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| I've moved into a new house in a suburban woodland/swamp. We have wild turkeys visit several times daily, and there have been as many as 25 at one time. They're fun to have around, though not very exciting after a while. Does anyone know if they are garden pests in any way? I'd appreciate any ideas/info. TIA.
Martha |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| I love Wild Turkey and Gardening;)but it usually ends up with me waking up with dew on me..Sorry couldn't resist..I do have turkeys around here but they are very skiddish and I have never had a problem with them,but deer on the other hand,now that's another story...I call them nite-time lawnmowers.. |
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- Posted by gardenweed_z6a 5b/6a N CT (My Page) on Thu, Dec 8, 11 at 17:45
| I see them here too altho' not often. Saw a huge flock of them about a mile down the road as they were crossing it but of course they all got agitated and some went left, the rest to the right. I just sat in my car and waited to see what they'd decide to do as a group before moving forward. The ones that went left turned around and dashed across the road in front of me before the whole bunch took wing towards somebody's yard. Since it was the day before Thanksgiving, the thought crossed my mind they must be as dumb as I've heard. A couple of years ago one landed in my yard and it was a bit startling; I'd never seen anything that large in flight suddenly decide to land nearby. I've never noticed or heard that they do much in the way of damage even when they arrive in groups. I don't grow vegetables but my neighbors do and they've never mentioned any issues with WTs bothering their crops. Ditto the "not very exciting after a while" comment. Other than Alvin, don't get me started on squirrels or chipmunks. |
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- Posted by gardenweed_z6a 5b/6a N CT (My Page) on Thu, Dec 8, 11 at 17:58
| Tomva - is THAT how you grow all those amazing tomatoes? With a little lift from Wild Turkey? I'm just gonna have to try that method since it seems you've got it hammered down to a science. Whoo'da thunk a little nip or two on the wild (turkey) side would improve germination and ripening on those toms? I'm seriously missing those home-grown tomatoes this time of year... Sure wish we could/too bad we can't grow them year-round this far north. |
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| Wild Turkeys, oooh, run. Get a real big shephard or irish wolfhound or rottweiler or landshark for a pet and let them have run of the yard. I've had the misfortune of being chased by wild turkeys--I didn't know they had babies nearby. Horrors. |
Here is a link that might be useful: From Gawker: Top Ten Videos of Attacking Turkeys
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| I had one move in and decide my ducks were her babies. She tried to herd them down into the woods behind the house, and she didn't like me at all. She would fly at me then turn and hit me with her feet, I suppose because I was feeding her "babies" and they didn't want to follow her. I finally had the neighbor's boys chase her away because she was attacking me every time I stepped out the door. Funny story now, but not at the time! |
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- Posted by christie_sw_mo Z6 (My Page) on Fri, Dec 9, 11 at 8:22
| I'm pretty sure if they have babies they won't be in a flock. The hens go off by themselves when they raise them so maybe you should be just as wary if you see a single hen. I'd never heard of anyone being attacked but will be more cautious myself now. Gardenweed is right, they're BIG when their wings are outstretched. I pulled in my driveway once and one flew up in front of my car only a couple feet from my windshield and I nearly had a heart attack. lol I haven't had any damage in my garden that I know of but don't have as many as you. I see them in our field but they rarely come up in my yard. I suspect they could wipe out a lot of seedlings in a hurry if they thought they looked appetizing but rabbits can too. Turkeys DO eat grasshoppers and that's a big plus. I wonder if they eat ticks. (hope so) It's still amazing to me how common they are now. Ten or twelve years ago, I had never seen a wild turkey at all. Now I see them almost daily if I'm out driving. Loved the videos. I think all the "attacks" were just people being followed. I'd be running too. lol Good luck Docmom. I think you may need to protect your seedlings with wire mesh or something. It might be easier to plant them out in a nursery bed for awhile spaced closely so they're easier to protect. Or at least protect your most precious seedlings until you get an idea of how destructive the turkeys and other critters are going to be. |
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| I have them browsing around my yard and garden very often. They have never ate or damaged any plants in the garden. Deer is a different story.... |
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- Posted by pitimpinai z6 Chicago (My Page) on Sat, Dec 10, 11 at 0:11
| Wild turkey....How fascinating! Love the videos. I have never seen them in my life. :-) Good luck, docmom. We do have coyotes,raccoons, opossums, rabbits, squirrels....grrrrr....a hawk once in a blue moon, and skunks...heard there are foxes around too. And deer. |
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| Well, whether or not they cause trouble in a garden, the turkeys are definitely a fixture here. They come right into the fenced portion of the yard and wander around pecking at the ground for lengthy periods throughout the day. I've read up on them, and it appears they consume mostly seeds and insects. They must be after the acorns in my yard. I have two very large dogs--a Retriever/Bernese Mountain dog mix and a Newfoundland. When the turkeys are around, the dogs will gallop toward them, but not until they've chased the squirrels first, and not at top speed. I think the dogs are a bit afraid they might actually catch a turkey. The turkeys are not very skittish until the dogs head directly toward them. And then they may just fly over the dogs' heads and land back in the yard or a nearby tree. I've not been out when the birds are around. I let the dogs out first. We'll see how our interactions develop over time. Martha |
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| I've been dealing with them for years. Have been known to lift the flowers off my melons, squash etc. |
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| Martha, your turkeys sound pretty urbanized, used to dogs and people. We have very few and none close to town or even farms here on the coast. We participated in a project to reintroduce them to our area several years ago - provided some of their preferred foods by planting, released a few birds. I think you are right about the acorns, and my understanding is they are unwelcome in gardens because they scratch like chickens when foraging but with bigger feet :) |
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| Up until about 5 years ago, you didn't see wild turkeys around here. Now they are becoming abundant and this past summer and fall I saw them almost daily around town. They also wandered through the back garden from time to time. The most disturbance I noticed was where they were taking a dust bath in some bare dirt near my WS Asclepias purpurascens seedlings! Turkeys are supposed to eat lots of ticks so they are welcome anytime here in the land of Lyme disease. :) Here they are roosting and dust bathing under the Elderberries: I disturbed them trying to take a picture so they wandered off. They don't seem very fearful of humans though. |
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