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QUESTION: My
husband and I are just getting started in raising our own chicks. We
started out with some "Rhode Island Red" chicks and a couple
of ducks. When
he came home from town today, he brought some baby turkeys. A
friend of ours told me that we should not put our little turkeys in with
our chicks. Is there a valid reason for this advice? We are short on
space, and don't really know where we could put the turkeys. Thanks
for any info you could give us. We are very new at this and learning as
we go. |
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I did some research in my homesteading books and it seems that turkeys contract diseases very easily, especially from chickens, and that they should NEVER be housed together. There is a disease called blackhead that is fatal for turkeys if they associate with chickens at all. It does say that you could medicate their water or food to prevent this disease but then you kind of defeat the purpose of raising home grown food! It also mentions that you need to "be careful about walking from the hen run to the turkey run without changing your boots and disinfecting yourself." Another book I have states "Turkeys must never be housed with chickens nor should they be kept in the same pen or brooder that has housed chickens within the past three months or where chickens have ranged within three years. These precautions are to prevent turkeys from contracting diseases. If you use a brooder or pen before the time has elapsed, disinfect it thoroughly." I got this last bit of information out of "Backyard Livestock...Raising Good, Natural Food for your Family" by Thomas & Looby. I bought this one but our local library also has one. I would encourage her to try to get ahold of a book that tells her how to raise turkeys. The little bit that I read said that raising turkeys is harder than raising chickens. I hope this helps her some. Good luck! Wanda Lynch |
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Turkeys
can carry a disease that can kill baby chicks. After the chickens
get older, there is no problem, but when they are young, they can get
ill and die. It is not best to keep the two together. Ducks
and chickens seem to be ok, but turkeys unfortunately are a no no. |
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We were told that also. One reason I heard is all the different "germs" from one area to another. You could take the chance of losing your whole flock. Another is how fast those little guys grow! Feeding time can cause a little stampede. The smaller birds could get hurt. Is there an Agway or really any grain store in the area? The manager should be knowledgeable about these things--I drive mine crazy at times. Also, if there is a University extension or a 4H group-they might have a real answer as to why. Hope that might help. Just be careful with the turkeys, they really can drown themselves and many other incredibly turkey-ish things!! Kathy Robb-Chase |