turkey with ducks?

[Flock Runner]

i am building a new coop and i don't have a place for my turkey. i know i can't put him with my chickens but what would happen if i put him with my ducks? do i have to worry about deseases or about breeding season mis-haps?

btw, the turkey is a male.

 

[GoingQuackers]

I raised my first mallard (female) with a turkey and they were best of pals. Definitely the odd couple, but almost attached at the hip! My turkey was a male and there were never any breeding issues, even if the turkey got a real attitude during mating season. They should be fine together.

 

[Kevin565]

If he has no hens around during breeding season is is very possible he will try to breed your ducks which depending upon there size could kill them or potentially harm them

 

[GoingQuackers]

I will add to my original thought and say that both the mallard and the turkey were very young when they started sharing a pen. The two of them growing up together may have been the reason I never had any problems. It may not work out quite as well if your birds are older. Do they spend time together now?

 

[Flock Runner]

yeah. my turkey seems to be fine with everything and he was only horny for a little while with one of my chickens before he realized it was usless. he grew up with the chickens though not the ducks, even though now he lives with both. i'd rather put him with my roosters but someone else said he would get blackhead disease and die. i've only had him for about 9 months so i don't really know if he's fully mature. i don't know how he'll act in the spring.

 

[GoingQuackers]

My turkey was a real pain in the butt during the spring. Very short-tempered, prone to copping an attitude real quick. He never tried to hurt any of us humans or the duck, but he sure did get angry pretty often. He would go into full strut at the drop of a hat too. There were a few times when I think he had "that lovin' feelin'" toward me too, and as long as I kept a nice-sized stick in my hand (not in a menacing way but just to let him know I was off-limits if he got too close), he would calm down easily. He never did it to anyone else, just me. I guess I was the one who fed him all the time so he figured he may have a shot. And he never tried any funny business with the duck either. You'll have to check in to let me know what you observe happening with your turkey.

 

[nickie]

I will add to my original thought and say that both the mallard and the turkey were very young when they started sharing a pen. The two of them growing up together may have been the reason I never had any problems. It may not work out quite as well if your birds are older. Do they spend time together now?

Just a thought, but if your turkey has been living in close quarters with the chickens up until now couldn't you assume that blackhead is not prevalent in your area?

 

[Flock Runner]

i don't really know. i don't know what blackhead disease really is to be honest.

 

[Flock Runner]

My turkey was a real pain in the butt during the spring. Very short-tempered, prone to copping an attitude real quick. He never tried to hurt any of us humans or the duck, but he sure did get angry pretty often. He would go into full strut at the drop of a hat too. There were a few times when I think he had "that lovin' feelin'" toward me too, and as long as I kept a nice-sized stick in my hand (not in a menacing way but just to let him know I was off-limits if he got too close), he would calm down easily. He never did it to anyone else, just me. I guess I was the one who fed him all the time so he figured he may have a shot. And he never tried any funny business with the duck either. You'll have to check in to let me know what you observe happening with your turkey.

my turkey is always puffed out trying to attract attention but never does anything but walk around. i can walk up to him and pick him up and he doesn't even try to get away. its pretty funny actually.

 

[GoingQuackers]

Sounds like he's handling the mating season well then. I could handle my turkey with no problems any other time of the year except during the mating season. I gave him plenty of room then & was glad when mating time was over. He was a rescue from a local turkey farm--he escaped when he was supposed to be leaving the nursery to go to the finishing house and once they have spent any time in the wild, they can't re-join the other turkeys because of the risk of disease. Unfortunately, he escaped from us while we had him and spent about a week in the wild before he came back. Apparently he caught some sort of disease out there and died about a month after his return.