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Author Topic: who keeps turkeys?  (Read 9081 times)

harry

  • Joined Mar 2009
who keeps turkeys?
« on: February 17, 2010, 04:57:25 pm »
ive now given in and am trying turkeys this year.. whats the answer about turkeys and chickens, ie blackhead, are they safe to mix after a few weeks or months? what is the full story about this and having turkeys on chicken ground, can he turkeys be vaccinated? ive googled turkeys mixing with chickens and got this http://back40forums.com/index.php?topic=276.0 SOME SAY YES SOME SAY NO ?????
« Last Edit: February 17, 2010, 05:06:14 pm by harry »

dixie

  • Joined Mar 2009
Re: who keeps turkeys?
« Reply #1 on: February 17, 2010, 05:22:07 pm »
Hi, yes I do turkeys for christmas and learnt all about blackhead when mine all died! Basically if you want to keep them with chickens or on ground previously occupied by chickens you need to worm them at 3 weeks old with flubenvet for 7 days, then worm every 3 weeks until 16-18 weeks old, there is no vvaccine to prevent blackhead and no licensed medication for turkeys with blackhead, although a vet will prescribe an anti biotic is doesnt always work, an untreated turkey will die, quickly! any other queries fire away! also look at the turkey club forum, not a busy forum but lots of info on there!

harry

  • Joined Mar 2009
Re: who keeps turkeys?
« Reply #2 on: February 17, 2010, 05:28:47 pm »
have you found the flubenvet better in water or mixed with oil and coat some grain... i suppose i could withdraw water for half  a day or all day and put water in at evening time , they should drink plenty. same with feed i suppose

dixie

  • Joined Mar 2009
Re: who keeps turkeys?
« Reply #3 on: February 17, 2010, 06:01:29 pm »
I weigh the right amount of feed put in a large bucket/container pour on some sunflower oil, mix it well with a wooden spoon then mix in the flubenvet, it sticks then rather than just go powdery!

doganjo

  • Joined Aug 2012
  • Clackmannanshire
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Re: who keeps turkeys?
« Reply #4 on: February 17, 2010, 06:04:11 pm »
A friend who was visiting from Aberdeenshire yesterday told me they are going to get some mini turkey day olds and rear to about 12lbs - anyone heard of these?
Always have been, always will be, a WYSIWYG - black is black, white is white - no grey in my life! But I'm mellowing in my old age

harry

  • Joined Mar 2009
Re: who keeps turkeys?
« Reply #5 on: February 17, 2010, 06:16:22 pm »
you say worm to 18 weeks, after 18 weeks are they safe

dixie

  • Joined Mar 2009
Re: who keeps turkeys?
« Reply #6 on: February 17, 2010, 06:52:45 pm »
Yes they become immune! If you were then to keep them as adults they would need worming 6 monthly.
Not heard of mini turkeys as such but there are different strains of different breeds ie kelly bronze do roly polys, plumpys, cant remember the others but some grow much smaller than others, thats how they gorw them to suit different customers ie some want a 14lb bird others want a 24lb, at least thats how I understand it, i could of course be wrong!! :chook:

sagehen

  • Joined Jun 2009
  • Warwickshire
Re: who keeps turkeys?
« Reply #7 on: February 18, 2010, 11:18:49 am »
My parents kept turkeys and chickens but never together - they had their own ranging space and their own sleeping quarters. I personally don't think it's wise to mix them.

harry

  • Joined Mar 2009
Re: who keeps turkeys?
« Reply #8 on: February 18, 2010, 09:16:32 pm »
How do you know if youve never had any experience. Reading from people who have it seems ok done correctly
DIXIE, do they just become imune with age or is it because they have been wormed for the first 18 weeks.

sagehen

  • Joined Jun 2009
  • Warwickshire
Re: who keeps turkeys?
« Reply #9 on: February 18, 2010, 09:23:07 pm »
Because when I was growing up, I remember my parents having to deal with dead turkeys before they separated them from the chickens, and I remember them telling me to never mix them because the turkeys get sick. I don't have to repeat the same mistakes my parents made, if they've gone through the experience before. Ultimately it's up to you what you want to do.

shetlandpaul

  • Joined Oct 2008
Re: who keeps turkeys?
« Reply #10 on: February 18, 2010, 10:36:46 pm »
i thought blackhead was a recent visitor important from the eu. harry just make sure they are both wormed and with luck you will be fine. as you know nowts sure with animals. i think its because they have toughened up and would have been exposed. a bit like citti whatever it is the flock birds are immune but introduce a new oneand if your not careful it will get it,

how did your wild turkeys do our neighbor has some the look quite small.

sagehen

  • Joined Jun 2009
  • Warwickshire
Re: who keeps turkeys?
« Reply #11 on: February 19, 2010, 01:50:05 pm »
Ohmygod, how old do you think I am,lol! Blackhead was around in the eighties, and anyway, it's actually an ancient disease that's reemerged.

shetlandpaul

  • Joined Oct 2008
Re: who keeps turkeys?
« Reply #12 on: February 19, 2010, 02:39:51 pm »
youmgman  ;D

harry

  • Joined Mar 2009
Re: who keeps turkeys?
« Reply #13 on: February 19, 2010, 09:12:29 pm »
SHETLAND, wild turkeys doing ok got a stag coming soon from a local shoot. they make at best 14-16lb but fed wild they are mainly drumsticks and some breast not like the commercial ones ie 80%breast, thats why the wiLd ones can fly, hoping they will lay after i get a stag, a nice addition to the pheasant stock. About blackhead etc maybe weve moved on a bit in 20 years and the medication is about to mix chickens and turkeys, plenty of people seem to do it succesfuly now at home and in usa.

sagehen

  • Joined Jun 2009
  • Warwickshire
Re: who keeps turkeys?
« Reply #14 on: February 20, 2010, 12:27:18 pm »
You've got a point, Harry, cos it was more than twenty years ago, and hopefully things have moved on

 

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