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Poultry enthusiasts often dabble with different species of birds. One of the questions that comes up often is, “Can I keep chickens with other kinds of poultry?” or “Can I have a mixed flock?” The short answer is YES, you can. But should you?
Generally speaking, ducks, peafowl, and turkeys can certainly be kept on the same property together, and they would coexist very well. Most types of poultry prefer to spend time with the same kind of poultry. Chickens like chickens, ducks like ducks, and turkeys like turkeys. Aside from a few health concerns and logistics, there aren’t many reasons to keep chickens separate from turkeys.
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. Soon after the eggs hatch, most broody hens will accept six or so additional poults slipped in with the ones she hatched.
>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.
On the down side:
>chickens are attracted to a tom turkey’s tail display, and may follow the tom, picking feathers from his rear end. If not stopped — by separating the offending chicken(s) from the tom — the situation can turn bloody.
>And, of course, there’s the issue of blackhead, a serious disease of turkeys caused by the protozoa Histomonas meleagridis (and therefore technically called histomoniasis). These protozoa live in most poultry environments, except where the soil is dry, loose, and sandy.
