Well, thanks for all the great advise that I recieved when I posted about being "new at this". Just a quick little update... I got my garden planted (pole beans, cucumbers, watermelons, pumpkins, canteloupe, carrots, and a few herbs). I finished it this morning just before the rain set in (I hope it didn't wash away my newly planted seeds).

If it would quit raining long enough for me to get outside, I have a ton of projects to work on (it never rains until I decide to go outside and do something). Top priority at this point is to finish putting up my clothes line (every time I start on it, it starts raining, it has rained everyday for a week here, not that we don't need it). Then I am off to several friends houses to pick blackberries and blueberries to make jelly!! Then hopefully next week, I will be able to start clearing out a place for a chicken coop. I am thinking about turkeys and ducks too, but I want to see how the chickens go first!!

I'll keep you posted!! Thanks for all the friendly and helpful people on this forum. You are all wonderful!!!!! I consider myself very lucky to have such a great source of encouragement, support and information to fall back on!

-- Linda (botkinhomeschool@yahoo.com), June 29, 2000

Answers

Convention wisdom is you cannot raise both chicken and turkets together (in a common area) if you expect any turkeyettes. Chickens carry a disease called blackhead which is fatal to young turkeys. See Jd's book on The Homesteader's Handbook to Raising Small Livestock. It may be available through the Countryside Book Store.

-- Ken Scharabok (scharabo@aol.com), June 29, 2000.

You know? I have a friend who raises her chickens and turkeys and geese,ducks .... all in the same area . Either in a pen or in the yard all together. She says she has no problems. I must admit her critters look great. She has done this for years. No problems.

-- Bonnie (josabo1@juno.com), June 30, 2000.

We have all of our flying things together and have never had any problems....unless a 4 legged critter gets in and gets 'em!

-- kelly (kellytree@hotmail.com), June 30, 2000.