Topic of the Week - Getting started, keeping turkeys

[R2elk]

Her father was a wonderful Eastern Wild turkey and her mother was my best Royal Palm mother hen.

Crossing a bronze tom (for the color calculator a wild tom is bronze) with a Royal Palm hen creates what is called a Bronze Semi-Color Semi Gray with the females carrying a hidden Black Winged Bronze gene and the males carrying a hidden Black Winged Bronze gene and a Narragansett gene. They will not breed true.

 

[Mraya]

Can Turkeys be kept with chickens? I have heard no because of Black Head but if your chickens don't have it how can it pass to your turkeys?

 

[peacockfarmer]

Can Turkeys be kept with chickens? I have heard no because of Black Head but if your chickens don't have it how can it pass to your turkeys?

It gets in the dirt where chickens lived. My whole blackhead drama ended when I found water fountains they cannot get their feet in. A standard fountain with just a ring of water is perfect. Never use an open pan of water EVER with babies.

But really the biggest issue is social issues I think. I have seen rooster terrorize young turkeys. Mother turkey hens being mean to baby chickens. I have never done it so I can't say. But I do raise peafowl in the same barn as turkeys and it is social issues not germ problems that cause problems. The peafowl live in the rafters (upper barn) and the turkeys have the ground. The peafowl do not like seeing the turkey hens lay eggs and will pester a setting turkey hen. If I had two barns I would separate them and life for my turkeys and peafowl would be easier. The turkeys walk on the beautiful peacock tails with their big feet!

 

[R2elk]

Can Turkeys be kept with chickens? I have heard no because of Black Head but if your chickens don't have it how can it pass to your turkeys?

If Blackhead is present, it is a potential killer for the turkeys. If blackhead is not present, it will not be a danger for the turkeys. Just because blackhead is not present does not mean it will not show up at some time in the future.

Check out the threads in the Turkeys Sticky Topics Index. Turkeys 101 does include information on blackhead.

 

[CapricornFarm]

I may have suggested that I would raise my husband a turkey for dinner. I am the bird person, he is the enabler. He said there are worse things I could be into

I am hoping that will work on my hubby.

 

[chickencheeper]

What is the most docile turkey breed? Are royal palms docile?

 

[chickencheeper]

How many toms can you have in a flock? Tom to hen(or whatever Female turkeys are called) ratio?

 

[Suzi18]

How much space do you need to keep a pair of turkeys? Are they noisy? Do they need a coop?

 

[Lrosell31]

Oh great I got four broad breasted turkeys and told my husband those are my babies we won’t eat them. One of them even comes and sits on my lap when I’m outside.

 

[R2elk]

What is the most docile turkey variety? Are royal palms docile?

The broad breasted varieties are the most docile but make the worst choice for a pet due to their short expected life spans and increased health issues as they age.