Strict Separation (Recommended)

House turkeys and chickens in completely separate coops with separate fenced runs, ensuring they never share ground. This is the only reliable method to prevent Blackhead disease (histomoniasis), which spreads through cecal worm eggs in chicken feces. Chickens carry the parasite with minimal symptoms, but turkeys suffer mortality rates of 70-100% once infected.

Why It Works

Blackhead disease requires fecal-oral transmission. Chickens harbor the cecal worm (Heterakis gallinarum) that carries the Histomonas meleagridis parasite. Eliminating all shared ground breaks the transmission cycle entirely. No shared soil means no exposure to contaminated droppings or earthworms that ingest cecal worm eggs.

Tips

• Maintain at least 50 feet between turkey and chicken enclosures to prevent cross-contamination via boots, equipment, or runoff
• Use dedicated tools, waterers, and feeders for each species — never share equipment between flocks
• Change footwear or use boot dips when moving between turkey and chicken areas to avoid tracking parasites