What are your favorite non-waterfowl poultry?

[MelissaRose]

Hi Everyone,
I currently have about 20 chickens and I want to add some different breeds of poultry to my flock. I can't have waterfowl so I was wondering if you all had some suggestions. I would also like to show these bird so if anyone has any recommendations that would be great!
I am mostly just curious what other types/breeds of poultry there are and what people think of them.

Thank you!
~MelissaRose

 

[FluffTheDuck]

Turkeys and chicken!! And peacocks! Peacocks guard animals on the farm.

 

[nchls school]

The two breeds I like best are salmon favorelle and serama.

 

[A_Fowl_Guy]

I love Rhode Island Reds. Prolific egg layers, good personality, can go broody, good mothers, tastes great, pretty roosters.

 

[MelissaRose]

Turkeys and chicken!! And peacocks! Peacocks guard animals on the farm.

Thanks!
Are peafowl noisy?
And can turkeys live with chickens?

 

[MelissaRose]

The two breeds I like best are salmon favorelle and serama.

View attachment 1681164

I love Rhode Island Reds. Prolific egg layers, good personality, can go broody, good mothers, tastes great, pretty roosters.

View attachment 1681165

Thank you @A_Fowl_Guy and @nchls school!

 

[FluffTheDuck]

Thanks!
Are peafowl noisy?
And can turkeys live with chickens?

The noise that gets this gorgeous bird into trouble is either a mating call or an alarm call. In either case, it's a loud "Ah-AAAAAH" that can register 100+ on the shriek-o-meter and can be heard as far as five miles away. Trouble, in the form of a predatory tiger, housecat, dog or other dangerous or unfamiliar animal, can come at any time, but love is, for peafowl, predictable. It starts in the early spring (which can begin as early as February in the southern U.S.) and continues for about six weeks. Then it's all night, every night, sometimes well into summer further north. This noise barrage and interrupted sleep can generate some pretty irate complaints and run peafowl afoul of local noise pollution ordinances, especially if groups or "parties" are roosting in trees or on rooftops in a populated area.
Aside from the raucous calls, peafowl make as many as 10 other noises that are less ear-piercingly offensive. These include honking like a goose, a lower-level alarm call used when something unusual confronts the feeding flock in the daytime. It may be a strange person or just a plastic bag blowing by, but the entire flock (or "muster," or "pride") will puff up, sound off and march over to investigate. If they're satisfied there's no threat, they'll go back to foraging for bugs and seeds. If they're still uneasy, they'll cluck almost like chickens.
Peafowl enthusiasts can minimize noise by locating their birds as far from the neighbors as possible and enclosing them at night in an appropriate-size and insulated shelter, where they are less likely to become alarmed and call. There will be times, though, when they will still make noise -- they just can't help responding to Cupid's call.
If invaded by peafowl, trim low-hanging tree branches that may attract then as a roost; it's tree-roosting peacocks that call at night. Other defensive measures include keeping compost heaps covered -- they contain both insects and seeds. Empty birdfeeders and keep pet food inside. Replant destroyed and damaged plantings with things that peacocks don't like, such as azaleas, oleanders, hibiscus, and ferns. If confronted, squirt them with water.


In reality, there is more than one answer to this question and a few factors to consider. The short answer is yes, you can raise turkeys and chickens together. We have for years. We also keep geese, ducks, and guineas with our chickens in the same coop and run. But before you head off to the feed store to buy a variety of poultry, there are a few more things you should know.
For anyone who’s ever done a Google search of the following phrase “Can I raise chickens and turkeys together?” Has surely encountered the word “blackhead”
Blackhead is a disease that can affect both chickens and turkeys. For chickens, they usually show no symptoms and can lead normal, healthy lives while carrying the disease. Blackhead in turkeys, however, can be deadly, especially to young poults.
Blackhead is a regional disease. It’s not exclusive, but usually, if you contact your local county extension or a local poultry vet, they should be able to tell you if blackhead is in your area.

