Turkey habits

[Pampered Hen]

I'm raising my first bourbon reds and am wondering in what way their feeding habits might be different from chickens? I was particularly wondering if they graze more than chickens when on pasture. Also, do they scratch? And what is their destructive potential in the garden?
Thanks!

 

[thaiturkey]

I can't make a comparison with chickens but my turkeys love to graze all day if they can. They scratch bare earth or anything on it such as fallen leaves. Also, they like dust baths, preferring bonfire ashes if they can find them.

They are generally not destructive but have two bad habits:

1. Pooping anywhere they choose. This isn't too difficult to control to a fair degree if you move their water and feed to a place where poop isn't a problem. We tell ourselves that it's good for the grass.

2. They like young leaves and shoots, including new banana shoots. Depending on what you have on your land, you may want to protect your most precious plants. In our case, the new shoots develop quicker than the turkeys eat them.

All in all, we don't mind the things that they get up to. Our land is divided between a landscaped area and, well, just land. They have their favourite spots, mainly in the shade, and we work around that. They only thing that bugs us is their delight in sitting on a shaded upturned tree root and dislodging the orchids and ferns that my wife nurtures there. Apart from that, they have been little angels.

If you can, set aside some areas where they can graze and linger that aren't precious to you. Let them roam around your lawn and graze on the new growth - that keeps them occupied for hours.

Regarding chickens, our neighbours all keep them and my impression is that they make a real mess of the ground. That might indicate that turkeys are less destructive but it might also be because we exercise a little more care and control than do the neighbours.

 

[pdpatch]

The area that they will travel while eating can be much greater. The more the variety is known for foraging the further they will travel. Red Bourbons are good foragers. They can travel several miles. But normally they will return to where there main living area is, there are exceptions.

They mostly eat Grass, bugs and seed. For grasses they prefer non ornamental grass, Give Kentucky Blue grass and Crab grass they usually start with the crab grass.

If there is enough other vegetation around they leave gardens a lone but clean out the weeds and bugs. But of course you never know when they decide they want to try a tomato or two.

Yes they will scratch but not nearly as much as a chicken.

exceptions: it seems we have one hen that has no sense of direction and get lost all the time. she will call the other to her the wander off again dragging the others with her.
Sooner or later they get far enough away from there pen they can find there way back. This happens when ever she goes out with the other. When she stay in to lay an egg the other are just fine and can get back with no problems.

 

[Pampered Hen]

Thanks!