Turkeys with chickens

[Gary palmer]

Can I have 3 turkeys free range with my flock of 22 chickens?

 

[Better Than Rubies]

You should be able to if they're all full-grown, just 'do it at your own risk'...as there's that small chance that the turkeys could get sick like possibly with blackhead. But even if the chickens do have it and the turkeys get it, if they are adults, it shouldn't kill or even have much effect on them. . Just giving you a heads-up.
Sincerely, Cara

 

[hillbillyreefer]

Yes

 

[ChickNanny13]

2x Better Than Rubies I have read it's a change keeping turkeys with chickens due to the "blackhead" issue. I don't have turkeys so the info didn't sink in but you should search it in the forums.

 

[Better Than Rubies]

2x Better Than Rubies I have read it's a change keeping turkeys with chickens due to the "blackhead" issue. I don't have turkeys so the info didn't sink in but you should search it in the forums.

Thanks for informing me of that! I did not know that it changed; I don't have turkeys, either, and am totally no poultry expert.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Can I have 3 turkeys free range with my flock of 22 chickens?

People have for thousands of years. I don’t know what your free range area looks like, your predator protection, or where they sleep at night. Whether they are broad-breasted or the smaller more mobile types can make a difference in how it works out also. Even if I did know all that I could not tell you how it will work out, but people have kept chickens, turkeys, ducks, pea fowl, guineas, and other poultry in the same area for thousands of years.

In general turkeys can fly better than chickens and tend to want to roost up high in trees or on top of the coop or other buildings instead of in a coop, though plenty of people have them sleep in a coop. Some people have had their turkeys run away and join a wild turkey flock. Occasionally turkeys are brutal to chickens. Lots of things can possibly happen any time you have any living animals, but people have kept different types of fowl together for thousands of years. Often it works out, sometimes it does not.

Blackhead is a disease that chickens can get and keep in the flock forever once it is introduced. Your chickens will always be carriers if they ever get Blackhead. Blackhead usually doesn’t bother the chickens that much, you probably won’t know they have it. But Blackhead can be deadly to turkeys. If Blackhead is in your chicken flock they can give it to the turkeys. If Blackhead is not in your chicken flock they cannot give it to your turkeys. If I have tuberculosis I can give it to you. If I don’t have tuberculosis I cannot give it to you. Same basic idea.

Can you keep turkeys with chickens? You can try. It might work out, it may not for many different reasons.

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

Following

 

[casportpony]

Blackhead (histomoniasis) is my biggest concern when keeping them together.

 

[casportpony]

You should be able to if they're all full-grown, just 'do it at your own risk'...as there's that small chance that the turkeys could get sick like possibly with blackhead. But even if the chickens do have it and the turkeys get it, if they are adults, it shouldn't kill or even have much effect on them. . Just giving you a heads-up.
Sincerely, Cara

Adult turkeys and peafowl can die very easily from blackhead (histomoniasis).

 

[Better Than Rubies]

Oh... I didn't know that; I just thought there's a chance they could get sick from it, but typically recovered. Maybe I don't know what I'm talking about.