You're right, your birds don't have to be with the turkeys to pick something up, but it sure increases the chances. Sun light, drying and time all kill certain pathogens, although not all, and so reduce the chances that your birds will pick something up after the turkeys have passed through. Airborne transmission is another factor, and is more likely to infect your birds when they're right next to a sneezing turkey as opposed to passing through the same airspace a day or week later. You need to worry about any number of poultry diseases that can be passed between chickens abd turkeys, salmonella, AI, not H5N1, the big bad media scare AI, but there are strains in this country, and have been for years, which still occur and have been shown to be passed from wild birds. They'll cause intrastate movement of birds to be stopped, and complete depopulation of your entire flock if it's found to be infected. Roundworms, whipworms, mites and lice are easily transmitted, and are very common.

Well, at three weeks old I wouldn't chance it. Newly hatched chicks and turkey poults are often housed together, the more clever chicks often teach the poults where and how to find food and water. But by three weeks I'd separate them for sure. Velvet ~:>

I'm sure there is probably a "right" answer to your question, but I'll just provide my best answer. I currently have 3 chicken tractors and the wheels are old lawn mower tires (little hard rubber jobs about 8" or so). It cost me $2.00 for a carboard box of them, so I wasn't going to sweat the details. Simplicity is your friend in this case. Larger tires would roll easier, but you are still restrcited by the gap at the bottom. A gap wide enough to roll over rough terrain will allow chickens to escape. Too small a gap will catch on every little hump. I keep mine about 2" at the back. Seems like a good compromise for my pasture. The chickens have never gotten out, but it still rolls OK. For axles I just used lag bolts and several washers to allow the wheels to spin. You can only move as fast as the chickens walk, so don't get crazy with this end of things either. In fact I built my first tractor before I had the lawn mower wheels, and I used a 6" hole saw to cut 3/4 plywood discs. I planned to replace them with lawn mower tires, but they work so well I haven't done anything yet. Good luck. Hope this helps. Russ

This recipe comes from Canning and Preserving for Dummies. Recipes in that book comply with current USDA/NCHFP standards. I did add instructions for wait time, which were not included in the individual recipe. Also, the recommendation to boil opened contents for 10 minutes is, from my perspective, excessively cautious. It does no harm, but properly canned low-acid product does not require anything beyond being well-heated. White Chili Yield: About 5 pints 1 pound small white beans, soaked overnight and drained 2 quarts chicken stock 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 medium onions, coarsely chopped 7-ounce can diced green chilies 3 teaspoons ground cumin 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves 4 cups diced, cooked chicken 1. Combine all ingredients except chicken in a 6-to 8-quart pot. Bring ingredients to a boil over high heat; reduce heat a simmer, covered, until the beans are soft but don't disintegrate, about 30 minutes. Add the cooked chicken and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes longer. 2. While the chili is simmering, prepare your canning jars and two-piece caps according to the manufacturer's instructions. Keep the jars and lids hot. 3. Ladle the hot chili into the prepared jars, leaving 1 inch of headspace. Wipe the jar rims; seal the jars with the two-piece caps, hand-tightening the bands. Process filled jars at 10 pound for 1 hour and 15 minutes (pints), 1 hour and 30 minutes (quarts). 4. After the pressure in the canner has returned to 0, remove weight and wait 10 minutes. Open the canner and remove hot jars. Place on a clean kitchen towel or layered newsprint away from drafts. After the jars cool completely, test the seals. (Unsealed jars should be immediately refrigerated; use within one week.) 5. Before tasting or eating, boil the contents of each jar for 10 minutes. Serve garnished with shredded cheese, diced red bell pepper, onions, etc. From Canning and Preserving for Dummies, 2003. Carol