When purchasing fowl, you should have an understanding of where the birds came from. What area of the country. Talk to the breeder or contact the hatchery and discuss your concerns before purchasing.
In my opinion, turkeys and chicks should be brooded separately, and for a few different reasons.

1. While you can get a good idea if blackhead is not a problem for you and your flock, you can never be 100%. If there is an issue with blackhead, most young turkeys don’t survive. Adult turkeys have a much better chance of surviving blackhead and some do just fine with an infected flock, but poults should be quarantined.

2. Turkey poults are frail. They’re gentle and slow moving. Chicks can be hyper and dominant, they boss turkey poults around causing injury.

3. Chicks and Poults should be raised on different feeds. Turkey poults require more protein to develop properly. Angel wing and other problems can occur if turkeys aren’t provided enough protein in their diet.

Chicks, on the other hand, should be fed around 18-20% protein.
If you’re raising your turkeys for meat, then the feed ratios will continue to be a separated issue. You’ll want to keep the turkeys on a high protein feed so they are large enough for a table in the Fall.

Laying chickens should be on a layer formula which has less protein and more minerals like calcium to promote laying and healthy eggshells.
Meat chickens should be on a formula somewhere in-between, usually a grower feed. If Cornish cross is fed game feed, they will grow WAY too fast and it will be detrimental to their skeletal structure and internal organs like the lungs and heart.
The turkeys we keep right now, are our breeding turkeys. They’ve become pets so we simply want to maintain a healthy weight and encourage the hens to lay. Now that they are adults, they enjoy the same layer formula that we feed our chickens and they do fine. Tom, our Black Spanish is 6 years old and is in great health. If we have a particularly cold winter, we sometimes switch to or mix in a higher protein feed, which seems to keep all our poultry happy and on the plump side.

If you’ve done your research about blackhead, and have raised your chicks and poults to adulthood, then you should be able to keep an integrated flock.
As far as personalities, our turkeys and chickens get along fine. The turkeys keep to themselves, and because they are slower and less frantic, they let the chickens eat first, then move in and take care of their needs.

There are little problems with nest boxes and territorial issues. Our turkey box is on the floor of our coop, and the chickens prefer to lay in the elevated boxes.

They sort of exist as though the others weren’t there.

(Keep in mind there are always exceptions to the rule, so always monitor new introductions between any birds, until you are comfortable that the relationship is safe.)

 

[A_Fowl_Guy]

1. While you can get a good idea if blackhead is not a problem for you and your flock, you can never be 100%. If there is an issue with blackhead, most young turkeys don’t survive. Adult turkeys have a much better chance of surviving blackhead and some do just fine with an infected flock, but poults should be quarantined.

To get further info on blackhead, call your local extension office. They can give you a better idea of blackhead cases reported for your area.

 

[MelissaRose]

The noise that gets this gorgeous bird into trouble is either a mating call or an alarm call. In either case, it's a loud "Ah-AAAAAH" that can register 100+ on the shriek-o-meter and can be heard as far as five miles away. Trouble, in the form of a predatory tiger, housecat, dog or other dangerous or unfamiliar animal, can come at any time, but love is, for peafowl, predictable. It starts in the early spring (which can begin as early as February in the southern U.S.) and continues for about six weeks. Then it's all night, every night, sometimes well into summer further north. This noise barrage and interrupted sleep can generate some pretty irate complaints and run peafowl afoul of local noise pollution ordinances, especially if groups or "parties" are roosting in trees or on rooftops in a populated area.
Aside from the raucous calls, peafowl make as many as 10 other noises that are less ear-piercingly offensive. These include honking like a goose, a lower-level alarm call used when something unusual confronts the feeding flock in the daytime. It may be a strange person or just a plastic bag blowing by, but the entire flock (or "muster," or "pride") will puff up, sound off and march over to investigate. If they're satisfied there's no threat, they'll go back to foraging for bugs and seeds. If they're still uneasy, they'll cluck almost like chickens.
Peafowl enthusiasts can minimize noise by locating their birds as far from the neighbors as possible and enclosing them at night in an appropriate-size and insulated shelter, where they are less likely to become alarmed and call. There will be times, though, when they will still make noise -- they just can't help responding to Cupid's call.
If invaded by peafowl, trim low-hanging tree branches that may attract then as a roost; it's tree-roosting peacocks that call at night. Other defensive measures include keeping compost heaps covered -- they contain both insects and seeds. Empty birdfeeders and keep pet food inside. Replant destroyed and damaged plantings with things that peacocks don't like, such as azaleas, oleanders, hibiscus, and ferns. If confronted, squirt them with water.


