The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: SarahNoble on October 02, 2008, 11:01:20 am
-
I have read that you need to keep the two seperated because of Coccadious (not sure about the spelling) but would be interested to hear if anyone has tried it and what their experiences were. Christmas Day met an untimely death so I had to put a poult in with Boxing Day for company and they are both in the greenhouse at the moment with no apparent ill effects but I would like to let them out into an outdoor run (fruit cage) with 4 other sibling poults. Any thoughts?
-
I hear what you are saying, and I understand that they shouldn't be mixed. All I can tell you is, that here in France you can walk the countryside and see gardens full of birds - turkeys, chooks, gunea fowl, ducks and geese, all living together. Everyone here buys in their 'stock' for the year at around June time and slaughters before Christmas. They do it year in and year out with ill effects. We even have the mix and my conclusion is that on a small scale I don't feel I have a problem. The French live long lives, so I feel confident!
Kate :turkey:
-
Hi Sarah. I am sure that some people will keep the 2 together but there is a chance that the turkeys may get "blackhead" disease which hens often carry but are immune to. Any turkey farmer will warn you against keeping turkeys on ground that hens have had access to in the past as the disease can stay in the ground for a long time.
-
There is a concoction available - added to the water stops blackhead.
-
Hi
I always when mixing the 2 fowl together put cider vinegar in their water- just a few drops and never had a problem
Carole