Our regular visitors

[Hotwings]

Quote:
Those turkeys are just beautiful. Where in west Mich do you live? I am from the Kalamazoo area. I sometimes see wild turkeys on my way to work, right here in the city. It is amazing how many animals live in little pockets of woods in the city. I see lot of deer too on my way home from work, I get out around midnight. I have to be careful of them now as it is the rut season, I see them near the road. I saw my first buck earlier this year or last fall I don't remember. He was a 4 pointer.

 

[Mulemom]

I loved your pictures. Ours are more camera shy. We have a couple of hens that raise thier babies here in our back "yard" every year. They visit the bird feeders several times a day. Then durring the fall and winter we never see them that close to the house. We see huge flocks out back (we back up to 6000 acres of timber co land), and I'm sure they are part of that. This is the first year that I have had chickens and they were just chicks this spring, so it will be ineresting to see how they interact next spring. The hens chase the doves off, but the quail hang out like they are all part of the same flock.

I asked about getting a turkey to keep with my chickens and folks here told me that chickens give "blackhead" to turkey, so I would think your flock is safe, but maybe the wild ones have something to worry about.

We also have coyote, bobcat, bear, deer (a huge 6 pt that eates out of the bird feeder!), hawk, bald eagle, etc....My ladies freerange for about 4 hours before bedtime and so far the only problem I've had is my DH's D(not dear)dog! My dog (the good dog) hangs out with then and protects them.

Thanks so much for sharing the pictures!

 

[bayouchica]

How freaking cool !!! I've never seen wild turkeys around here... oh the are beautiful

Thanks for sharing, nice pics.

 

[redwa]

Last year we incubated our chicks in the kitchen. One day we took the littles outside for the first time. Within a half hour, a male quail tried to approach them. I didn't know what his intentions were and I felt protective of "my" flock. After that he would come with his flock and they would all hang out together. Even to this date, an army of them will come by and if the chickens are out of the coop, the quail family will invade the coop looking for goodies. I think at first he was just curious, maybe thinking they belonged to him. Now they come because of the easy food. They are so beautiful.

 

[adoptedbyachicken]

That's great that they come by. Which wild turkey breed are they? They don't look the same as the BC ones, and they are said to be Merriam's.

Do your chickens free range that area? Unless they have access to the turkey poop or roosting sites you should be fine for worms or mites/lice.

 

[Frozen Feathers]

I don't think I've seen that many wild turkeys in one place before! We have them here, but not in flocks that large. Very Cool!