Turkey Talk for 2014

[SilkieSensation]

 

 
About turkeys and plants, I've just been given 8 bourbon reds, which I've placed in the fenced orchard.  While I'm not worried about the mature fruit trees, should I worry about them eating the blueberries, strawberries, rhubarb, and grapes?  (None of which are anywhere close to fruiting right now)  Thanks!

Rhubarb leaves are poisonous to humans-- and to most animals too is my understanding. 

My birds cannot reach my high bursh blueberries but the wild birds stealmost of the berries.  I would keep an eye on them and see what they like-- mine seem to eat just pellets and grass.

Eat just pellets and grass?? My birds will destroy a garden in moments!     Strawberries, grapes, peppers (the hotter the better), tomatoes, blueberries, peaches, raspberries, kiwis, rose petals, cherries, plums, pears, dogwood fruit, whatever they can fit in their mouths or puncture with their beaks.  They usually leave the green things alone (green beans, peas, brussell sprouts, etc), although I have seen some shredded collards and broccoli.  As soon as they could fly I found them on top of a huge blackberry hedge beside the woods scarfing up berries until they looked like they were going to explode -- they were pooping purple into the next day.  I love that they will eat anything, but am also glad that I have an 8 foot high deer fence around my garden and orchard (which only works because their wings are now clipped)!  As soon as the garden is harvested, I take them out to clean up anything I missed.  They get under every tree to clean up the fallen fruit, strip every berry bush, every grape vine, pick up every tiny tomato or pepper or anything else I missed.  And they eat all the insects and grubs, so there are less pests the next year.  It's a win-win.

Mine are penned but they will scarf up anything that falls or is tossed into their pen. Pears, apples, mullberries, burdock leaves, weeds, hay, squash, tomatoes, pasta salad...

 

[DraigAthar]

Wow. Super jealous of your green grass right now. Heh.
(and the pretty turkey ... but mostly the grass. lol)

 

[DraigAthar]

I don't know about the rhubarb, but they will east the rest. I kept them out of my tomatoes by making cages out of chicken wire.

My chickens will eat rhubarb leaves if I let them near the plants. I imagine turkeys might, too.

 

[DraigAthar]

Rhubarb leaves are poisonous to humans-- and to most animals too is my understanding.

It's dose dependent, though. You'd have to eat a LOT of rhubarb leaves to get sick. My chickens have pecked at rhubarb leaves without any ill effects. I try not to let them eat it all the time, mind you. I'd rather the plant stay healthy and make rhubarb for me! Heh. But it's not like the birds will drop dead if they get a bite or two of rhubarb leaves.

 

[DraigAthar]

Eat just pellets and grass?? My birds will destroy a garden in moments!

Haha, mine too! Especially the chickens. The turkeys weren't as bad this past year, but then there were only the two of them. I've taken to planting a 'chicken garden' each year now. It's a plot of kale, cabbage, broccoli and other greens. I plant it right next to the chicken coop, and I fence them out of it until it grows up tall enough to hold its own, but then I let the chickens in the rest of the summer. They eat kale all day long, lol, we never harvest any of it for ourselves, my own greens grow in a separate part of the garden. Here's a pic of last year's chicken garden plot, behind the beige coop.

 

[chicken pickin]

Haha, mine too! Especially the chickens. The turkeys weren't as bad this past year, but then there were only the two of them. I've taken to planting a 'chicken garden' each year now. It's a plot of kale, cabbage, broccoli and other greens. I plant it right next to the chicken coop, and I fence them out of it until it grows up tall enough to hold its own, but then I let the chickens in the rest of the summer. They eat kale all day long, lol, we never harvest any of it for ourselves, my own greens grow in a separate part of the garden. Here's a pic of last year's chicken garden plot, behind the beige coop.

I love that. That is such a great Idea to make a specific garden just for the chickens. I might try that this year. Though we aren't too great at gardening lol. This will be year number 3 with our garden and hopefully we do a little better this year. We don't have the greenest of thumbs, but we sure do try.

