Turkey Talk for 2014

[chickadoodles]

Poult under 3 wks. a tom brooding 25 - 3 day old poults and he loves it!

 

[Jdc361]

Question.... Can turkeys eat chicken feed and can I keep 1 turkey hen alone with 4 other chicken hens?

 

[klilly20]

Question.... Can turkeys eat chicken feed and can I keep 1 turkey hen alone with 4 other chicken hens?

I feed my turkeys with chicken feed I use scratch feed. Keeping Turkeys with chickens is not advisable due to black head disease. Chickens can be carriers of the disease which do not affect them but it is deadly on turkeys. I was raising 3 royal palms with my chickens I lost all three to the terrible disease. I learned my lesson I have not lost any for a long time

 

[chickadoodles]

If you start the turkey out on game bird feed for the first 8 weeks you should be able to put it in with your chickens if you worm your birds regularly. You can keep blackhead at bay if you worm regularly.

Some can keep them and some just have to much of it. Including Walt Leonard an APA Judge on BYC. He cannot keep turkey due to the amount of blackhead on his farm.

 

[duluthralphie]

I have had my turkeys and chickens together for over a year, not a long time, but still a fair amount.

When I moved the chickens to a new coop the turkeys moved with them, the chicken doors were too small for most the turkeys to get through so the turkeys just started roosting on the fence.

I live on very sandy land where there is seldom if ever standing water. From what I have read heavier damper soil makes it harder to keep turkeys and chickens together. There are some that claim turkeys provide a natural immunity to Maraks for the chickens.

Worming the turkeys can help too, when the "bug" gets too numerous in the turkey they get blackhead, there seems to be a threshold amount of worms that is too many for the turkeys.

As I said I have no problems here, yet, but I did a lot of reading on blackhead before getting chickens, as I had turkeys first. ( I have no way of verifying anything I read as it was off the net)

 

[Dr Mango]

We are so excited to have all our turkey eggs hatch yesterday. I am proud of my kids for doing the research and doing a great job! All 8 of 8 bourbon red eggs hatched and seem to be doing well.


Here is one of the babies. Watching turkey poults is way more fun than television!

 

[chickadoodles]

Welcome to BYC and the Turkey Talk thread Dr. Mango congratulations on your wonderful hatch! Your poult is adorable. I love my Bourbon Reds.

 

[WalnutHill]

Congratulations to your family on the new family members!

We are so excited to have all our turkey eggs hatch yesterday. I am proud of my kids for doing the research and doing a great job! All 8 of 8 bourbon red eggs hatched and seem to be doing well.


Here is one of the babies. Watching turkey poults is way more fun than television!

 

[duluthralphie]

We are so excited to have all our turkey eggs hatch yesterday. I am proud of my kids for doing the research and doing a great job! All 8 of 8 bourbon red eggs hatched and seem to be doing well.


Here is one of the babies. Watching turkey poults is way more fun than television!

Grats on the hatch!!!


They are fun to watch and will become either great pets or meals....( I have some for both) The lucky ones get names.

 

[marchick]

Grats on the hatch!!!


They are fun to watch and will become either great pets or meals....( I have some for both) The lucky ones get names.

Some times the unlucky ones get names also! Christmas and Thanksgiving! lol I show friends and family how friendly my turkeys are and the first thing they say is "Your never going to be able to eat them!" I was never planing on eating them!!!! Then they are very disapointed because all the get togethers are at my house and they where thinking turkey dinner!