In reality, there is more than one answer to this question and a few factors to consider. The short answer is yes, you can raise turkeys and chickens together. We have for years. We also keep geese, ducks, and guineas with our chickens in the same coop and run. But before you head off to the feed store to buy a variety of poultry, there are a few more things you should know.
For anyone who’s ever done a Google search of the following phrase “Can I raise chickens and turkeys together?” Has surely encountered the word “blackhead”
Blackhead is a disease that can affect both chickens and turkeys. For chickens, they usually show no symptoms and can lead normal, healthy lives while carrying the disease. Blackhead in turkeys, however, can be deadly, especially to young poults.
Blackhead is a regional disease. It’s not exclusive, but usually, if you contact your local county extension or a local poultry vet, they should be able to tell you if blackhead is in your area.

When purchasing fowl, you should have an understanding of where the birds came from. What area of the country. Talk to the breeder or contact the hatchery and discuss your concerns before purchasing.
In my opinion, turkeys and chicks should be brooded separately, and for a few different reasons.

1. While you can get a good idea if blackhead is not a problem for you and your flock, you can never be 100%. If there is an issue with blackhead, most young turkeys don’t survive. Adult turkeys have a much better chance of surviving blackhead and some do just fine with an infected flock, but poults should be quarantined.

2. Turkey poults are frail. They’re gentle and slow moving. Chicks can be hyper and dominant, they boss turkey poults around causing injury.

3. Chicks and Poults should be raised on different feeds. Turkey poults require more protein to develop properly. Angel wing and other problems can occur if turkeys aren’t provided enough protein in their diet.

Chicks, on the other hand, should be fed around 18-20% protein.
If you’re raising your turkeys for meat, then the feed ratios will continue to be a separated issue. You’ll want to keep the turkeys on a high protein feed so they are large enough for a table in the Fall.

Laying chickens should be on a layer formula which has less protein and more minerals like calcium to promote laying and healthy eggshells.
Meat chickens should be on a formula somewhere in-between, usually a grower feed. If Cornish cross is fed game feed, they will grow WAY too fast and it will be detrimental to their skeletal structure and internal organs like the lungs and heart.
The turkeys we keep right now, are our breeding turkeys. They’ve become pets so we simply want to maintain a healthy weight and encourage the hens to lay. Now that they are adults, they enjoy the same layer formula that we feed our chickens and they do fine. Tom, our Black Spanish is 6 years old and is in great health. If we have a particularly cold winter, we sometimes switch to or mix in a higher protein feed, which seems to keep all our poultry happy and on the plump side.

If you’ve done your research about blackhead, and have raised your chicks and poults to adulthood, then you should be able to keep an integrated flock.
As far as personalities, our turkeys and chickens get along fine. The turkeys keep to themselves, and because they are slower and less frantic, they let the chickens eat first, then move in and take care of their needs.

There are little problems with nest boxes and territorial issues. Our turkey box is on the floor of our coop, and the chickens prefer to lay in the elevated boxes.

They sort of exist as though the others weren’t there.

(Keep in mind there are always exceptions to the rule, so always monitor new introductions between any birds, until you are comfortable that the relationship is safe.)

Wow! thanks for that! What can blackhead cause besides death in poults?

 

[A_Fowl_Guy]

Wow! thanks for that! What can blackhead cause besides death in poults?

Here is a primer on blackhead: https://articles.extension.org/pages/68108/blackhead-in-poultry

There is no treatment and it’s usually just fatal to the turkey.