Would this work?

[Jared77]

Had this totally hair brained idea that I've been meaning to get online and ask someone with more goat knowledge than I (which doesn't take much )

So anyway I was thinking when I build the goat pen to put up a small awning type shelter and a couple of ground perches for turkeys to roost on. I know turkeys can fly but these would be large meat birds the broad breasted types that are the Cornish X of the turkey world so these guys can't fly for anything even if its to save their lives. So I figured why not keep them fenced in where I know they are safe and out of trouble with the goats?

They are easy pickings for predators because of their inability to fly they'd just roam with the goats.

Is there anything diseases that one could affect the other with? Or affect the goat's milk? Or the kids?

I don't have my goats yet either, this is just one of those wild ideas that came to me when I was thinking about set ups and thought Id ask.

I currently raise turkeys and chickens in seperate tractors and its worked out fine but if I don't have to deal with moving another tractor Id rather not. I have 2 chicken tractors currently and my birds are a few weeks apart in age to stagger processing so its not such an undertaking. That's helped but if I don't have to deal with a 3rd tractor I'd rather not. 2's enough. Plus the goats would have a bigger pen because of this anyway especially once the turkeys are processed. Then we start over next year.

I normally only raise 3 or 4 turkeys anyway as they are all for family/friends so at most thats how many Id have in the pen. I'm just trying to do things a little smarter.

So if anybody has any insight, ideas or thoughts please don't hesitate to put them up. If I'm WAY off the mark thats fine too. As I said it was just an idea that came to me while driving home from the store the other day.

Thank you!

 

[Livinwright Farm]

I am not sure how turkeys get along with goats or vice versa... but I know that chickens do well with goats. The chickens will clean up after the goats. But you do have to watch out that the goats do not eat the poultry feeds!

 

[Theykeepmebusy]

My goats and chickens chill together, she's right about the poultry feed, today 2 of my girls rammed the feed door and broke it...Guess where they were??? Not their feed,in the chickens!!!!

 

[freemotion]

My pair of Bourbon Reds live with my goats. I had to put up some chicken wire on top of the stall walls so they can't roost and poop into the kidding stalls. Otherwise, it is working out.

I can't leave food for them, though, because of the goats. Instead, I throw whole grains on the ground for them and for the chickens twice a day. If I get home from work after dark (common in winter) I have to put the turkeys into a stall and turn the lights on to feed them.

If you switch your birds to whole grains you need to do so gradually over a three-week period to give their crops time to strengthen to handle the whole grains.

The only problem I've encountered is that my smallest and lowest goat will take out her frustrations on the turkeys and will bonk them, and when we had a lot of snow this winter and just had deep, narrow paths everywhere, it became an issue. The turkeys didn't come off the roost for weeks and I had to hold containers of grain and water for them.....a pain in the butt! Now that the tom is displaying for his hen, the little doe can sneak up on him from behind. I do worry that she will hurt him one day. But so far, so good. They have lots of room to get away now that the snow is almost gone.