Many people enjoy seeing wild animals near their homes. Wild turkeys are big, interesting birds. They can be a fun sight in your yard. How can you get wild turkeys to come visit your yard? You can attract wild turkeys by giving them what they need to live: food, water, and safe places to rest. Making your yard a good place for turkeys involves adding things they like and taking away things they don’t. This guide will show you simple steps to help wild turkeys feel welcome near you.
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Grapsing Turkey Basics: What Turkeys Need
Wild turkeys are amazing birds. They live in many different areas. To get them to come to your yard, you need to think like a turkey. What do they look for? They look for a safe place to live. This safe place must have three main things: food to eat, water to drink, and shelter to hide and rest.
Wild turkey habitat needs mean the things they need in the area where they live. Turkeys like places that have woods mixed with open areas. They use the woods for shelter and sleeping in trees. They use open areas, like fields or your yard, to find food and raise their young. A good turkey home area is not just one type of place. It has different spots for different needs.
Think about your yard and the area around it. Is there some cover like trees or bushes? Is there some open space? Even a small yard can offer something if it’s close to bigger areas that turkeys use. Making your yard a small part of their larger home can work.
Deciphering What Turkeys Eat
Knowing what turkeys eat is key to bringing them in. Best food for wild turkeys is not just one thing. Turkeys eat many different kinds of food depending on the time of year. They are ground feeders. This means they look for food on the ground. Ground feeding birds like turkeys scratch the dirt with their strong feet to find tasty bits.
What kinds of food do they like?
* Seeds: They love seeds from many plants. Grass seeds, weed seeds, and seeds from crops like corn or soybeans (if nearby).
* Nuts and Acorns: Acorns are a big favorite, especially in the fall and winter. Other nuts are good too.
* Fruits and Berries: They eat wild berries and small fruits when they are ripe.
* Insects: Turkeys eat lots of bugs, spiders, and other small creatures, especially in the spring and summer. Baby turkeys (poults) eat mostly insects for the first few weeks.
* Green Plants: They eat leaves, roots, and bulbs of certain plants.
Natural attractants for turkeys are the foods they find in nature. If your yard or nearby area has oak trees (for acorns), plants that make berries, or open grassy spots with bugs, you already have a start.
Supplying Food for Turkeys
You can add food to your yard to help attract turkeys. But it is important to do it in a way that is safe for them and doesn’t cause problems.
Here are some ways to supply food:
- Scatter Food: Turkeys are ground feeders. Scattering food on the ground is a natural way for them to eat.
- Use Feeders: Attracting wild turkeys with feeders is possible, but you need the right kind. Regular bird feeders on poles are usually too high for turkeys. You need ground feeders or feeders that are very low to the ground. A wide tray feeder placed on the ground or on short legs works well.
- What Food to Offer:
- Cracked Corn: This is an easy and cheap option. Turkeys like corn.
- Black Oil Sunflower Seeds: Many birds like these seeds, and turkeys will eat them too.
- Mixed Bird Seed: Choose mixes that have corn, sunflower seeds, and millet.
- Oats or Wheat: Grains are good food for them.
- Acorns: If you can gather acorns, scattering them is like hitting the turkey jackpot!
Best food for wild turkeys that you can offer usually includes grains, seeds, and corn. Offering a mix is better than just one thing.
Let’s look at some food options in a simple table:
| Food Type | Why Turkeys Like It | How to Offer |
|---|---|---|
| Cracked Corn | Easy to eat, gives energy | Scatter on ground, use low tray feeder |
| Black Oil Sunflower Seeds | High in fat, good energy source | Scatter on ground, use low tray feeder |
| Mixed Bird Seed | Offers variety of seeds and grains | Scatter on ground, use low tray feeder |
| Oats / Wheat | Simple grains they find in fields | Scatter on ground, use low tray feeder |
| Acorns | Natural favorite, especially in fall/winter | Scatter on ground |
| Wild Berries (from plants) | Sweet treat, natural part of diet | Plant berry bushes they can reach |
| Insects (natural) | Key protein source, especially for young | Keep some grassy or brushy areas in yard |
Important Note on Feeding: Feeding wild animals can sometimes lead to problems. It can make them rely on you for food instead of finding it themselves. It can also cause too many animals to gather in one place, which can spread sickness. In some areas, feeding wild turkeys is not allowed. Always check local rules before you start feeding. If you do feed, do it in small amounts or only at certain times of the year.
Finding Water for Turkeys
Just like all living things, turkeys need water. Water sources for backyard wildlife are very important. Turkeys get some water from the food they eat, but they also need to drink.
Where do they find water in nature?
* Streams and rivers
* Ponds and lakes
* Puddles after rain
* Dew on plants
How can you provide water in your yard?
* Bird Bath: A large, shallow bird bath works well. Make sure it’s big enough for a turkey to reach. Place it on the ground or on a very short stand.
* Ground-Level Dish: A simple large dish, like a plant pot saucer or a heavy plastic tub, filled with water and placed on the ground is easy.
* Small Pond or Water Feature: If you have space, a small pond can provide water not just for turkeys, but for many other animals too. Make sure it has shallow edges so birds can get in and out easily.
Keep the water clean. Wash the dish or bath often. Refill it with fresh water regularly. Water is a huge draw for wildlife, especially in dry times or places.
Supplying Shelter for Turkeys
Turkeys need places to feel safe. They need shelter from bad weather and from animals that might hunt them (like coyotes or bobcats). Providing shelter for turkeys means having areas where they can hide, rest, and sleep.
What kind of shelter do they look for?
