Would a turkey get along with my other fowl, Are they solitary

[nanaluvsgps]

Hi would a turkey get along with 2 geese, 2 drakes, 3 hens, 2 silkies and soon to be plymouth rock chicks. And could i get 1 turkey or would i need a pair cheers Naomi

 

[Ridgerunner]

I hatched one solitary tom last year in early May and raised it with a bunch of chicks until a few days before Thanksgiving. That's the limit of my experience with turkeys so far. The only other fowl I have is chickens. I don't know how much difference it being a solitary tom made compared to several more tukeys or maybe a solitary hen. I'll find out this year. I just hatched 5 turkeys and 10 chickens.

If the organism that causes Blackhead is not in your flock or soil, your chickens will not give it to turkeys. If it is in your flock, then chickens can be carriers. Chickens are more resistent to Blackhead than turkeys. The disease can wipe out your turkeys but not bother the chickens that much.

My lone turkey stayed with the chicken flock. It free ranged with them and roosted with them, going back into the coop at night. He could fly really well. Due to predator problems, I locked them all in the coop and run for a few weeks before Thanksgiving. The turkey, a Midget White, would fly up to the coop roof about 10 feet up, then down to the ground. Of course, once he escaped he could not figure out how to get back in. I wound up putting bird netting over the run to stop him flying out. I could have tried clipping a wing but decided to use the netting I had on hand.

My problem was a dog, but I don't know which dog, so I kept them locked up. People drop off dogs in the country here way too often. That dog got several chickens and the turkey had a couple of tail feathers gone. His ability to fly really well may have saved him, but that is only speculation. I really don't know.

I did not go through a winter and especially a spring with him. That tom left the chicks he was raised with and joined the adults a lot sooner than the chicks did. I did not see any fighting or attempts to mate with the hens, but I did not have him as an adult in the spring.

I've read that turkeys will leave the coop and sleep really high in trees, but I did not see that with my solitary tom. My Midget White did fly really well.

 

[BuffOrpington88]

The turkeys and chickens should not be kept together. Turkeys are highly susceptible to blackhead, which chickens carry. Also, it would be best if the ducks and chickens were not kept together, because dampness is harmful to chickens.

 

[nanaluvsgps]

Thanks for the advise but they all sleep in different places, so I was just seeing if they would fight with each other or any thing while free ranging and how do turkeys sleep thanks anyway

 

[kuntrygirl]

All of mine get along just fine. No problems with blackhead. They have all been living together for MANY years.

 

[nanaluvsgps]

Very nice, they all seem very healthy and content. By any chance do you have problems with rats and mice? at the moment we have huge prpblems and they are not that keen in the bait.

 

[AH64Coyote]

My Turkeys, Chickens and Ducks all hang out (for two years now) together with absolutely no problems.

 

[nanaluvsgps]

Thts very good to hear