Raising birds at home can be a fun and interesting process. You will learn along the way and grow a great bond with your birds along the way as well.
This is true whether you are raising a turkey chick or a chicken chick, but, what is the difference between the two? This article explores the difference between a turkey chick and a chicken chick
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Turkey chick vs chicken chick:
A variety of bird species fall under the umbrella term that is poultry, including chickens and turkeys, but, they aren’t the same and need to be raised differently.
Here is what you need to know about raising a turkey chick and a chicken chick.
The brooder:
Your brooder will keep your chicks, whether they are turkeys or chickens, warm and safe during the first few days of their life.
A similarity between these two types of birds is that the brooder temperature recommended for chickens will be similar to the brooder temperature recommended for turkeys.
How they act:
Turkey and chicken chicks will act differently once they come out of the egg.
The turkey chicks will be more on the calmer side but your chicken chicks will have more energy and will be more aggressive and flighty.
What they eat:
While it’s true that turkey chicks and chicken chicks are both poultry they need to be fed a different diet from each other.
The birds need different amounts of each nutrient, if you feed the wrong type of feed to one bird then it may suffer a nutrient deficiency or may become malnourished.
For example, while both birds need protein in their diet, turkey chicks need more protein in their diets than chicken chicks do.
Each will need a specific type of feed or mash to stay as healthy and happy as possible and grow as healthily as possible.
In addition to the difference in nutrients in the different bird’s diet, the amount of food that each species needs to eat is different.
Because turkey chicks are bigger than chicken chicks they will need to eat more food than chicken chicks
Their health:
Chickens, and chicken chicks, are known to suffer from a variety of ailments and diseases, however, turkey chicks are even worse.
Turkey chicks are more susceptible to cold temperatures and respiratory diseases than chicken chicks. So, you need to take extra precautions when raising baby chickens.
Do this by making sure that the baby birds are kept warm and make sure that they always have fresh bedding.
Pine shavings are a great bedding option for turkey chicks, note: the shavings used for these birds should be big enough that the birds can’t ingest them
Going outside:
The birds will be able to go outside at different ages. The birds feather at different times and will be able to go outside once they are fully feathered.
This usually happens between 6 and 10 weeks for chicken chicks and turkey chicks can usually go outside at 8 weeks old.
Space needed:
Adult turkeys are much bigger than adult chickens and the same is true for turkey chicks and chicken chicks.
So, if you’re wanting to raise these birds, each bird needs to be allocated enough space for the birds to feel comfortable.
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