Turkeys in the garden?

[Northern chicky]

We are looking for some poultry to control pests in the garden that won't eat all of the plants and scratch everything up--will turkeys fit the job description?

 

[Randy]

No.

 

[Olive Hill]

Welcome to BYC!

But Randy is right, no. Definitely not.

 

[ColbyNTX]

Guineas are about the only poultry that will just eat the bugs and not your new sprouts.

 

[MissD'uccle]

My turkey eat almost EVERYTHING

They aren't terribly picky!

 

[lil'turkeymama]

Turkeys will eat anything.And they really like green stuff.Mine are not allowed in the garden.

 

[Frosty]

Mine were ok in the garden except for a few stomped plants... they actually hung out while I was weeding and ate grasshoppers and potato bugs. But the guineas did a great job of pulling up the onion plants right after we planted them.

 

[Northern chicky]

Thanks for the replies and the welcome. I will research guineas--do people eat them?

 

[Frosty]

I have never tried it, but I have heard that they are a delicacy...

 

[pascopol]

Quote:
Yes Guineas are a delicacy, most compare their meat to pheasant meat.

I raised both pheasants and guineas for meat and I prefere Guinea meat.

Also Guineas are easier to raise (unlike pheasants you can freerange them ) and they destroy more bugs and thicks on their path than any other poultry birds. I doubt if there is a bug Guineas will not eat, but I know several species of bugs chickens will not touch.

However with this gardening with Guineas thing I am sceptical. Friend of mine claims they destroyed her garden.
The popular notion is Guineas do not scratch, but they still may destroy some of your plants.

I think Guineas might be helpful in some gardening situations but one needs to know which plant species can "survive" Guineas without much damage.