Turkey chick raised by a duck?

[Betty-Eve]

Help - 3 weeks ago I hatched a turkeys at the same time as a Jersey giants chicken - fed well together - then recently a friend gave me 3 nortfolk bronze turkey eggs - popped in incubator with duck eggs - didnt think would hatch - one started pipping so put it under my broody aylesbury duck - its hatched - but she is not best mum - hatched some goslings for me but didnt want to bring them out to eat just wanted to sit in her house with them and love em! I know turkeys need to eat asap and all the time! do i take the chick off her and put it in with the chicken that hatched the turkey egg (1 turkey and 1 Jersey Giant) who are now 3 weeks old or do I chance the duck doing the mum thing - she is such a broody duck - makes nests all the time - doesnt lay just sits - unless I keep her door closed and make her go outside - which is why I put the egg under her. Pretty new to turkeys as you can tell - I have bowl of water and turkey starter crumb just outside her house door - tried to put the chick in the bowl of food but mum ran back in house and left chick outside - what to do?

 

[Breac]

Letting any sort of waterfowl raise a turkey/chicken is a big no-no. Not only does it sound like the broody duck isn't that great with the turkey poult to begin with, but also keep in mind that when momma duck tries to take babies swimming for the first time, she won't know to make turkey baby wait on dry land. Momma duck will lead all her babies to water, thinking they can swim, and turkey baby will jump in the water along with all the other ducklings and end up drowning. Same thing will happen with chicks as well. If there's a body of water, momma duck will attempt swimming lessons and the chicks/turkey poults will end up drowning because of it. I think at this point your best option is to raise it yourself. The chicken with the 3-week olds wouldn't accept chicks anymore, and as mentioned earlier, ducks + turkeys aren't a good match. Not only that, but if Momma gets all wet and then settles down with the babies, the ducklings will be fine, but the poult could chill and die.

A small brooder by itself is probably the best way to raise the poult.

 

[Betty-Eve]

Umm could put it in brooder on its own as I have a heat lamp - but how am I gonna get it to eat? - do you think if I put the 3 weeks old chicken or turkey with it they would pick on it - I only have a bowl of water in with the duck at the moment no pond in her fenced off area - she just wants to be a mum and love anything but not venture out with them - what to do!!!!!

 

[PatS]

While you're waiting for replies about the three week-olds, you can be teaching the poult. Take a chopstick or a pencil and tap the food, then tap the water. Over and over, every half an hour or so, more if you're around. In my very limited experience, it seems like turkeys need repeated tutorials.

 

[Breac]

Quote:
Personally, I don't think the three-week old would take very kindly to the infant poult. For right now, it's probably best to separate it. Just get a medium size brooder with a shallow tray of water and a small tray of food. I find that small tupperware covers do well as dishes for the first few days. To get him to eat, put him in the brooder with the tray of food and call in a high-pitched voice, "Chick chick chick!" while scratching with your finger at the food. Usually that gets 'em to become interested and peck at the food. Dipping the poult's beak in water a few times for the first few days works as well. In addition, I've found that adding a colorful marble in the food and water trays will attract the attention of any poults (or chicks) and cause them to peck at the marble, inadvertently making them peck at the food/water.

 

[jasonm11]

go to the feed store and buy a chick or two they will become fast freinds.

 

[Rocky Top Chick]

When I hatched my turkeys I had to start them off on eggs because they were not the least interested in feed. Eventually I would add feed to the eggs to the point where they had more feed than eggs. I was able to use just feed soon after.

 

[sbost]

I am new to this group and I don't have as much experience as a lot of the members here but I have had ducks for three years and this spring we also ordered a few turkeys and geese with our annual Easter ducklings. The turkeys were turned out with the ducklings during the day, initially in a pen and then loose around the pond. They tried to go in a few times but after getting wet, didn't go in anymore. Eventually we were down to one turkey, (after predators got the other two) and then the turkey was sleeping in the house in the dog crate. During the day he hung out with this group of ducks, following them around but staying on the shore when they went swimming. Then much to our surprise, he just went into the pond on Father's day and started swimming! I just posted this video my daughter made of his first day swimming.

But anyway my ducks, geese and turkeys all got along great like they were all the same breed. As well, we have a wild Canadian goose male that stayed with them from when they were babies. He would follow my daughter back to the pen at night when she put them up and sleep by the pen all night. His female mate would honk and honk and finally get mad and leave for the night and return the next morning. All of the babies ducks and geese from this batch have survived because he has stayed, protected them and fought off predators. About as amazing as the turkey swimming!

Good luck! They are amazing pets!

 

[sbost]

Oh, forgot to elaborate on the feeding. We got them when they were about a week old and they ate the turkey scratch fine. We did separate the turkeys from the ducks while they were in boxes under the heat lamp because the turkeys would peck at the ducks. Also, we had to cover their box with wire because they can fly real early. But when they were in a pen or loose, they were fine together. Also we had one turkey baby die in the horse water trough before realizing how early they could fly into trouble (I guess it couldn't get out because the wings were wet?)