Turkeys with chickens.

[yotetrapper]

I know I've seen not to do this, and I've seen others who do. I am really curious to hear from those that DO keep turkeys with their chickens. I have large runs. 4 coops. Also have ducks in with my chickens. See, the only way I could have turkeys is if I did keep them with my chickens. My husband adamently is against any more poultry pen expansion and he's not overly fond of turkeys. I could keep one or 2 in the chicken pens without them bothering him, but building a new pen for them........forget it! So, if turkeys absolutely cannot be kept with chickens, I'll not have any turkeys. But if they could.......

Has anyone successfully did this for more than a season or two?

 

[lilchick]

YES! I have several chicken coops and I have a red barn for the turkeys and guineas... When I have excess ( and who doesn't) roosters I simply wing them into the turkey barn. When my turkey hens go broody and try to slip off to the woods I put them in the chicken coops for awhile. I have been keeping them together for years with no problems with illness.
The bonus is the toms will guard your chickens when out free ranging in the yard! They are better than the meanest rooster! And I have 5 toms that grew up together and actually get along.. I would not try adding another cause a fight would surely break out! The best way is to raise them altogether so the turkeys don't pick on the chickens...

 

[cashela]

I have two turkeys and two chickens and they all live together.

 

[387026]

I raise turkeys, peafowl, guineas, chickens, all together free ranged. I do have seperate coops for each variety to house in at night. They get along well, so well, a bantam rooster married one of my guinea hens and a couple weeks ago my peacock married one of my turkey hens so I could end up with some interesting breeds around here in near future.

 

[CaitlynNichols]

Actually, turkeys and chickens get along very well. I know someone who has three turkeys in the same chicken coop, and free range with them. They're good protects for the chickens, that's a bonus. Who would want to wrestle a turkey?
I say give it a try!

 

[farmerlor]

We have several coops and in each coop there's a breeding trio of turkeys with a small breeding flock of chickens. Everyone is just as happy as they can be.

 

[yotetrapper]

Thanks! Guess I'll give it a try then!

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

Yes it's very doable, like you said, you've read the cautions before though, chickens CAN carry blackhead, it doesnt hurt the chickens but will kill turkeys. This is not to say all cases will end this way, BUT there's always a risk. If your chickens are clean, you shouldnt have any trouble, but a sick turkey is about the only way to find out, thuis the reason I no longer do it. But if it's your only option, go for it!!
As for getting along, they do just fine. Any I though it was impossible, but a buddy of mine just hatched 2 turkey chickens!! I thought he was crazy, but he sent me the pics of them, hatched out of turkey eggs as that was all he had in the bator, but look just like a large biddie. Told him to keep me posted on that, never seen or heard of a cross til then, and he had 2!

 

[yotetrapper]

Man you should start a post about that somwhere boggy with pics, sure everyone here would be real interested. I wondered, as my one mixed breed duck thinks he's a chicken. He had 6 hen ducks in his pen, absolutely ignored them, and does his thing daily with whichever hen he can catch.

 

[RAREROO]

Quote:
OMG Are you serious ???? That would be cool, it would probably look like a fuffled grouse or prairie chicken thing, a chicken, with a fanned tail, that would be so cool. I didn't think it would be possible either, but heck, why not if a guinea can mate with peafowl and chickens, and pheasants with chickens, why not turkeys and chickens ? Lord forbid if a duck and a chicken actually produced anything, that would be a XXXXXX up bird.

Oh and yeah, I've always had my chickens with my turkeys and never had any problems.