The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: Fishyhaddock on July 22, 2010, 12:04:44 pm
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Next month we are taking delivery of 2 turkeys. We are building a separate turkey house but can the turkeys share the same pen as the chickens or is the case of never the twain shall mix? Also any advice on type of food? Thanks all. :wave:
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you are not supposed to mix turkeys and chickens turkeys can catch blackhead from chickens and it kills them
as for food we buy all our turkey food from barta start
sam :chook:
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I used to say as long as a worming routine was strictly followed to prevent the turkeys catching Blackhead they would be fine,but I am hearing of more and more people losing whole flocks to blackhead I would not risk it. One lady I know replaced her turkeys only to lose all but one again as the ground was infected with the parasite then! The second lot was wormed by the vet.!!!! So I would build a seperate pen to be on the safe side.
Turkeys need more protein in their food than chooks to breed successfully so buy proper food for them.
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Hi. Where do you purchase these turkeys from? and what age and cost? can you buy them like one day olds? just a customer hinted that I get some and fattin them for xmass lunch.
Craig
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you can earn a fare bit by selling for christmas unless your soft and give them away as christmas presents. you can buy them as day olds or older. i would get them at about 6 weeks. they will cost more but they should not have as many die on you. don't let them get cold untill they are older. they are pretty stupid they can get themselves hurt if your not careful. geese can be worth a try as well. hermit does loads. in fact i think she will be sick of goose feathers by the time she has finished this year. give the turkeys a go you won't want shop bought afterwards.
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Hi Shetlandpaul. I just had the last of my first 10 table hens, I know I wont buy chickens from a shop again. Although I had white farm rangers, And wasnt to happy about the unnatural rate of growth. Where can I purchase turkeys from? I traveled quite a distance for the hens, and would rather I got them nearer to home. Or even delivered. Wont be this xmass I dont think but Pretty sure next year will be on.
Craig
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We bought fifteen 1 day olds and all are now 7 weeks old. You can probably get hold of some that are a bit older and bring those on for xmas this year. Where abouts are you, Craig?
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Hi Shetlandpaul. I just had the last of my first 10 table hens, I know I wont buy chickens from a shop again. Although I had white farm rangers, And wasnt to happy about the unnatural rate of growth. Where can I purchase turkeys from? I traveled quite a distance for the hens, and would rather I got them nearer to home. Or even delivered. Wont be this xmass I dont think but Pretty sure next year will be on.
Craig
the smallholder magazine normally has sellers in. we buy eggs in around may and they are very much ready by christmas. we have only 5 out of 18 eggs this year 4 deaths as chicks. very poor hatch of 50% sea gulls injured one and it had to be culled two escaped during the night from there brooder and chilled to death. one had a none absorbed yolk. but still they come out at only a couple of quid each. but its agamble. stick with the older breeds you get a nicer bird and it fits the oven.
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And why do turkeys just for xmas? We are going to crown and freeze some for later in the year. Meats meat!
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oh totally agree. you can have to much . the chap wanted to grow them for christmas. even with my lot a bronze will last a good few meals. unless the dogs nick it.
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Hope Santa brings your dog a muzzle this xmas. Did you get any fish? Graham did not go in the end , too much to do.
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Hi the captain. I'm in Fife. I traveled all the way to Buckie for my Isa browns and all the way to Bigger for the table birds. I need more space before I can do the turkeys. Was just curious and its great to learn new things. Next year hopefully I will have much more space and add a few turkeys for the Xmas special.
Craig
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Hope Santa brings your dog a muzzle this xmas. Did you get any fish? Graham did not go in the end , too much to do.
no they have not been yet. they tend to go to westerwick quite and there is plenty of diffrent fish. funny enough i was not in the mood for turkey last cristmas so the dog got away with it now if it had been the stuffing thats diffrent.
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Westerwick is great just watch the water action there, same with Culswick and those other deep coves. If you go onto the cliffs and look down you are supposed to be able to see the sea actually turn down and back like a sideways on whirlpool. Regattas loud!! can you hear it at yours?
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not been listerning. there was mowing last night. love the smell off fresh cut grass.
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Thanks everyone. A separate pen it is then!
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On the off chance I put three turkey eggs under a broody bantam and three in an incubator. Two of the eggs under the batam hatched but I had problems with the incubator so lost those three. Now I've got two 1 week old turkey chicks being cared for by two bantam hens. Fingers crossed that they will be ok.... Or do i need to build a brooder quickly and get them away from the chickens? :-\