Starting Turkeys

[My Petunia]

I'm new to having chickens, we've had ours a little less than a year, and we have really enjoyed it. However, we were talking about doing some meat birds this year and I wanted to do a few turkeys too. Can I put them in the same habitat as the meat chickens? Also, do they need different or special feed?

 

[kuntrygirl]

Well, that is a tricky one. What do you plan on feeding the meat birds. If it were me, I would NOT put the turkeys in with the meat birds. Just having raised 100 meat birds, I have seen the problems with having the same breed in the brooder. Your meat birds will grow at an amazing rate. They will surpass the the turkeys (poults/babies, I assume that is what you are talking about?) as far s the size. They will smash your babies and kill them. And the meat birds are messy. All they do is eat and poop and the poop is unbelievable!!! Not good for your turkeys.

Being as thought I have successfully raised turkeys for about 10 years and just did a 100 Broiler/Meat Bird project, I know too very well the good, the bad and the ugly.

Sooooooooooo, if it were me, I wouldn't do it but it's your decision.

I feed my poults a VERY high protein diet while the meat birds do not need such a high protein feed. Two different types of feed for me but others may say it's ok.

Good luck.

 

[ChickenFootFarm]

I cannot speak for the living arrangements, my turkeys are separate from the meat chickens.
However, I do feed the meat chickens the same feed as the turkeys (meat bird feed) and everyone is happy, happy, happy!
When my turkeys were poults I also gave them hard boiled egg to give them the extra protein they needed while growing.