Feeding Wild Turkeys the Natural Way
- Plant Native Oaks: Acorns are a key food source for wild turkeys. ...
- Plant Other Nut and Berry-Producing Plants: In addition to oak acorns, other staples of the wild turkey diet include beech nuts, pecans, hickory nuts, crabapples, and hackberries. ...
- Offer Seeds and Browse: Turkeys browse on plant buds and shoots in the early spring and feed off fern fronds, club mosses, and weeds such as burdock, especially when there ...
- Grit and Gravel: Turkeys will swallow grit to help them digest their food. ...
- Stop Using Pesticides: Aside from the direct harm you can cause wildlife by using pesticides, by not using these chemicals you’ll make sure that turkeys have plenty of much-needed protein ...
- Leave the Leaves: By leaving some dead plant matter in your garden, you’re providing habitat for the small animals that are a key part of a turkey’s diet. ...
What is the best feed for wild turkeys?
Wild Turkey Food
- Cracked Corn-. Corn is chocked full of protein and fiber that makes a great wild turkey food. Cracked corn is simply corn that has been dried and broken into pieces.
- Seeds-. Another easily attainable food source, seeds provide even more nutrition for wild turkeys. ...
- Crabapples-. It’s likely that you’ve already seen crabapples growing in the nearby woods. ...
How do turkeys eat without teeth?
Teeth or no teeth, turkeys have to eat food to survive. They just consume and digest food differently than human beings. Turkey’s diet and method of consumption are different, so, they do not chew like humans.
How do you keep wild turkeys on your property?
Turkeys roost overnight up in large, mature trees, so having deciduous trees in a thick patch—or leaving a woodland border intact adjacent to the yard—will help provide their desired shelter. Tall brush, mature shrubbery, and a large brush pile or woodpile can also help provide shelter that will attract wild turkeys.
What is the best food in Turkey?
When it comes to Christmas dinner, the dominating force is usually the turkey. But if we were all truly honest, isn't it the side dishes we're actually looking forward to most? Pigs in blankets, bread sauce, cranberry sauce, roasted parsnips, stuffing... these tasty jewels beside the golden bird are arguably the best bit.
Is it OK to feed wild turkeys?
Never deliberately feed wild turkeys to attract them to your property or keep them around. Turkeys can survive very well on natural foods and do not need handouts from people.
What is the best thing to feed a wild turkey?
FEED turkeys cracked or whole kernel corn, sunflower seeds, oats, wheat, or non-medicated commercial poultry or turkey rations. FEED turkeys daily by broadcasting food at a rate of 2 large handfuls (or 1/2 cup) per turkey per day.
What kind of bird seed do wild turkeys eat?
Sunflower, milo, and millet are all enjoyable types of seeds to put out for wild turkeys. Nuts- Acorns are a chosen favorite for wild turkeys. But in the wintertime, acorns can become scarce. Beech and hickory nuts are a great alternative.
What can I feed turkeys?
Adult turkeys will get as much as 50% of their intake from pasture or range grass. Range grass is grass that is four to six inches long. Turkeys like to eat the growing tips of the grass. They will also enjoy any kitchen or garden scraps: lettuce, tomatoes, sweet corn, summer squash, and so on.
What should you not feed turkeys?
Here is some food that you should not feed to turkeys:Low-Quality chicken feed.Dairy foods.Onions.Raw meat.Chocolate.Processed foods.Fruit pits and seeds.Tomato and eggplant leaves.More items...
What can I put out to attract turkeys?
Turkeys love acorns and pecans, as well as dogwoods, huckleberries, blueberries, and other fruits found in the understory. Planting food plots: Follow these tips to establish food plots as a supplement to natural forage. Food plots can also be used to increase turkey sightings and harvest success.
Do turkeys eat carrots?
Turkeys love to pick at natural plants. They will consume all sorts of leaves and grasses. You can also feed your turkey various vegetable plants like lettuce, cabbage, carrot leaves, and much more.
Do wild turkeys eat whole corn?
Whole corn is an excellent choice if you want to feed them. Cracked corn works good too but tends to get covered up quickly if it is snowing or blowing. I've found they also like alfalfa hay, strange as it might seem. They get right into it and eat the green leaves and flowers.
Do wild turkeys eat grass seed?
