turkeys

[erinszoo]

Not to hijack, but, I just logged on to see if I should try to talk DH into getting a turkey or two. Is it ok to house them with chickens (if the turkeys are raised with a group of chicks)? If we do go the turkey route, I'd like to hatch them with my next batch of chicks.

Most sources will tell you not to house your turkeys and chickens together, HOWEVER, we always have with no problem. There's a disease called blackhead that turkeys can get from chicken droppings and it is fatal to the turkeys but from what we've learned, either your yard (run, pasture, pen, etc) has blackhead problems or it doesn't. Turkeys are a little more sensitive than chickens when young and can die from simply from getting too cold. We've always brooded our turkeys and chickens separately and not actually introduced them to one another until the turkeys are 8 - 10 weeks old. Chickens can go out in the yard almost from birth but turkeys do better if they are kept in the brooder.

 

[Frosty]

Not to hijack, but, I just logged on to see if I should try to talk DH into getting a turkey or two. Is it ok to house them with chickens (if the turkeys are raised with a group of chicks)? If we do go the turkey route, I'd like to hatch them with my next batch of chicks.

I think someone in a Yahoo group that I belong to said blackhead (histomoniasis) isn't a problem in Oregon.

If you are planning to hatch them yourself, just remember that the turkey eggs will need to go in a week earlier. Turkeys take 28 days, chickens take 21.