 

[chickadoodles]

Haha, mine too! Especially the chickens. The turkeys weren't as bad this past year, but then there were only the two of them. I've taken to planting a 'chicken garden' each year now. It's a plot of kale, cabbage, broccoli and other greens. I plant it right next to the chicken coop, and I fence them out of it until it grows up tall enough to hold its own, but then I let the chickens in the rest of the summer. They eat kale all day long, lol, we never harvest any of it for ourselves, my own greens grow in a separate part of the garden. Here's a pic of last year's chicken garden plot, behind the beige coop.

That is a great way to feed your birds off the land!

 

[Arielle]

Quote: Eat just pellets and grass?? My birds will destroy a garden in moments! Strawberries, grapes, peppers (the hotter the better), tomatoes, blueberries, peaches, raspberries, kiwis, rose petals, cherries, plums, pears, dogwood fruit, whatever they can fit in their mouths or puncture with their beaks. They usually leave the green things alone (green beans, peas, brussell sprouts, etc), although I have seen some shredded collards and broccoli. As soon as they could fly I found them on top of a huge blackberry hedge beside the woods scarfing up berries until they looked like they were going to explode -- they were pooping purple into the next day. I love that they will eat anything, but am also glad that I have an 8 foot high deer fence around my garden and orchard (which only works because their wings are now clipped)! As soon as the garden is harvested, I take them out to clean up anything I missed. They get under every tree to clean up the fallen fruit, strip every berry bush, every grape vine, pick up every tiny tomato or pepper or anything else I missed. And they eat all the insects and grubs, so there are less pests the next year. It's a win-win.
Mine are penned but they will scarf up anything that falls or is tossed into their pen. Pears, apples, mullberries, burdock leaves, weeds, hay, squash, tomatoes, pasta salad...
LOrdy, the turkeys have become chickens!!!

My turkeys better elarn soon to eat other material because that is one reason I am cutting back-- they don't utilize the native vegetation in the summer and therefore are that much more costly than chickens!

 

[Sydney Acres]

Quote: Eat just pellets and grass?? My birds will destroy a garden in moments! Strawberries, grapes, peppers (the hotter the better), tomatoes, blueberries, peaches, raspberries, kiwis, rose petals, cherries, plums, pears, dogwood fruit, whatever they can fit in their mouths or puncture with their beaks. They usually leave the green things alone (green beans, peas, brussell sprouts, etc), although I have seen some shredded collards and broccoli. As soon as they could fly I found them on top of a huge blackberry hedge beside the woods scarfing up berries until they looked like they were going to explode -- they were pooping purple into the next day. I love that they will eat anything, but am also glad that I have an 8 foot high deer fence around my garden and orchard (which only works because their wings are now clipped)! As soon as the garden is harvested, I take them out to clean up anything I missed. They get under every tree to clean up the fallen fruit, strip every berry bush, every grape vine, pick up every tiny tomato or pepper or anything else I missed. And they eat all the insects and grubs, so there are less pests the next year. It's a win-win.
Mine are penned but they will scarf up anything that falls or is tossed into their pen. Pears, apples, mullberries, burdock leaves, weeds, hay, squash, tomatoes, pasta salad...
LOrdy, the turkeys have become chickens!!!

My turkeys better elarn soon to eat other material because that is one reason I am cutting back-- they don't utilize the native vegetation in the summer and therefore are that much more costly than chickens!

Conquering the blackberry bush they did on their own, but the chickens were the leaders into the garden. The 7 turkeys and 7 chickens from the 2013 flock are kept in the acre behind the house, and the 15 chickens from the 2012 flock, plus 7 older chickens are out front beside the garden. When I opened up the garden gates this fall the youngsters looked on and the toms gobbled constantly, so I decided to let them out too. The flocks occasionally mix, so there's no fighting. But to see them the first time in the garden, watching the older birds race through every bed and under every tree then joining in, was so much fun. They were exhausted by the end of the day.

 

[Arielle]

LOL

THere is hope then for the 2013 poults that gew up with the chickens and raiding the garden-- I knew the chickens were busy but didn't credit the turkeys. Maybe that goup DOES know how to eat the good stuff!! lol