's not going to harm my chickens if I get one that is roughly around 10 weeks old and handle it every day. I have read here that he may take a liking to having friends around but will he be okay going by himself in his house at night? Massachusetts Winters can get cold. Are there any breeds better than others for hardiness?

Any advice is appreciated

I would not consider a 3'x4' coop suitable housing for turkeys. It might make an acceptable nest site for one turkey hen. If you can only have a couple, get two turkey hens as a single tom is not good for the health of your chickens. At least the turkey hens won't stomp your chickens to death trying to breed them.

@TurkeyTimes gave you some good advice.