Offer Seeds and Browse: Turkeys browse on plant buds and shoots in the early spring and feed off fern fronds, club mosses, and weeds such as burdock, especially when there is a lot of snow cover and other foods are hard to find. Grasses, sedges and many wildflowers provide wild turkeys with seeds to eat.
Do wild turkeys eat peanuts?
If you want to feed Wild Turkeys, I would recommend our Wild Birds Unlimited Wildlife Blend. It's a nice mixture of peanuts, sunflower seed and corn. Our Choice Harvest Blend also has enough tree nuts, sunflower seeds, dried cherries, and suet nuggets to satisfy any turkey as well as a wide variety of other birds.
Do turkeys eat oats?
Turkey also eat waste grains in harvested fields of corn, buckwheat, soybeans, oats, and grain sorghum, and they will use food plots, as well. Turkeys foraging in agricultural areas in the fall and spring eat mostly waste grains, wild plants, insects, and young grasses.
What do tame turkeys eat?
They enjoy nuts, acorns, seeds (including many wild weed seeds), corn, grain, and peas. They eat berries, flowers, bulbs, foliage, and fruit. Domesticated turkeys have different needs than chickens or ducks and should be fed either a turkey formulated feed or a wild or game bird feed to meet their needs.
Things to consider while choosing the best wild Turkey feed
To get the most suitable feed for your turkey, you need to consider some factors. In this way, you can guarantee an appropriate diet supply for your flock.
Popular Wild Turkey Feed Brands
There are several well-reputed brands that make fantastic food for wild turkeys. Here are the names of those top-rated manufacturers.
Top 6 Best Wild Turkey Feeds Reviews
Here are the reviews of the top wild turkey food supplements you can get. By the time you finish reading it, you can make a confident purchase.
Our Top Pick – Best Wild Turkey Food
After thorough research, our top pick for the best wild turkey feed is the M anna Pro Gamebird Showbird Crumbles. It’s full of nutrients and vitamins to keep your birds healthy and energetic. If you want to encourage muscle growth, this meal is the most remarkable one you can get.
The Bottom Line
Like any other breed, your wild turkeys will need proper nutrients for fabulous growth. If not, you can never expect a healthy bird on your farm.
What to feed a turkey?
Here are some common snacks often offered to turkeys: 1 Watermelon#N#This is an excellent summertime treat to offer your turkeys as it can help keep them hydrated even on the hottest days. All parts of the watermelon are safe to feed your turkeys, including the flesh, seeds, and rind. 2 Apples#N#Most turkeys love apples and will enjoy pecking at them cubed or sliced. Seeds should be removed if possible, but small amounts of seed ingested on occasion are not dangerous to your birds. Applesauce is a great snack option for young birds as well! 3 Peas#N#This is probably going to be the table scrap your turkeys enjoy the most! Peas are a healthy snack to offer your birds and can be offered dried, cooked, or frozen. You can even mix peas into your regular feed ration for extra protein! 4 Spinach#N#If you really want to offer spinach to your turkeys as an occasional treat or snack, doing so in small amounts is fine. Spinach can block the absorption of calcium, leading to bone density issues over the long term if fed in abundance.
What is the best food for turkeys?
Many custom rations for turkeys include a variety of grains and seeds, including: Corn. While corn is not the most nutritious food on its own, it can be a great option for providing fat and overall energy. This can be especially useful in the winter, so corn is common in most winter rations.
Why do turkeys need extra food?
Providing a little extra food in addition to their normal ration can help save on feed costs while ensuring nothing goes to waste. Turkeys, like most poultry, will readily accept scraps and leftovers, but as their caretaker, it is up to you to know which foods are safe for your flock.
How to attract wild turkeys to your property?
Diversity is key when trying to attract wild turkeys to your property. Always be sure to plant multiple choices to help coax turkeys into the area. Additionally, consider seeding the area with ryegrass, oats, sorghum, or corn to provide a well-rounded and lush place for turkeys and other wildlife to visit.
How much protein do turkeys need?
As turkeys grow, their protein requirements change. Young turkeys require around 28% protein from the start to ensure they grow quickly and safely.
What do turkeys eat?
