Wild Turkey Hen Adopted Us

[AmericanMom]

Hopefully they take her in then. She most likely will be ran off out of the herd or severely bullied. I would just discourage her from staying on your farm.

hmmm....well if we discourage her from staying here she will more than likely fall prey to the dozen large dogs that are within a block of us...

This is a lot harder than I thought lol, I don't mind her being here and for now, no she isn't a problem, I am trying to think of next spring and the headache one turkey hen may cause me, but I don't want to encourage her to stay for the next 10 months and then run her off... Her flock has to be close, she is fertile...

 

[PalmRoyal]

hmmm....well if we discourage her from staying here she will more than likely fall prey to the dozen large dogs that are within a block of us...

This is a lot harder than I thought lol, I don't mind her being here and for now, no she isn't a problem, I am trying to think of next spring and the headache one turkey hen may cause me, but I don't want to encourage her to stay for the next 10 months and then run her off... Her flock has to be close, she is fertile...

Well, if she has lasted this long in the wild, I would think that she would be able to survive longer. That is just my take on things.

 

[AmericanMom]

Well, if she has lasted this long in the wild, I would think that she would be able to survive longer. That is just my take on things.

I respect your opinion, sorry if it sounded like I didn't..


Maybe it would help if I told you we lived in the middle of a small town, although we have an acre we are on a pretty busy road with lots of houses... Two blocks away and behind us is where the large acres of farmland start.. That's why I was worried about just letting her go here as opposed to somewhere alittle less busy.

 

[PalmRoyal]

I respect your opinion, sorry if it sounded like I didn't..


Maybe it would help if I told you we lived in the middle of a small town, although we have an acre we are on a pretty busy road with lots of houses... Two blocks away and behind us is where the large acres of farmland start.. That's why I was worried about just letting her go here as opposed to somewhere alittle less busy.

Its alright! I understand where you are coming from. However, I'm not really sure what the best option would be. If she has tried to leave her group to lay a brood of eggs and the group is local, then you would be taking her away from her group and trying to put her into a new group where she may be casted out of or bullied if she is accepted into it. Taking her away might not discourage her from coming back as well. If she knows her way around your area, she may just show right back up at your house. It may also be illegal to transport her. Best of luck with deciding what to do though. You have a very hard decision to make.

 

[AmericanMom]

Its alright! I understand where you are coming from. However, I'm not really sure what the best option would be. If she has tried to leave her group to lay a brood of eggs and the group is local, then you would be taking her away from her group and trying to put her into a new group where she may be casted out of or bullied if she is accepted into it. Taking her away might not discourage her from coming back as well. If she knows her way around your area, she may just show right back up at your house. It may also be illegal to transport her. Best of luck with deciding what to do though. You have a very hard decision to make.

hmm... I hadn't thought of her leaving her group to brood....Your right, I don't want to just take her anywhere, It might be best to just let her go... Dangit, this is so hard

 

[PalmRoyal]

hmm... I hadn't thought of her leaving her group to brood....Your right, I don't want to just take her anywhere, It might be best to just let her go... Dangit, this is so hard

I know. I've been watching this thread since you posted it to see what decision you make. It is a very hard decision and I'm glad that I do not have to make it. I think that, as long as you do not feed her and make your place slightly less inviting, she might just leave to find a slightly more inviting area to brood in. Or, you could make it more inviting and try to keep a pet wild turkey that you can never truly keep. It would be a cute project if you kept her, however, it could introduce disease and parasites into your flock. However, as you said, you may not feel great after trying to discourage your land to be used by her. Very difficult decision.

 

[AmericanMom]

I know. I've been watching this thread since you posted it to see what decision you make. It is a very hard decision and I'm glad that I do not have to make it. I think that, as long as you do not feed her and make your place slightly less inviting, she might just leave to find a slightly more inviting area to brood in. Or, you could make it more inviting and try to keep a pet wild turkey that you can never truly keep. It would be a cute project if you kept her, however, it could introduce disease and parasites into your flock. However, as you said, you may not feel great after trying to discourage your land to be used by her. Very difficult decision.

Ok, I showed my husband what you said and he agreed, We opened the gate and walked her off the property and shut it behind her, she looked back at us for awhile, walked to the end of our driveway and took off to the west a full run... I hope she will be ok and I wished we could have kept her, if we had more property it wouldn't have been an issue but with her and any eggs she may lay in the future being protected we weren't helping her or us. Neither my husband or I thought about her flock being close to us and hadn't taking into consideration dropping her into unfamiliar territory with a different flock.. Thank you for your wise council, hopefully she finds her way back and will go ahead and be able to brood next years turkeys

 

[PalmRoyal]

Ok, I showed my husband what you said and he agreed, We opened the gate and walked her off the property and shut it behind her, she looked back at us for awhile, walked to the end of our driveway and took off to the west a full run... I hope she will be ok and I wished we could have kept her, if we had more property it wouldn't have been an issue but with her and any eggs she may lay in the future being protected we weren't helping her or us. Neither my husband or I thought about her flock being close to us and hadn't taking into consideration dropping her into unfamiliar territory with a different flock.. Thank you for your wise council, hopefully she finds her way back and will go ahead and be able to brood next years turkeys

She will find her herd. Turkeys are crazy things like chickens. People post all of the time where their broody chickens wonder off and they always know where to come back to. Turkeys often wonder off into woods or into fields frequently and always return with several babies. Maybe she will stop by your house with a brood.

 

[AmericanMom]

She will find her herd. Turkeys are crazy things like chickens. People post all of the time where their broody chickens wonder off and they always know where to come back to. Turkeys often wonder off into woods or into fields frequently and always return with several babies. Maybe she will stop by your house with a brood.

Woke up this morning and we can hear her, she is a few properties over we think, everyone is fenced so I don't doubt she is trying to find her way back... LOL... Going to keep all fences closed today and hopefully she will just move on but I sure do love to hear her call

 

[PalmRoyal]

Woke up this morning and we can hear her, she is a few properties over we think, everyone is fenced so I don't doubt she is trying to find her way back... LOL... Going to keep all fences closed today and hopefully she will just move on but I sure do love to hear her call

LOL! Watch your neighbors adopt her as theirs. Or maybe you will get a call, "Hey, we found a turkey and was wondering if it was yours!"