Birdscaping for Wild Turkeys

Eleven Turkeys visit feeding station

I have heard stories that people are always excited to see turkeys for the first time but that they can turn into unwanted guests in a hurry!  They are big birds and GOBBLE bird seed up in no time.  These birds are still new to us so we love watching them!  I am curious to see how long the romance will last!

Turkey eating sunflower seed

We plan to start offering whole corn vs the sunflower seed and white millet that I usually sprinkle on the ground for the cardinals, juncos and tree sparrows.

I have wondered why it has taken 4 years for the turkeys to finally move in and feed comfortably.  My only guess is that we recently invested a lot into our backyard landscape by planting numerous plantings such as pine trees.  We have also increased the number of brush piles in the woods that lead up to the feeding station.

My next plan is to help them locate the open water source we have in our pond.  I plan on doing this by sprinkling a trail of corn from their main feeding area up to the pond.  I am curious to see if wild turkeys prefer open water or if they prefer eating snow.

Feeding from flat rock bird feeder

I would love to hear about your wild turkey experiences!  I would also love to hear about

what you feed them and how you offer it!

Hen turkey in backyard landscape

Cheers!

Jake Langeslag “The Pondologist”