Turkeys and mud puddles?

[Hummingbird Hollow]

I am the first time owner of 4 turkeys that are now close to 11 weeks old. They've been out in a large 12'X6' tractor for the past three weeks. Every morning and every afternoon when I check on their water supply I either dump the dirty water out of the pan part of the waterer or dup the entire remaining contents out of the waterer and refill it. When I dump the water out, the turkeys always run over and start trying to drink the puddle, often scratching in it and then eating some of the wet, gravely dirt. If I dump the water in the same place, they will have dug quite an indentation in the dirt by the next time I move the tractor. Do you think they just like playing in the mud or are they looking for something important that I haven't provided?

I've also noticed them trying to scratch in the water that is in the waterer and the water ends up being pretty dirty between refills.

 

[kuntrygirl]

With turkeys, you never know. They like what they like. Who knows they may be looking for a bug or something. My chickens do the same thing.

 

[Celie]

They may be eating little pieces of gravel needed for their gizzard. Turkeys will get water dirty from the food left in and on their beaks while eating. they also use water to groom themselves, which dirties the water. They also use water to cool off. Mine will do all of these thinks in the shallow stream as well as wade in it on hot days to cool off. They prefer to drink from the cool stream more than a water bucket. That's what all my birds do.

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

Thanks, maybe I should offer them a little wading pool during these hot summer days. It's fun learning the differences in behavior of chickens and turkeys. They are very different creatures aren't they? By the way, I think I have 2 toms and 2 hens, with two being larger than the other two and willing to go into that cute mini-strut. However, one of the smaller ones have been known to strut from time to time too. Will hens strut?