[newatthis]

hi, i need some advice on keeping turkeys, i have been told that i can keep turkeys on my allotment for their life not just for dinner, i haver been told that they can pick up something called blackhead if under a yr old, something to do with chicken poo, some say 1 is ok on it's own some say 2. if it's best to get a yr old 1 to go with my girls then where is the best place to get 1 or 2... oh i have also been told that we can keep ducks too..




(edit to clarify subject for search purposes)

[GrannieAnnie]

Turkeys can pick up blackhead from running with chickens or from ground where chickens have been kept.  You can clear the ground after running chickens on it.

We keep the ground separate where our turkeys run.  But if you needed to use the same spot, we spray jeyes fluid on the ground first, then once dry, sprinkle garden lime all over it.  After a couple of weeks, rotavate it in.  I did read somewhere online last week to leave it a month.

If you are intending to keep turkeys as pets or for breeding rather than just for Christmas, I would be VERY careful as they can go walkabouts just before Christmas.  If someone fancies your turkey for their dinner, they won't care that its a pet.

If kept as pets, then worm them every month, just in case!

[newatthis]

thankyou, yes they are to be pets on the allotment, and i was hoping to keep them with the hens if poss, or is this a no no..