Turkeys and Chickens Together

[Celie]

Think of it this way 2 to 3 times more room for each Turkey as you would have for a chicken.
Roost space nesting box or run.
That would be a good rule of thumb and also the feed needed that would be close to whats needed.
This also depends on the breed as far as food consumption I here the Double breasted can really put some food away.
Raising chickens and Turkeys together check you area for black head state agri Dept, might have that Information.
If you raise Poults and Chicks together no adults and your area is clear of black head then there is almost no way to contract it.
If your area is clear there is a slim chance that the adult Chickens could give the Poults Black Head depending were you got them as adults.
If you raised the Chickens from Chicks and your area is clear of black head the you would be safe to raise Poults.
Feed the Poults Game feed starter till 10 weeks don't let them even touch the ground till 10 weeks also dry and then you can ween them off the starter then put them on Chicken Laying pellets and free range if possible from here there is a lot more learning to be done I'm still learning.

Hi Frank,
You heard right, BB turkeys will eat themselves to death, just like BB Cornish rock broiler chickens. They can not be fed all they will consume like normal chickens. They are both hybrids ad can not mate naturally either. They have to be AI. I found this out the hard way. Raised 15 to over a year old to find out their eggs were not fertile and I am not into AI. They became BIG turkeys though. The last 2 I harvested weighted over 80 pounds each on foot and I needed a tractor to lift them. When they were bleeding out and started flapping their wings, I got almost knocked out. I now raise only the white Holland breed that was the breed, BB Whites were bred from. Holland Whites are only a couple pounds smaller than the standard bronze, but much easier to pluck(no dark pin feathers) and taste wonderful. You are very knowledgeable. Thanks for all the good info I have read from you!!

 

[frank53061]

MICHKATZ It sounds like you bought adult Turkeys and when you buy adult any thing I think its a crap shoot on what you are going to get and what you are going to have to fix with behavior training and even if it can be fixed.
I raised my Turkeys from Poults with Chicks and two of them were Roosters and there so far has not been any problems with them or the older roosters and the now the 6 month old Turkeys.
You need to watch them interact and see what the problem is.
The Rooster may be so dumb that it will not back down or the Tom maybe treating the Rooster as a Tom and kicking the Roosters butt like it was another Tom or both.
I noticed for the most part people have stated that there Toms for the most part do not realy get into the knock down drag out fighting till there let out to free range.
My Turkeys have a large pen so they do it in the Pen and out as well.
For sure if the Rooster got his tail feathers kicked you will need to keep him dry and warm and away from that Tom for now if he lives he might be traumatized and in shock for a few days.
I have seen this before with my Roosters tearing each other up but always live threw it.
P.S. Watch the Tom He can also kill your Hens if he gets in the Mood if you know what I mean.

 

[frank53061]

Celie Thanks for the complement but I only learn from the much wiser that I have found here and do a lot of reading of the Postings of information that people are so good to pass on.
I also try to pass on what I have learned as I am raising my flock trial and errors make me a little wiser but I will never claim to know it all and if some one has a better idea I say go for it.
Good luck to you.

 

[cromschickens]

I too raise chickens and turkeys together. I raised chickens, 23 of them, from hatchlings and bought 3 turkeys from a very reputable breeder Hill Top Farms from Albia Iowa. The chickens were about 8 weeks old and the turkeys were 4 weeks old when they were introduced. My chickens are Buff Orpingtons and my turkeys are Eastern Bronze or wild turkeys. They get along great and there have been zero issues. They even share the same coop. I have nest boxes for each, the turkeys have the bottom of a plastic 55 gallon drum as their nest box and it works great. They are elevated of course, and everyone shares perches. As far as feed, they all eat the same thing, 22% broiler feed with a little added calcium and all the table scraps and damaged garden veggies they care for. I plan on putting the turkeys on 28% turkey feed and increasing their ration, with thanksgiving coming and all. I will just sit their feeder up a little higher to keep the chickens out of it. Thats my story, thanks for reading it and I hope that someone finds it useful possibly.

