turkeys and chickens

[hart31]

Does anyone have experience setting turkey eggs and then adding chicken eggs seven days later in the same incubator to synchronize hatching?

I've hatched chicken eggs before in an old galvanized round incubator without a turner. I just built a larger incubator which will have a roller style turner (still manual but I won't have to open the incubator-just push or pull a rod). This one has a window so I can set up a web cam to let my grandaughters and local 4-Hers watch the hatch.

Right now I'm having trouble getting the humidity up and I have too much temperature difference from one side to the other. I'm hoping that a baffle in the airflow and some additional insulation might solve the problem. I used the wooden cabinet from an old black & white tv and didn't have enough insulation to line the entire box this past weekend but I turned it on anyway because I wanted to check my heating and air system.

 

[cherndon712]

I've always heard not to keep chicken and turkeys together...They give each other blackhead...So I'm not sure!!

 

[boilerjoe_96]

I keep turkeys and chickens in same area(barn and yard) they don't seem to notice each other and no body has gotten sick.... Many have kept both and had no issues.

You incubating question. It seems like it would work. I would try it.....

 

[hart31]

Blackhead is a disease which is usually spread by ingesting the eggs of infected cecal worms or eating earthworms which have eaten cecal worm eggs. It is not really passed directly from bird to bird. I have not had poultry on the farm for for about 10 years and will be using a new incubator as well. My biggest worry would be that the chicken eggs would be dirty or smeared with fecal material that might contain cecal worm eggs.

Chickens are fairly resistant to the disease and often carry it without symptoms whereas turkeys are very susceptible. Most vets and university poutry experts do not even recommend raising turkey poults on the same farm as adult turkeys. However many small producers run a few chickens and a few turkeys together on a regular basis.

 

[hinkjc]

Blackhead is spread by direct contact, as well as via soil contamination which remains for years and is deadly to turkeys.

http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/203000.htm&word=blackhead

Jody