They gave me Turkeys!

[Phocyn]

I need some advice on care and raising of young turkey birds! Black Spanish Heritage Turkeys are the breed. One male, one female.
I need perch sizes, do they like toys, feeding advice, the works. Or a really good book!

 

[Sodapop&Co.]

How old are they? I only know about white turkey chicks, bred for meat. Most important thing about those guys is that they're not the brightest and need to live with chicken chicks for the first weeks of their lives to learn how to learn how to eat, drink, etc. I'm not sure how much this applies to different types so I'll tag @Destiny; I believe she has different turkeys.

 

[MnGuy]

Heritage breeds can fly well so be prepared!

I’ve been thinking of getting a few for my backyard for years, but haven’t made the commitment. They’re supposed to be more personable and friendlier than chickens.

Good luck and post pictures!

 

[AussieBird]

Can we have pictures?!
I haven’t had turkeys for years.

 

[Destiny]

I have a couple Royal Palms and a midget white turkey hen. Black Spanish are very pretty birds.

Since you know the genders, I am guessing they are not brand new chicks, so they should know how to eat ... and fly!

Do you have chickens or other poultry? Their care requirements are quite similar to chickens. So if you have any previous experience with chickens, turkeys won't be too hard to figure out.

If you don't have any experience, Backyard Chickens is a good site for general poultry info and questions:

Raising Chickens 101 - Chicks, Breeds, Coops, Tips

Does your pet make you breakfast? Tips & Tricks for raising chickens, building chicken coops, & choosing chicken breeds + ask questions in our community forum

www.backyardchickens.com

Lots of experienced (and not so experienced) poultry people use that site, so chances are really good that if you have a question, someone else has already asked and answered it.

There's a lot of info to cover if you are brand new.

Regarding your questions, my turkeys are free-range, so most of them choose to roost really high up in fir trees. The rest of the turkeys with either sleep on top of our chicken coop or with our chickens on home-made roosts constructed from two-by-fours. Each roost is 4 inch wide and six feet long, elevated off the ground. You want to provide enough space so everyone has room to find a spot without too much crowding ... and then expect them to ignore half the roosts and all try to crowd onto the highest available one.

For toys, I am not aware of any toys marketed for turkeys. Personally, I don't worry too much because I figure they can find their own amusement. They roam where ever they like and spend most days hunting for insects or hanging out in the trees. For enrichment, they get fun snacks occasionally, like corn on the cob or a treat ball. Pretty sure that from a turkey's perspective, food is the best toy. Not to sell them short, but turkeys probably don't need the same level of mental stimulation as a parrot. I've seen them get confused by a chain-link fence that they have seen every day of their lives and completely forget that they can just fly over it. It is hard to be a turkey.

Gamebird pellets are the usual recommendation for turkeys. But keep in mind, most turkeys are kept for food, not companionship. Your birds needs might be different, especially if you plan on keeping them longer than one year. When turkeys are young and growing, they need plenty of protein. Look for gamebird starter pellets, if you can find them. For adult birds, you might consider switching either to gamebird maintenance, a general purpose flock raiser pellet, or an egg layer formula, depending on the age and nutritional needs of your poultry. Like chickens, turkeys are opportunistic omnivores and will eat a wide range of food items, if offered or allowed to free-range. Most commercial feeds are grain-based. You can provide supplemental veggies, weeds, and healthy table scraps, as desired. A source of supplemental calcium is recommended for hens.

 

[Phocyn]

Thank you so much, yeah, I don’t eat meat so they’ll be companion pets. I’ll look into a good diet for them. I have an interesting view of birds over all. For now I can provide them some crumbles and scratch …

I’ll get back into my byc account and ask there too. I used to raise bantams but due to some problems with my back I cut back. That and my last hen just hates other chickens and roosters. She tried to go for a duck recently and had to be confined.

Family is going to help me convert an old chicken pen into a turkey enclosure since we have a coyote problem here. That’s tomorrow. I have zero experience with turkeys but I learn quick.
Thank you for answering. I don’t know about pictures, but we’ll see.

 

[Destiny]

Do you know how old the birds are?

One of the main differences in care requirements between turkeys and chickens is related to size. Turkeys typically need everything to be a little bigger and sturdier.

I haven't had Black Spanish turkeys before, but I believe they can get pretty big, especially the toms, (male turkeys). Most heritage breeds are smaller than the broad-breasted white turkey, which can get up to thirty to forty pounds at maturity. Our first turkey was a broad-breasted bronze hen and she was pretty massive. Very gentle bird, despite her large size. Never bothered our hens. She was raised with chickens as the only turkey ... I think she just saw herself as an extra large chicken.

Here she is foraging with her pal, Fuzzyface the Americana:



Not yet full grown. Already the tallest chicken around. And here she is with one of our Royal Palms for size comparison. She was a hefty girl.



A converted coop should work fine, as long as the openings and roosts are adequately sized. The birds will need plenty of room to maneuver, since their wing span is so wide and they are not the most graceful of fliers. For nest boxes, I find my turkeys like dog houses filled with straw. Or you can get creative and custom build something.

In my opinion, turkeys are great. We don't kill our poultry. Technically we keep them for eggs, like our chickens. But honestly, I just enjoy having turkeys around because they are fun and silly birds that are interesting to watch. They have a wide range of vocalizations, so if you pay attention, you can learn to recognize different sounds and what they mean. My favorite is a cheerful little chirping noise that I call the "happy turkey sound". My turkeys will make that sound when they are excited or happy ... usually when I brought them a really good treat. It is such a joyful chirp, it makes me smile every time.

