Will wild turkeys bother my chickens?

[ky chicks]

There has been flock of about 10 wild turkeys in my yard twice today. Do they pose any kind of threat to my free range chickens (besides maybe introducing disease)? I have 15 hens and a rooster. I'm thinking they won't approach my flock, but thought I'd ask to be on the safe side!

 

[purpletree23]

I don't know if they will harm them or not. I haven't had any experiences with toms but we do get the hens in the yard sometimes. It's funny....the turkeys will ignore the chickens but the chickens are courious about the turkeys. One day I was in the garden and letting the chickens free range for a bit and something made me turn around. In the distance I see the turkeys walking away into the woods and my chickens were following them! Their fuzzy little butts waddling as fast as they could. I had to chase them back home! Never a dull minute with those girls.

 

[Garin]

Must be careful wild turkeys will mate with chickens and make churkeys. (churkeys do not lay eggs)

 

[Justaheifer]

I have a flock of wild turkeys hanging out around here!
All my chickens, ducks and guineas are free range. I think seeing them all out in the field together is kinda cool!

The only problems I've seen, is in spring when the toms are strutting and the guineas think they are after their wimmen folk! The guineas try to rum them off, the toms ignore them and keep strutting!

 

[Whirlwind]

I have resident turkeys here also. In fact I feed them chicken scratch. Never had any problems. They usually steer clear of

each other. Been having 6 turkeys 2 or 3 times a day. The cat is the biggest problem. Yesterday she had a turkey flying to

get away from her and she was jumping way up after it. Wish I would of had the camera as it would of been a great video.

 

[thedoors5to1]

we have a flock of turkeys that come around all the time, almost 30 of them together, and they come around with a few deer often. i think they hang together for protection from predators. they arent any problem with my ducks or (small) dogs, the turkeys run and fly into the trees when they see my little 5 pound papillon dog. i dont consider them a threat at all

. the turkeys sometimes eat the apples we throw in the backyard for the deer.

 

[4 Love of Baby Chickens]

Quote:

Now THAT'S funny!!!!!!

 

[MeechHen]

OK, weird.......I had 2 pet chickens and one was killed a couple weeks ago by a hawk. :-(
We since put up a predator proof enclosure and my single hen has now attracted a single wild turkey for a companion. Although they can't get to each other becuase she is in the pen....the turkey hangs out in the yard with her and sleeps up in low branch near the coop. Is that odd or what?? He has been hanging around for a week now. Actually, I don't know if its a boy or a girl turkey. I live in the city and have less than an acre of land....so this is extra odd.

 

[cgmccary]

Will wild turkeys bother my chickens?

No.

Also, no threat of disease from turkeys to chickens. However chickens can transmit blackhead to turkeys which is deadly (not likely since they are wild). There is some authority that turkeys around chickens transmit immunity to Marek's for the chickens.​

 

[Myck1]

There has been flock of about 10 wild turkeys in my yard twice today. Do they pose any kind of threat to my free range chickens (besides maybe introducing disease)? I have 15 hens and a rooster. I'm thinking they won't approach my flock, but thought I'd ask to be on the safe side!

I have 3 hens and a wild Turkey shows up every once in a while. Today I had them all out in the yard once and everyone was just doing their own thing, but today the Turkey showed up and I opened the chicken coop so they could come out. The Turkey immediately went after the chickens and tried to kill one. I scared him off and away from my property. I won’t let the Turkey come around anymore because of that incident. My suggestion is if you allow them to be together don’t leave them alone with your chickens.