help! Raising wild turkey poults caught from the wild

[Mattymliv]

Update:
One died soon after we got them back, he seemed kinda sick from the moment i got ahold of them. The other one is doing great! I purchased four cornish chicks to put with it and they get fed crickets 2-3 times a day since the turkey doesn’t know to eat feed out of a feeder.

 

[TexasTurkeyMama]

Lucky ducks...er, chicks...poults.

 

[MyAvamini]

Just a little heads up: I did not catch these baby turkeys, some kids found them in the woods and grabbed two of them because they weren’t being supervised and everybody knows me as the “chicken girl” so they brought them to me. I have no way to get them back to their momma, she’s wild and long gone! so any tips on keeping them alive is much needed!

They are only a few days old. I have raised about 15 turkey poults but never wild ones! They are pretty freaked out by humans so they are currently in a large box, heatlamp, leaves and other bedding that i got from outside so they would feel more comfortable. I also purchased 4 cornish chicks from tractor supply so that they could possibly bond to and learn to eat from a dish like they do. I also bought worms/crickets to feed but i have to get them used to me first. Any tips? (pic is of them in a little satchel that they were brought to me in)

 

[BigBlueHen53]

This thread dates from 2020.

 

[R2elk]

In addition to the thread being from 2020, it is illegal to take possession of live wild turkeys.

 

[MyAvamini]

We are supposed to call wildlife bout them. But I didn't know it was illegal and fines till was way to late I was brought a almost dead baby turkey I immediately started nursing him to health he bonded with me he is now a 1 yr old huge tom. But he sits in my lap puts his head on my shoulder nuzzles .y neck and sleeps he is in my chicken pen doesn't allow the aggressive roosters near my hens especially my Claudet they sleep
together eat together u never see a part. As Far as diet berries fruits. Mine loves peaches watermelon and fav is strawberry he loves nuts which both fruit n nuts are recommended they eat salamander fern so in. Mine is a very healthy boy. I also bought turkey pellets at tractor supply he loves mirror they are very social birds they say they are aggressive. But so far he plays with kids picks at .my dogs. Lays with dog. Only one he chases is my husband lol good luck

 

[R2elk]

We are supposed to call wildlife bout them. But I didn't know it was illegal and fines till was way to late I was brought a almost dead baby turkey I immediately started nursing him to health he bonded with me he is now a 1 yr old huge tom. But he sits in my lap puts his head on my shoulder nuzzles .y neck and sleeps he is in my chicken pen doesn't allow the aggressive roosters near my hens especially my Claudet they sleep
together eat together u never see a part. As Far as diet berries fruits. Mine loves peaches watermelon and fav is strawberry he loves nuts which both fruit n nuts are recommended they eat salamander fern so in. Mine is a very healthy boy. I also bought turkey pellets at tractor supply he loves mirror they are very social birds they say they are aggressive. But so far he plays with kids picks at .my dogs. Lays with dog. Only one he chases is my husband lol good luck

It is illegal for you to have possession of that turkey. This is a public forum. It is not advisable to post publicly about your illegal activities.

 

[Zenmonkey]

It's also probably not a wild turkey.

The original poster disappeared a couple of weeks after admitting to possessing wild turkeys. Possibly they're doing 5-10? Or got banned from posting about wildlife on social media?

This poster says that she received a turkey poult, not that it was a wild poult. I've only known two people that had legitimate (and legally possessed) wild turkeys. I'm not willing to believe that any level of building results in the recently described behavior with a wild turkey.

Therefore I believe that @MyAvamini probably has a domestic turkey.

 

[R2elk]

It's also probably not a wild turkey.

The original poster disappeared a couple of weeks after admitting to possessing wild turkeys. Possibly they're doing 5-10? Or got banned from posting about wildlife on social media?

This poster says that she received a turkey poult, not that it was a wild poult. I've only known two people that had legitimate (and legally possessed) wild turkeys. I'm not willing to believe that any level of building results in the recently described behavior with a wild turkey.

Therefore I believe that @MyAvamini probably has a domestic turkey.

Turkeys are very easy to imprint. Even wild turkeys can be human imprinted if captured as poults or the other common way people acquire which them is to illegally take eggs from a wild nest and incubate them.

In the U.S. people taking wildlife babies is a serious problem.