 

[Phocyn]

I was told 5 months. I’m reading all I can, but have found if I keep digging I’ll get what I need. I read it’s a half cup of feed per bird, scattered? To feed. And how about water? What kind of dish is best?

 

[Destiny]

At five months, they should be approaching adult size, but heritage breeds tend to mature more slowly. The male will probably get noticeably bigger. The hen will fill out a little more but not as much. Watch out for aggression from your tom next spring when the hormones hit. Along with plenty of strutting around like a boss and tail-fanning for the ladies.

The amount of feed will vary depending on how much access to forage they have, as well as their age and overall activity level. For young birds who are still growing, I offer unrestricted access to feed to ensure they are not being underfed. For my mature birds, they are fed as a flock and they free-range, so it is difficult to guage individual consumption. Instead, I adjust the amount of feed offered to match how much is consumed by the group. There is some seasonal variation, since they eat more feed during cold weather and there is less forage available in winter. I feed twice daily, morning and afternoon. My goal is to put out enough feed in the morning so there is very little left in the bowls by the afternoon and none left in the bowls overnight. If the bowls are completely empty before the afternoon feeding, I will feed more. If the bowls have too much residual, I will feed less. And if I expect bad weather, I will offer scratch or increase the feed ration in anticipation of need.

For water, I have tried various options. There are pros and cons to each. Ultimately, the most important thing is to insure the birds always have unrestricted access to fresh clean water. One big waterer or multiple smaller waterers is a matter of personal preference. I tend to lean toward the second option, since water is heavy and I am lazy. For material, stainless steel is very good. Easy to clean and lasts a long time. Plastic can be used but won't last and harder to get really clean. You can use open dishes or gravity waterers or drip waterers etc. Just be sure to place them in a good location so they stay clean and refresh as needed.

 

[Phocyn]

So I've now been able to assess the two turkeys after some time spent with them. The hen feels a little underweight and the thom has some damaged feathers, which leads me to believe they were under a LOT of stress. I've purchased a poultry feed from dumor that supports turkeys. I've got some scratch grains, and am digging through other diet essentials. I read that this species is great for grass consumption? I might be wrong, but grass is often being cut by myself up front with a weedeater. Can I use any carry over feeds from my mixed flock? Starlings, Sparrows, IRN, Parakeets, Cockatiel, Lovebirds? Chickens? Ducks, perhaps? I do remind people this is a small farm. Please don't freak out.

 

[Destiny]

Yes, those feeds should be fine too.

So far as I am aware, any foods that are safe for the birds you listed would be fine for turkeys. In the wild, they have a diet that is very similar to chickens and like chickens, they are generalists. They will happily eat a wide range of plants and animals.

Speaking from my own experience, I have an aviary with parakeets, finch, and button quails. They get all kinds of fancy fresh foods and trays full of dry goodies. My poultry flock gets whatever the aviary birds don't eat, including pellets and seeds left behind in their foraging trays. The chickens and turkeys are THRILLED to see me coming with a tray full of aviary foods. They know it will have lots of good stuff. They also get plenty of layer pellets and free access to the rest of my farm for general foraging needs.

I haven't seen my turkeys eat grass. Our geese were superb grazers. Never had to mow our lawn when we had geese. From what I have seen, my turkeys scratch, like a chicken, and hunt for soft shoots and seeds, rather than eating the mature grass leaves.

 

[fashionfobie]

Turkeys are so lovely. My friend had a few and they had such pleasant personalities.


I have not read all of the thread so please forgive me if diseases were already covered. I saw the pictures of the mixed flock and I thought I would share some links to blackhead disease. Chickens can carry blackhead without showing symptoms, but turkeys are vulnerable to the illness. There isn't a current treatment for blackhead disease, and it is almost always fatal for turkeys. Hopefully treatments will arise in time, but few veterinary researchers are working on it.

I hope it is understood that I am not judging those who presently have a mixed flock. This is only intended to be informative if others are considering mixing turkeys and chickens so they have a tool to help with their choice. I personally would be very careful mixing turkeys with chickens and pheasants. In an ideal world we would have access to a treatment, but until that time caution and awareness.

Histomoniasis in Poultry - Poultry - MSD Veterinary Manual

Learn about the veterinary topic of Histomoniasis in Poultry. Find specific details on this topic and related topics from the MSD Vet Manual.

www.msdvetmanual.com

Control of Blackhead Disease

A thorough review of this hard-to-control disease of turkeys, chickens and other farmed birds was presented by Dr Larry R. McDougald of the University of Georgia at the 2008 North Carolina Turkey Days

www.thepoultrysite.com

Blackhead -turkey vet - Histamoniasis - Bird Vet Melbourne

Blackhead treatments by avian vets for histomoniasis includes Dimetradiazole. The turkey avian vet specialists also treat underlying waterfowl infections

www.bird-vet.com

 

[Phocyn]

The turkeys have their own pen. I’ve got a mixed flock of indoor birds and know not to mix them up. Thanks for heads up on diseases. I’ll google those today. I’m still looking for a good resource book.

We purchased a good pellet from Dumor for mixed flocks(Turkeys are on the label). The difference is astonishing in just these few days.


Im gonna post some before and after photos at the end-of February.