Wild turkeys!! Funny but should I worry?

[ohiobirdmom]

I know I haven't posted in a while. Small update:

My chickens are healthy as ever. I've grown from just 15 chickens to 45! Plus added 3 katadhin sheep! Harsh winter in Ohio. I did have 50 birds but lost 5 in negative temps

But we're doing good and all are happy and healthy and we couldn't be happier!

Now to the topic of my post-

I have 2 families of turkeys who live in the woods behind my pasture. My pasture sits way in the back and my coop is closer to my house. There are 11 turkeys in one group and 13 in the other group. Every morning they pop out of the woods and wander thru they yard between the pasture and coop and my Roos get flustered and shoo all my girls inside the coop then stand outside the opening. Is this because turkeys are a threat? Will they eventually try to hurt my birds if they are out free range? Or are my Roos just over protective? It's kind of cute the way they try and protect my girls.

 

[chicklover 1998]

I haven't heard of will turkeys injuring chickens I think it will be fine your roo is just being protective, although one thing to worry about is the diseases that wild birds can carry to your flock.

 

[ohiobirdmom]

I haven't heard of will turkeys injuring chickens I think it will be fine your roo is just being protective, although one thing to worry about is the diseases that wild birds can carry to your flock.

Okay. The turkeys don't come very close. They stay about 20-30 ft away. But they always look at my smaller birds. I didn't think that they'd do anything but I wonder about my small girls.

 

[ivan3]

No, they won't mess with the chooks, even the diminutive dames. Pretty much moving through on their rounds of forage locations and getting organized for breeding season, If there is stray seed around/in yard, they might come closer. Individuals/flocks here come in fairly close (our turks yapping draws them, as do acorns and Chufa). As I'm consistent about retiring all poultry killing vermin, preemptively, there is little threat from an overabundance of preds. If you have Wild black/raspberry plants in/along verge of pasture you might catch the hens in with their poults in late June/early July scarfing berries. /www.backyardchickens.com/g/i/5539186/default/sort/display_order/">

 

[ohiobirdmom]

Omg!! Beautiful pics!! I have a tom that I saw this morning after I posted this and he was beautiful. First time I've seen him here. (I've lived here since sept of last year) I have berries all over the place here. So I'm looking forward to this coming summer! I also have acorns everywhere since in live in an area totally surrounded by trees! My kids (4&3) like to throw scratch for the chickens (free range most of the time) and the turkeys like cleaning up leftovers! I'm glad that I have nothing to worry about. Thank you for your post!

 

[drumstick diva]

What a great sight. I've never seen wild turkeys - what a difference. I have heard chickens can carry black head disease and pass it to turkeys.