Disclaimer: I did NOT ask for them.
My grandmother-in-law claims three wild turkey poults were separated from their flock and have been hanging out on her deck, pecking on her windows and pooping everywhere for the past four days. No mama has returned for them. She was tired of it, caught them in a big Rubbermaid box and drove them over to my house and said “since you already have free-ranging chickens and a grasshopper infestation I thought I’d bring them here...” I was at work and my husband thought it was funny and agreed to release them. And now I have three scared poults walking around my unfenced five acres.
Based on my limited online research they appear to be around 6 weeks old. Mostly feathered except for their heads, and still doing the baby chirps. I know NOTHING about caring for wild turkey poults.
What should I do? I read they have a high mortality rate. We live on a hill with few trees, and winters are harsh in Montana. We are surrounded by coulees (ravines) that have some tree cover, and less than a mile away is a creek in a small valley with a large and thriving wild turkey population.
It’s been less than 24 hours and they’ve just walked around our house, catching grasshoppers, ans pecking on my basement windows. I already have multiple water bowls out for my hens since our summer has been dry and in the high 90s for a few weeks already. I don’t know if wild turkeys know to drink from water bowls, and they have shown no interest in my hens feed and scratch block so I’m wondering if all I’m doing is prolonging the inevitable and they’re all going to die.
I thought about calling Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks to pick them up, but my husband thinks they’ll just get euthanized.
My grandmother-in-law claims three wild turkey poults were separated from their flock and have been hanging out on her deck, pecking on her windows and pooping everywhere for the past four days. No mama has returned for them. She was tired of it, caught them in a big Rubbermaid box and drove them over to my house and said “since you already have free-ranging chickens and a grasshopper infestation I thought I’d bring them here...” I was at work and my husband thought it was funny and agreed to release them. And now I have three scared poults walking around my unfenced five acres.
Based on my limited online research they appear to be around 6 weeks old. Mostly feathered except for their heads, and still doing the baby chirps. I know NOTHING about caring for wild turkey poults.
What should I do? I read they have a high mortality rate. We live on a hill with few trees, and winters are harsh in Montana. We are surrounded by coulees (ravines) that have some tree cover, and less than a mile away is a creek in a small valley with a large and thriving wild turkey population.
It’s been less than 24 hours and they’ve just walked around our house, catching grasshoppers, ans pecking on my basement windows. I already have multiple water bowls out for my hens since our summer has been dry and in the high 90s for a few weeks already. I don’t know if wild turkeys know to drink from water bowls, and they have shown no interest in my hens feed and scratch block so I’m wondering if all I’m doing is prolonging the inevitable and they’re all going to die.
I thought about calling Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks to pick them up, but my husband thinks they’ll just get euthanized.