Their exact diet depends on the season and available food and their age and stage in life. Turkeys eat insects, snails, slugs, lizards, snakes, and grasshoppers. They enjoy nuts, acorns, seeds (including many wild weed seeds), corn, grain, and peas. They eat berries, flowers, bulbs, foliage, and fruit.
What to avoid feeding turkeys?
Regardless of how abundant these scraps may be around your farm, these are some of the most common foods to avoid feeding turkeys: Uncooked Beans.
What do turkey hunters stock up on?
One of the first things the majority of turkey hunters and managers do is head to their local feed store, stock up on chopped corn, wheat, or grain sorghum, and spread it out in areas turkeys frequent.
How to get a feel for turkey life?
To get a feel for what life is like as a turkey, get on your knees and see if traveling through a timber stand would be possible. If not, then you may want to either consider prescribed burning or an herbicide treatment to reduce some of the understory.
Why are whitetail deer banned?
Feeding Concerns. In many states, providing supplemental food sources for the whitetail deer has been banned due to outbreaks of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), which has decimated portions of the deer herd in certain pockets of states such as Wisconsin.
Can wild turkeys be kept long term?
That is a temporary fix, and has not been proven to hold turkeys long-term. Do not get me wrong, off-season supplemental feeding is sometimes necessary, but should be a small part of the overall management plan.
Is a fat turkey good for chufa?
A fat turkey is a happy turkey, and this strategy seems to work in most occurrences. Just as a whitetail manager uses summer supplemental feeding to take the pressure off his corn or soybean crop (and benefit the herd's health), feeding your turkeys can help save some of your chufa patches or other crops for the season.
Can you hold a turkey year round?
However, if you want to hold your turkeys year round, make sure you have plenty of food for them once you cut them off from the bait. People forget that turkeys need to be managed just as whitetails need to be managed. In many ways, turkeys require more tender loving care than whitetails.
Can you feed turkeys in spring?
However, the majority of the states do not allow feeding during the spring turkey season or have stipulations in place that make it almost impractical. The issue in question here is not whether feeding should be allowed or not, it is if you should feed your turkeys before the season starts. Let’s dive into this issue.
How do wild turkeys live?
Wild turkeys live in flocks organized by pecking order. Each bird is dominant over or "pecks on" birds of lesser social status. Turkeys may attempt to dominate or attack people that they view as subordinates, and this behavior is observed most often during breeding season.
What can I use to deter turkeys from coming to my house?
Mylar tape, balloons, or pinwheels can be used in and around your property as a deterrent to turkeys; however all these techniques may have variable success for turkeys that have become highly habituated around people.
What to do if you have fallen bird seed?
Avoid using bird feeders, as fallen bird seed attracts turkeys and other wild animals. For those who enjoy viewing songbirds, MassWildlife recommends planting native plants and shrubs or adding a water feature to attract birds.
When is turkey season in the Commonwealth?
March through May is breeding season for wild turkeys and as a result, there is an increase in turkey activity all across the Commonwealth. Some turkeys may be seen acting aggressively by pecking, following, or exhibiting other intimidating behavior towards people.
When is turkey season 2021?
MassWildlife also reminds the public that the wild turkey is the state's official game bird and that the 2021 Spring Turkey Hunting Season begins Monday, April 26 and continues through Saturday, May 22. Licensed hunters with a turkey permit can harvest up to two bearded birds.
Do turkeys puff out their feathers?
Males will puff out their feathers, fan their tails, and "strut their stuff" while gobbling and making other vocalizations. This behavior is common during the breeding season and other times of year when turkeys are establishing social dominance or status within the flock.
What habitats are most productive for turkeys?
Places with a mix of habitat types are the most productive for turkeys because they provide abundant food and cover throughout the year. When looking for a place to hunt, focus your attention on areas with a combination of forested and open habitats like: agricultural fields of all sorts. powerlines.
What to look for when scouting for turkeys?
Turkey sign to look for when scouting. Look for different turkey sign including scat, feathers, scratching in the leaf litter, dust bowls or turkey tracks in the mud or sand. Tracks: Turkey tracks can be easy to identify due to their size. Look in muddy and sandy areas for tracks.
What do turkey hunters call a gobbler?
Turkey hunters commonly try and create hen turkey noises to call a gobbler into their hunting location. Below are some of the most common types of calls and sounds. Cluck: Clucks are a common call and very easy to make using all types of turkey calls.
