Turkey with chickens , ok?

[Luv my Hens]

We had a family member let their turkey come up to visit, she liked the chickens home, and has stayed 3 nights.
Anything I should know about 1 female turkey with 12 female chickens.

 

[Evadig]

We had a family member let their turkey come up to visit, she liked the chickens home, and has stayed 3 nights.
Anything I should know about 1 female turkey with 12 female chickens.

Well, my female turkey gets along with the two hens and the cockerel that share the pen with her.
The most important thing you should know is that chickens can give turkeys blackhead disease, which I think is fatal to the turkey.

 

[Loving my girls]

If you hope to keep the turkey there is a very informative document shown on merckvetmanual.com which shows lots of diseases that turkeys (and sometimes hens too) can get.

Heaven forbid you would ever need it. But I am always of the theory that it only rains when you wash your car, in other words if you have the information it’s less likely to be needed.

But please I am only trying to provide you with interesting toilet reading not put you off the turkey path.

 

[PimsGarden]

At work we have a flock of chickens (mostly female with a couple roosters) that lives with two turkeys (females), one turkey died before I started working there but the one that is still alive is quite the protector of the flock. There are ducks too btw. We had a hawk attack and while we did lose a few bantams, the turkey did try to fight off the hawk and had a bloody beak to prove it! She is good with the chickens, occasionally she will peck at a chicken to get food but that's no worse than the chickens are with each other. Personally I'd recommend it if you can have a turkey in your flock. I would at home if I had the room! Or maybe a guinea..

 

[Ridgerunner]

What kind of turkey, Broad-breasted or Heritage? A Broad-breasted can get really big. A Heritage can fly really well. While it may bond with the chickens and stay with them don't be surprised if it perches high in trees or on top of buildings.

Turkeys are generally fed a higher percentage protein feed than chickens. If you are raising her to butcher that could be significant but if you are keeping her as a pet or for eggs it's not that important. She just won't get as big as otherwise.

Blackhead is a poultry disease. It generally kills turkeys but not chickens but chickens can be infected. If you have Blackhead in your chicken flock then the turkey will catch it and die. If Blackhead is not in your flock then the turkey cannot catch it from them. If somebody has Covid or polio then you might catch it form them but if they don't, you can't. Some chicken flocks have Blackhead, some don't.

Is she laying? You should easily be able to tell her egg apart from the chicken eggs, size and eggshell color.