Wild Turkeys in the chicken yard!

[pattycake]

I posted a couple of days ago that my chicks have been acting nervous. Today I think I figured out why. Look who's been hanging around!

There are actually about thirty of them, all sizes. I heard them bok-bokking and realized they've been in the woods nearby for a few days -- I thought it was some strange bird!

My chickens wouldn't go into their run all day, they just stood around nervously in the henhouse. When they finally freeranged, they just hid under some bushes.

Can they catch diseases from wild turkeys??

 

[Stormhorse23]

Yes, Im pretty sure the turkey can spread disease.

 

[BirdBrain]

Don't know much about diseases, but how about some turkey dinner?

 

[wolfpack62001]

You use alot of Scratch for your birds, this is a good thing, dont worry about the Turkeys they have alot more to be affraid of from your chickens, and they wont bother them.
Your Hens will get used to them and then you will have a Yard full of Bird, this is a good thing.
Really nice pics by the way.
Keep up the good work, and post more Pics.

 

[DoctorGoose]

Is it turkey hunting season up there?

 

[cheepchicks]

My BF would be in heaven. I will have to show him so he can be green with envy.

 

[rooster-red]

Time to go to the feed store and buy 200 lbs. of scratch.

How fat do you think you can get them before Thanksgiving?

 

[Itsme]

All summer we've had 3 turkey hens with their broods living in our feilds. We see them every couple of days. The youngsers are getting big now....but you can still tell who the babies are.....21 babies!!
I never knew that they did this communal raising of young.
Anyway, they don't seem to care about the chickens and the chickens don't seem to care about them.

 

[chickbea]

I know very little, but I have heard that domestic turkeys can give chickens Blackhead - don't know if this holds true for wild turkeys or not.

 

[pattycake]

It's times like this I wish I was a hunter! Unfortunately, I don't even own a gun.

Maybe the turkeys are a good sign -- at least they haven't all been eaten by predators, or killed by disease.

They definitely freaked my chicks out, though...