Conventional wisdom says you should never keep turkeys and chickens together, because turkeys are susceptible to blackhead, a disease with devastating consequences. However, lots of backyarders raise chickens and turkeys together without a problem, and with some benefits.
Their looks are so odd people believed that they were some kind of turkey/chicken mix. This isn’t true as it’s not possible for a turkey and chicken to have viable offspring. The gene for the necked neck is dominant and will cause any first generation chickens with a different breed to have a naked neck.
Can you keep turkeys with chickens?
Here are three good reasons to keep turkeys with chickens, and two reasons not to. On the up side, newly-hatched turkey poults tend to get off to a slow start, but chicks are somewhat quicker on the uptake. Poults brooded with chicks learn to eat and drink more readily by following the chicks. Broody chickens may be used to hatch turkey eggs.
One answer is that turkeys are a different species they only try to mate with their own genus (aka turkey) otherwise if they do they’re messed up in the head and GROSS! I have 3 toms that never mess with my chickens, but I have a 4th who was raised with chickens and he tries to mate with them he’s actually killed some of the younger chickens b/c he’s so heavy.
Yet another inquiry we ran across in our research was “Can a turkey breed with a naked neck?”.
This isn’t true as it’s not possible for a turkey and chicken to have viable offspring. The gene for the necked neck is dominant and will cause any first generation chickens with a different breed to have a naked neck.
Can You hatch turkey eggs from Turkey poults?
On the up side, newly-hatched turkey poults tend to get off to a slow start, but chicks are somewhat quicker on the uptake. Poults brooded with chicks learn to eat and drink more readily by following the chicks. Broody chickens may be used to hatch turkey eggs. A medium-size chicken can handle about half a dozen turkey eggs.
Can a duck breed with a chicken?
A rooster can successfully breed with a duck, but a drake that mates with a hen will usually harm the hen. A drake has an external sex organ that hens are not made to accommodate. When successful cross-breed chick results, it will be sterile and the eggs are usually inedible.
Do Turken chickens get broody?
Turkens can get broody and tend to make good mothers. Turkens are with both single combs and rose combs although the Standard of Perfection only recognizes the single combs . Combs get to a medium size while wattles and earlobes tend to be small. Their earlobe color seems to vary from a little white to red.
Are chicks raised with turkeys immune to Marek’s disease?
Chickens raised with turkeys acquire a sort of immunity to Marek’s disease. Turkeys carry a related, although harmless, virus that keeps the Marek’s virus from causing tumors in chickens.