Turkeys For 2013

[chickadoodles]

I raise turkeys and chickens together. I called my cooperative extension at our county offices and was told it is not a problem in my area, at this time. I was told that a lot of people here raise them together. I'm not sure of the conditions where you live. I can only share what and why I do. sue

Sally I had to buy chicks one day old chicks at the same time I bought my turkey poults. The ppl I bought my turkey from told me they would only sell to me if I agreed to get chicks at the same time. So I did so they could teach my turkey to eat and drink! But as they grew in the brooder my Royal Palm thinks he is the parent to all the chicks and other turkey because he is a month older than the rest of them! Even now at 4 months old in the run all the other babies crawl under him to sleep! It is so cute! EE's, JG's they love him!

 

[joshm97]

Lost 15!!!! Mama was ambushed by a fisher cat and he killed fifteen if the 23 she had with her... She has one left and I have 8 in the brooder... I can't get them back to her because if I open the door she will attack my like last time. She is not sitting on the eggs any more and most were crushed with dead poults inside cause of the fisher... Just wanna cry

 

[RockerHen]

Here is one of the 'oddball' or 'blonde' bronzes that hatched in my last hatch. There's about 5 of them. The rest are 'regular' dark patterned bronzes and yellow/gray patterned. These don't have nearly as much patterning and have a tan cast to them. So excited to see all these mature. Watching the mom with her babies is entertaining. Sometimes she lets out this throaty trill when she's alarmed and all the babies will flatten themselves in the grass and not even twitch if you walk by. She's very protective of her little ones.

 

[Arielle]

Poultry math has reared it's ugly head. I now have 6 baby turkey poults added to my collection. I'm really excited about them. My question is this: Once they get older, can I mix them in with my chickens? Or do I need a separate enclosure for them? I can't let anything free range here due to predator pressure, so I have the chickens in a mobile coop that I surround with electric poultry netting.

I bought some more netting, and I can make a separate enclosure, but would need to build a new coop for the turkeys. I can do that if I should keep them separate.

The other option is that My current (chicken) coop has plenty of extra room inside, and I could just add the new fencing to double the size of their enclosure.

I've heard that because of blackhead, you shouldn't have turkeys with chickens, but I've see pics posted on here and elsewhere of all the poultry mixed together. Not sure what to do, so I thought I would throw it out on here and see what advice I could get.

Call country extension--they are in the phone book. Each area is different.

YOu r life will be easier if you can run all the birds together.

 

[RockerHen]

Lost 15!!!! Mama was ambushed by a fisher cat and he killed fifteen if the 23 she had with her... She has one left and I have 8 in the brooder... I can't get them back to her because if I open the door she will attack my like last time. She is not sitting on the eggs any more and most were crushed with dead poults inside cause of the fisher... Just wanna cry

So sorry

 

[Arielle]

Lost 15!!!! Mama was ambushed by a fisher cat and he killed fifteen if the 23 she had with her... She has one left and I have 8 in the brooder... I can't get them back to her because if I open the door she will attack my like last time. She is not sitting on the eggs any more and most were crushed with dead poults inside cause of the fisher... Just wanna cry

Jeez-- sorry to hear of the loss!! Clean up when you can get in there to avoid the smells that draw in more vermin. Fishers are strong!! Can you make changes to keep the kritter out?

 

[chickadoodles]

Lost 15!!!! Mama was ambushed by a fisher cat and he killed fifteen if the 23 she had with her... She has one left and I have 8 in the brooder... I can't get them back to her because if I open the door she will attack my like last time. She is not sitting on the eggs any more and most were crushed with dead poults inside cause of the fisher... Just wanna cry

Johsm so sorry for your losses! I would be crying!

 

[joshm97]

My eggs in the bator hatched but the won't stop peeping. He hatched tonight and imprinted on me. I can't even sleep because he is peeping his little head off... I'm talking turkey to him. Shod I?

 

[Sally8]

Sally I had to buy chicks one day old chicks at the same time I bought my turkey poults. The ppl I bought my turkey from told me they would only sell to me if I agreed to get chicks at the same time. So I did so they could teach my turkey to eat and drink! But as they grew in the brooder my Royal Palm thinks he is the parent to all the chicks and other turkey because he is a month older than the rest of them! Even now at 4 months old in the run all the other babies crawl under him to sleep! It is so cute! EE's, JG's they love him!

I've never heard of anyone suggesting that but they know what they are talking about. I try to hatch a few chicks a couple days or so before the poults are due to hatch. Poults are just not very smart. But they will imitate chicks. They get them to eat and drink.

Lost 15!!!! Mama was ambushed by a fisher cat and he killed fifteen if the 23 she had with her... She has one left and I have 8 in the brooder... I can't get them back to her because if I open the door she will attack my like last time. She is not sitting on the eggs any more and most were crushed with dead poults inside cause of the fisher... Just wanna cry

I am so sorry to hear that. So far I haven't lost anything (except the Silkie I ran over with the car) but I'm just holding my breath

Here is one of the 'oddball' or 'blonde' bronzes that hatched in my last hatch. There's about 5 of them. The rest are 'regular' dark patterned bronzes and yellow/gray patterned. These don't have nearly as much patterning and have a tan cast to them. So excited to see all these mature. Watching the mom with her babies is entertaining. Sometimes she lets out this throaty trill when she's alarmed and all the babies will flatten themselves in the grass and not even twitch if you walk by. She's very protective of her little ones.

He/she is just beautiful. Are both parents Bronze? My poults are across from a Bronze tom and Royal Palm and I got some beautiful babies. 4 more eggs hatched today. I only possess 11 more eggs of Rosie's and Chucks. Hoping a few more will hatch. I found something interesting. Even though I hatched all the eggs myself, when I let them out, they all hung around Rosie and she them. Even Chuck would stick around them. I always wondered if they knew.

 

[RockerHen]

He/she is just beautiful. Are both parents Bronze? My poults are across from a Bronze tom and Royal Palm and I got some beautiful babies. 4 more eggs hatched today. I only possess 11 more eggs of Rosie's and Chucks. Hoping a few more will hatch. I found something interesting. Even though I hatched all the eggs myself, when I let them out, they all hung around Rosie and she them. Even Chuck would stick around them. I always wondered if they knew.

The mom is a royal palm, the dad is a red bronze- a cross between a royal palm and a bourbon red. Some of the chicks are feathering out almost completely white, some with lots of black speckling in the white, some look bronze, and some are these 'blondies'.
Here are the parents.