Geese, Turkeys and Chickens????

[Mirrie]

Hi,

I'm getting ready to get my chickens but am debating whether to also get geese and turkeys...would these all live together if the pen was big enough? Or would there be fighting? Novice here!!!

Thanks x

[red]

erm.. there is something about not being able to keep chickens and turkeys together... a disease risk? I can't remember it properly...

I think geese and chickens are alright...

[glenniedragon]

Turkeys are susceptible to blackhead which can prove fatal in youngstock. Geese need loads of room to be happy, I do know someone who has chooks and ducks living together quite happily, would that be an option?

kind thoughts
Deb

[farmerdrea]

The poultry get a disease called blackhead, which affects the liver and cecae, and turkeys are much more susceptible to it than chickens. The chickens can carry it and not show any outward signs, and then the turkeys can get it. I think it would be more of a problem in intensive situations, but we have had chickens and turkeys living together on 1/2 an acre for nearly 4 years now, and have seen no evidence of it. Turkeys are thriving, chooks are fine. There are about 20 turkeys and usually anywhere from 50-100 chickens on the 1/2 acre at any one time.

That said, we're steering away from the turkeys because they are very loud and very stupid, but they are pretty (ours are white - a white mutation of the bronze heritage breed), so I will probably keep a pair.

Andrea
NZ

[theabsinthefairy]

I have chickens, ducks, geese, and turkey living together with no problems at all, although at night, the chickens have their own section of the coop with a separate door, and the other sleep together.

(the only reason they are separate, is we had to refurbish the chicken house when we arrived, so we created a separate partition to keep the chickens in for security before the rest of the coop got fixed up and they have gotten used to 'their' area, so they go to bed there.)

If you have a gander they will sort out the pecking order, and no cockerel or turkey is going to stop them - and boy are they vocal about it!

[mauzi]

I have also heard that it is not a good idea to keep chickens and turkeys together but we did for years and had no problems. Blackhead was meant to be the difficulty but we put garlic in the water and apple cider vinegar which seems to keep them pretty healthy, along with herbs etc. We went out of turkeys a while back as they were slow to grow and we found that the ducks were better egg layers (in fact better than the chickens oops!) and geese were very fast to the table, added advantage of down and being grass eaters were cheaper as well to feed. We know keep chickens, ducks and geese and find them very good all round.

[Mirrie]

Thanks for the help guys...*My brain is working-ish!* :)

[Mirrie]

hmmmm My pen will be big enough for 12 chickens, I only need 3-5 to keep enough eggs for my family so considering how much room geese need how many do you think I should keep? Thanks for the advice about turkeys btw, it was just a thought!!

So ideally I'd like to have 1 cock, 3 cooks and keep for eggs and chicks (Tried this before though and was scared to eat any eggs in case I found a chick - I've looked everywhere for advice of keeping chickens for both eggs and meat but conflicting advice- can this be done?)

I would also like a couple of geese for breeding and a few to raise for the pot (first time- advice would be great!!)

What do you guys think? x

[Birdie Wife]

I keep chickens for meat and eggs, there are plenty of dual purpose breeds out there. I've got a Marans cockerel with Silver Grey Dorking and Barred Plymouth Rock girls. The SG Dorking would be a good choice if you just wanted one breed, as the males were developed to be docile so when fattening a group for the pot, they could be kept together without bad fisticuffs. Try and find a utility strain - they are bred for better production - rather than a show strain, which usually don't lay as many eggs. There are some excellent strains of Barred Rocks around, look out for an ebayer called chirpychicks, his birds are superb.

[farmerdrea]

Any breed can be eaten, you'll just have more meat on a good dual-purpose bird, as mentioned above. We have Dorkings for the first time, and haven't tried them yet, but the boys do certainly feel much more solid than the barnyard mixes we've had so far. Still, if it crows, we eat it, except for the occasional cockerel we do keep for breeding, as there are some who develop very solidly, and that is what we wish to pass on to their offspring.


Cheers
Andrea
NZ

[Annpan]

...

So ideally I'd like to have 1 cock, 3 cooks and keep for eggs and chicks (Tried this before though and was scared to eat any eggs in case I found a chick - I've looked everywhere for advice of keeping chickens for both eggs and meat but conflicting advice- can this be done?)
...

I have been wondering this too...I have been thinking of getting a cockeral to keep the hens in line and protected, at the moment we have no plans to raise for the pot (I'd like to, but would have to convince OH - the killing is putting us both off)

But how do you know if an egg is fertile and do you still eat the fertile eggs???
I guess the 'embryo' would be no more than a few cells anyway, but I still find it odd

[Mainer in Exile]

There is no problem eating the fertile eggs. The embryo doesn't start to develop until the hen goes broody and starts incubating the eggs.

[Mirrie]

Now I've been thinking about when I got my first cock...he was a nightmare (and my 5yr old selpson started saying cock alot at school...not good )...has anyone tried renting a cock and had succuss?

Thanks for all your help...so with the fertile eggs- do you have to make sure you eat them within afew days or will they never devolop if you take them away from their mum straight away? xx

[mauzi]

Mirrie, just caught up with this thread. Takes me awhile sometimes.

Bye the way, I just love your avatar - is that your piglet?

As I am in Australia, our breeds of chickens may be different but as a dual purpose I go for Rhode Island Reds and Plymouth Rocks. I love the Plymouths as they are just so so friendly, and easy to work with, good egg layers and quite a big and fast growing bird for the table. As for geese, we breed Pilgrims not only for temperament and size but also for self sexing - i.e. the males are while and the females grey - makes it easier that trying to work it out

I have quite a bit of info on chickens on our website if you want to have a look. www.sarariver.com

Cheers
Mauzi

[Mirrie]

Hi mauzi- I wish it was my piglet- how cute is he!! I've always loved pigs but never had the room to keep them...one day...

Like ur site btw cheers!