 

[Celie]

I too raise chickens and turkeys together. I raised chickens, 23 of them, from hatchlings and bought 3 turkeys from a very reputable breeder Hill Top Farms from Albia Iowa. The chickens were about 8 weeks old and the turkeys were 4 weeks old when they were introduced. My chickens are Buff Orpingtons and my turkeys are Eastern Bronze or wild turkeys. They get along great and there have been zero issues. They even share the same coop. I have nest boxes for each, the turkeys have the bottom of a plastic 55 gallon drum as their nest box and it works great. They are elevated of course, and everyone shares perches. As far as feed, they all eat the same thing, 22% broiler feed with a little added calcium and all the table scraps and damaged garden veggies they care for. I plan on putting the turkeys on 28% turkey feed and increasing their ration, with thanksgiving coming and all. I will just sit their feeder up a little higher to keep the chickens out of it. Thats my story, thanks for reading it and I hope that someone finds it useful possibly.

I only bought day old birds to or hatched them myself, and have never had any problem, in fact, if 2 of my roosters get into it, the Turkeys or geese put a stop to it very quickly. I have everyone together at night in a large barn, cage free and free range during the day. My husband loves Buff Orpingtons, but the predators do too and the Buffs are so gentile the just stand there and get taken. I might try some next year.
was wondering if anyone out there could suggest what I can grow to supplement the protein in my feed, since my local feed store only sells 18% protein feed? I sure would like to fatten them as much as possible before harvesting!
Thanks, Celie

 

[cchardwick]

Hi, we have had chickens for a few years now and we have jsut moved to a lifestyle block and decided to get turkeys too... we had 8 hens and one rooster. i just bought a breeding pair of turkeys ( they are bronze....)> They have been here for a week and a half and all has been great. All the birds are completely free range roming all over the place. Tonight though as i walked towards the pig pen (which is right beside all the nesting area) i saw something i wish i hadnt seen!!!!!!!!! The tom was on top of the rooster and was killing it!!!!! The rooster was covered in blood and i had my baby in his sling so i was trying to kick the turkey off but all the while protecting my baby!!! I finally managed to push him off and leave enough time for the rooster to escape... but i am affraid i might find him dead tomorrow...he looked rather unwell!!! What a gruesome picture! Not the idea of my beautiful peaceful little farm!!! Any advices welcome.. not sure what is next for us???
Cheers

I'm not sure if turkeys are the same a chickens, but I've tried to raise some chickens in a very small coop and if they don't have enough room they go cannibalistic. And once they get the taste of live chicken they become unmanagable no matter how much room you give them after that. I've removed damaged birds and brought them back to health and as soon as I put them back in the flock other chickens will jump on them and eat them alive, it's terrible. The only way to fix it is to butcher all of your chickens and start over with new baby chicks or pullets. It's the same with eggs, once they get the taste of an egg they will eat them as soon as they lay them. The only fix is to butcher all the chickens and start over. I'm guessing turkeys are the same way... sorry to break the bad news. You may have gotten the turkeys from a place that had a problem and didn't have the heart to butcher them, so they sold them.

 

[DNA Ranch]

If the coop is big enough you can raise them together, but when they start breeding and laying you really should separate them because they will fight. Some say you should not raise turkeys and chicken together due to diseases, but I raise them together and have had no problems thus far.

 

[DNA Ranch]

I agree, once an adult chicken or turkey becomes cannibalistic you can't break them, you can only isolate or butcher them to save the rest of the flock. This is also a learned behavior as well, if you don't remove them others will take up the behavior. The only other option may be to have their beaks trimmed back, but they will still be very aggressive to other birds. Pullets and chicks can be broken most of the time by giving them more room and play toys (hay, marbles, shinny objects they can eat, ect) in the coop or a clip of the beak. Good luck.

 

[DNA Ranch]

Great information.

 

[frank53061]

I agree With DNA Ranch If there is enough room and something to occupy there little minds with something other that pecking on each other.
The Government did a test of a device that would cut down on pecking and allow more Chickens in a Poultry House and here it is and you can still buy them today.
My Grandmother was involved in the Study placing these on Chickens for this study and were else but one of the biggest Chicken producing areas at the time.
I found a set of these in the Family Bible one day and ask her what they were.
That's right Glasses for Chickens Tinted.
I believe it was back in the 50s or Early 60s.