Why do turkey hunters use decoys?
Turkey hunters often use decoys to provide a distraction to turkeys and encourage a male turkey to come in closer. There are many choices of decoys on the market at varying price ranges. Decoys aren’t necessary but can sometimes help.
How far away should you put a turkey decoy?
Many hunters use either one hen or one jake decoy. In a field setting, decoys should be placed about 10-15 yards away from where you are sitting. If you have an idea of the direction turkeys will approach from, offset the decoys to one side as turkeys are famous for “hanging-up” just yards out of range.
How much does a turkey weigh?
The tail feathers of an adult male are all the same length forming a smooth semi-circle. Juvenile male turkeys (called "jakes") weigh about 12–16 pounds. They are black or blackish-bronze with white wing bars, blackish-brown tail feathers and a blueish-gray to red head.
What color are turkeys?
Adult male eastern wild turkeys are black or blackish-bronze with white wing bars, blackish-brown tail feathers, and a blueish-gray to red head. These “Toms” weigh about 16–25 pounds. They typically sport a 6–10 inch hair-like “beard” which protrudes from the upper chest. When a tom is strutting, its head turns bright red, pale white, or vibrant shades of blue. The tail feathers of an adult male are all the same length forming a smooth semi-circle.
What do turkeys eat?
As poults grow, they use more habitat types and food sources. Juveniles and adults: Both animal and plant matter are consumed by older turkeys. Frequent food sources include soft mass (such as fruits, including blackberries, cherries, huckleberries and grapes), hard mass (such as acorns, beachnuts and hickory nuts), as well as grasses, sedges, ...
What do poults need to grow?
Poults grow at rapid rates and require a steady intake of nutritious food, mainly consisting of small insects (beetles, grasshoppers, leafhoppers) which are generally better sources of protein and energy than plant materials. As poults grow, they use more habitat types and food sources.
How long does it take for a turkey to roost in a tree?
It is a life-saving technique because roosting in trees helps birds avoid ground predators. Poults begin roosting from about 14-28 days old, depending on the sub-species, location and temperature.
How far do wild turkeys walk?
The annual home range of wild turkeys varies from 370 to 1,360 acres and contains a mixture of trees and grass cover.
How many calls does a turkey make?
Just like humans, turkeys talk to communicate. Their vocabulary consists of 28 distinct calls. Each sound has a general meaning and can be used for different situations. Male turkeys are notorious for their iconic gobble, which unlike other calls, is given with a fixed intensity.
What are the two classes of wild turkey spring movements?
I am going to separate wild turkey spring movements into two classes: movement and dispersal. Both represent distinct types of behavioral decisions wild turkeys make. In general, movement is really nothing more than a set of behavioral decisions a wild turkey makes trying to survive the day.
What is dispersal in turkeys?
Dispersal is commonly defined as the movement of individual birds away from the area they were born to a different location. The long history of radio-telemetry research suggests that dispersal is fairly common by wild turkeys of all age and sex classes. Often, though, juveniles are the ones that leave an area.
How far do turkeys move?
Females tend to move about the same distance as males in spring, until they begin incubating nests. Then, they move only about 100 meters a day , usually to forage away from the nest. The science on what drives daily turkey movements is a work in progress.
Foods They Eat
How They Eat
- Wild turkeys forage constantly, always seeking out a new meal or snack. They are most frequently found feeding for several hours in the early morning just after sunrise, and will also feed more actively several hours before darkness. If food is scarce they will forage at any time of day, and when the flock includes young, hungry chicks, they are more often foraging throughout the day a…
How Their Diet Varies
- Though turkeys will eat many different things, their diets can be influenced by a number of factors, such as: 1. Season: Turkeys, like all animals, select food sources that are most abundant and easiest to reach. When different foods are abundant in different seasons, turkeys adjust their diets accordingly. In spring, they eat more fresh buds, grasses, and similar plant material, while i…
Feeding Turkeys
- Wild turkeys are not common as backyard birds, but birders who live near wooded areas may find these large game birds foraging near their feeders. To provide an adequate feeding area for wild turkeys: 1. Opt for ground feeding areasor large, low platform feeders that can accommodate these large birds and the flocks they forage in. Turkey scratching can damage turf or delicate la…