My last turkey escaped...will she come back?

[JenJuhasz]

We've had her in a secluded pen forever - we've lost the other 3 I purchased (2 died right away coming home from the breeder, the big tom I adored was killed by a skunk or a coyote in the middle of the night about a month back...not even sure how they got into the enclosure, which even has a top, but they did).

So - I have one female left - she's gimpy because as a chick she decided to "fly the coop" without being able to fly, and jumped out of her brooding pen and twisted a leg and wing. First time I've had turkeys and I'm making a real mess of it.

In any case, this morning when I went to fill her water, I left the gate open and she hopped out for some fresh grass and promptly started following me around on my morning chores. I found it cute and fun so let her be.

Well my shepherd was perturbed that she was out and decided to shepherd her home...only she took off for the blackberry mess at the far end of the property and is now nowhere to be seen.

My husband feels strongly she's gone - wild turkey's obviously are incredibly hard to find and very wily and his opinion is that she'll be the same, gimpy or not.

I'm of the opinion that her instinct will be to return to roost and safety where her food is and coop is. What do you think? Have I lost my girl? Or will she come home?

We have 2.5 acres, the south end where she disappeared just runs to woods if she can find the gaps in the fence. It's mostly fenced, but several large trees are across the fencing and have been since we bought the place last year.

Would love some tips/advice on how to get her home.

Thanks!

Jen

 

[iron chicken]

how old is she and how long has she been staying in the pen? if she hasn't been in there too long she may not come back but that is verry unlikely. she will probably come home in the evening.

 

[Frosty]

My husband feels strongly she's gone - wild turkey's obviously are incredibly hard to find and very wily and his opinion is that she'll be the same, gimpy or not.

If they are used to people, wild turkeys aren't hard to find. I had a wild hen with a clutch of poults start hanging out with my birds, and they got to the point where they even followed me into the barn at feeding time.

If she doesn't come home soon, you might want to go look to make sure she didn't get hung up in the brambles or the fence. If she is tame enough to follow you around, I really think she'll come back if she can.

 

[Ntsees]

If it's a wild turkey, like any wild domesticated bird, there may be a chance it won't come back. If it did, its instincts will eventually kick in and it'll wander away again. Good luck in your search.

 

[JenJuhasz]

Not wild - a Mammoth Bronze. Just spent 30 minutes cautiously crouched outside the blackberry bushes with a bowl of blueberries in hand...one of her favorites. She'll eat from my hand if it's fruit!

Earlier, when I was doing some yard clean up, I heard her cackling at me...but the blackberries are extremely dense and I could not see her, much less get to her.

Now, I didn't hear any cackling, but thought perhaps some rustling. The sun is down for the day...but still quite light out. My chickens are happily all out in their yard at the moment. So - I'm going to wait until my kid is in bed at 8pm and go try again. I keep thinking/hoping her instinct will be to try and get home around dusk when she feels safest.

I really really don't want her out overnight. We have coyotes and bears on a nightly basis, and have had at least a few skunks and weasels try their luck at our birds. No matter how tucked away and safe she feels in those blackberries, there's no way she won't be sniffed out by a curious predator.

So many "if only's" running through my head. If only I hadn't been charmed by her following me around the grass. If only my dog had listened and kept his distance until I could shoo her back in. Sigh. Now what?

 

[JenJuhasz]

Oh - she's about 4 months old, but always coop bound, until today. As mentioned, our yard has tons and tons of predators, so we've learned the hard way to keep our birds penned. I'd love full free range around the yard, but there's no way anyone would survive. Even penned, we lose a few to hawks/etc. We lost 20 chickens to a very aggressive mama coyote feeding her pups. Took several days before we were able to get a handle on that problem (she dug under and through our fencing one weekend when I'd taken the dog for a visit with family).

Thanks again for your comments. Gosh I hope she makes it home.

 

[Frosty]

Did you have any luck yet? I hope she came home!

 

[JenJuhasz]

No - she did not. I spent an hour at dusk last night shaking a small bowl of berries and trying to call to her, but no luck. My husband is out there now combing through the blackberry bushes trying to find her, but I suspect she'll hunker down if she's around at all, as he's not her food bringer. So, for all intents and purposes, my girl is gone. Extremely upsetting for all. Thanks everyone for your replies!

Jen

 

[Frosty]

Don't give up hope yet... I had a White Holland hen fly off after the roof of their building collapsed under snow one January. I finally gave up looking for a white hen in the snow, and after extremely cold temps and a few blizzards I gave up hope figuring the coyotes or owls got her, or she starved to death due to feed sources being buried. In March a neighbor called to say that there was a white turkey hen in her yard. I went down and it was her. She survived the worst part of a bad winter on her own, in North Dakota.

 

[iron chicken]

hope you find her.