Turkeys and guinea fowl: breeds and planning

In short

• Don't keep turkeys with chickens, or on ground where chickens have been in recent years: chickens carry the cause of blackhead (histomonosis), and in turkeys it is often fatal.
• For meat: one heritage turkey gives roughly 4–8 kg (9–18 lb) of meat on the bone; a commercial broad-breasted hybrid gives twice that.
• Broad-breasted white hybrids cannot mate naturally and are not for breeding; for your own poults choose a heritage breed.
• Keep guinea fowl in a flock of at least 6, and against ticks reckon on roughly 8–12 birds per 1,000 m² (¼ acre) of yard and paddock.
• Guinea fowl are loud. Talk to the neighbours before you buy, especially in a village or suburb.
• The house, fence and water must be finished before the first bird; check too whether you must register poultry where you live.

What's inside

Chapters

1. What you want from turkeys and guinea fowl
2. Turkeys: breeds and types
3. Guinea fowl: nature, colours and what they give
4. How many birds
5. Turkeys apart from chickens
6. Neighbours, noise and space
7. Buying: who from and what kind of birds
8. What must be ready before the first birds
9. Paperwork and duties
10. Cost and value
11. First-year plan
12. Common mistakes
13. Printable checklist

Worksheets

• Flock calculator
• Start-up cost, feed and water
• Comparing offers
• Flock register
• First-year plan