Which would you rather raise chickens or turkeys?

[VannahRAe]

I'm thinking about adding some turkeys to my little farm. Are they harder than chickens or about the same? Can you tell me from your personal experiances the best breeds? Thanks everyone

 

[jdavis]

bourbon reds are the easiest breed in my opinion to raise we have raised them for years, we start them on high protein turkey feed and keep them warm and off of the ground on wire until they are 12 weeks old and let them go on their own( with feed and water in feeders of course) and they do great, they are very hardy, smart, and lay very good, and by far the best on the table at thanksgiving we have found so far. the only issue we have is that we only get about a 75% hatch rate from the eggs, everyone tells us that is great for turkeys though.

 

[jdavis]

im sorry i didnt answer your question fully, I think the turkeys are just as easy to raise as chickens dont let people scare you with the old stories about how hard they are to raise. our bourbons have never had any problem learning where to eat or drink and they wont drown in the rain.

 

[VannahRAe]

thank you for replying I was originally thinking about that breed and i liked them best

 

[jdavis]

o they are great you wont be dissapointed, gentle, tame they are just a great all around bird.

 

[Haunted55]

Turkeys! By far. Turkeys love you and consider you one of their flock, chickens on the other hand will tolerate you as long as you give them treats and clean their pen. Turkeys want to be with you and doing what you are doing, not a good idea when you are planting your garden but when you are sitting down and taking a breather, they're right by your side keeping you company. Turkeys start out being very delicate and needing the exact temps and feeds, this pays off in the long run. They are great company, good watch dogs and make a great dinner. In my humble opinion, they are the gift that keeps on giving.

 

[VannahRAe]

Thanks I'm prolly gonna raise about 6 next spring since I've got a new flock this year to tend to. Thank you everyone for your opinions.