* Tall Grasses and Weeds: Young turkeys need to hide in tall grass to stay safe.
* Bushes and Shrubs: Thicker bushes offer a place to hide quickly if danger is near.
* Trees: Adult turkeys often fly up into trees at night to sleep (roost). This keeps them safe from animals on the ground.
How can you add shelter to your yard?
* Let Some Areas Grow Wild: Instead of mowing your whole lawn, let a section grow taller. This gives cover for turkeys and attracts insects they eat.
* Plant Shrubs and Bushes: Plant thick shrubs, especially native ones. Place them near the edge of your yard or near woods if you have them.
* Have Trees: If you have tall trees, especially older ones with strong branches, turkeys might use them for sleeping.
Providing shelter for turkeys is often about making parts of your yard a bit “messier” or more natural. A perfectly neat lawn with no hiding spots is not good turkey shelter.
Creating a Place Turkeys Like
Making your yard a place that turkeys want to visit is like creating a wildlife habitat. A good wildlife habitat has food, water, and shelter. It also feels safe.
Think about these things:
* Space: Turkeys are large birds. They need space to walk around and feel comfortable. A very small, fenced yard might not work well.
* Safety from Predators: Turkeys are wary birds. They watch for danger. They need to feel safe from animals like dogs. Keep dogs inside or on a leash when you want turkeys to visit.
* Safety from People: While turkeys can get used to people, they don’t like sudden noise or fast movements. Move slowly and quietly if turkeys are in your yard. Watch them from a window instead of walking right up to them.
* No Chemicals: Do not use weed killers, bug sprays, or other strong chemicals in your yard. These can hurt turkeys and the insects they eat. A natural yard is a safer yard for wildlife.
Creating a wildlife habitat in your yard means making choices that help animals. This includes:
* Using native plants
* Providing water
* Offering food (carefully)
* Having shelter spots
* Not using harmful chemicals
Planting for Turkeys: Native Plants
Using native plants that attract turkeys is a great way to provide food and shelter naturally. Native plants are plants that grow naturally in your area. They are best because:
* They are good food for local insects, which turkeys eat.
* They often produce seeds, berries, or nuts that turkeys like.
* They provide the right kind of cover that local wildlife is used to.
* They usually need less water and care than plants from other places.
What kind of native plants are good for turkeys? It depends on where you live. Ask a local plant nursery or wildlife group about native plants in your area.
Here are some general types of native plants that often help attract turkeys:
- Oak Trees: Produce acorns, a top food source.
- Berry Bushes: Plants like blueberries, serviceberries, or sumac provide fruit.
- Seed-Producing Plants: Many native grasses and wildflowers produce seeds that turkeys eat, especially in the fall and winter.
- Cover Plants: Thick shrubs like dogwood or viburnum give them places to hide.
Native plants that attract turkeys make your yard a food source and a safe place at the same time. This is a more long-term and often healthier way to attract them than just putting out food.
Making Your Yard Turkey Friendly
Turkey friendly landscaping is about designing your yard in a way that welcomes turkeys. It’s not just about adding one feeder. It’s about the overall look and feel of your yard.
Here are some ideas for turkey friendly landscaping:
* Create Layers: Have different heights of plants – ground cover, low bushes, taller shrubs, and trees. This gives turkeys options for food and shelter at different levels.
* Plant in Groups: Plant bushes or tall grasses in clumps or rows instead of spread out. This creates better hiding spots.
* Leave Edges Natural: If your yard is next to woods or a field, leave the edge area a bit wild. Don’t mow right up to the treeline. Let native plants grow there.
* Think About Access: Make sure turkeys can easily walk into your yard from nearby areas where they live. Remove fences they can’t get through if possible, or make openings.
* Reduce Lawn Size: Large, perfectly mowed lawns don’t offer much to turkeys. Reduce the size of your lawn and use those areas for native plants, tall grasses, or berry bushes.
* Add a Water Feature: As mentioned before, a water source is part of good wildlife landscaping.
Turkey friendly landscaping is about creating a varied and safe environment. It connects your yard to the natural world around it. It shows you are okay with a little bit of wildness.
More About Attracting Turkeys
Let’s talk more about specific ways to attract them and things to remember.
Using Feeders for Turkeys
As discussed, attracting wild turkeys with feeders needs care. Turkeys eat from the ground. So, feeders should be on the ground or very low.
- Tray Feeders: A simple flat tray or a tray on short legs (less than 6 inches off the ground) works well.
- Platform Feeders: Wider than tray feeders, these can hold more food and give turkeys more space.
- Hopper Feeders (low): Some hopper feeders are made to be very low or sit on the ground. These protect food from rain and snow.
- ** scattering food:** Simply throwing food on the ground is the easiest method, but it can attract other animals too.
Think about where you put the feeder. Place it in an open area so turkeys can see around while they eat. This helps them feel safe from predators. But also have some cover like bushes or trees nearby that they can quickly run to if needed.
Only put out a small amount of food at first. If you put out too much, it can go bad or attract unwanted animals like rats or raccoons. Feeders can also attract deer, which might eat all the turkey food.
Focusing on Ground Feeding Birds
Turkeys are just one type of ground feeding birds. Many other birds like to eat from the ground too, like doves, sparrows, and juncos. By providing food and habitat for turkeys, you are also helping these other birds.
What makes a good spot for ground feeding birds?
* Open space: They need room to walk around.
* Nearby cover: Quick access to bushes or plants for hiding.
* Safe from cats and other predators: Placing feeders too close to thick bushes can hide cats. Place feeders where you can see around them.
When you scatter food or use ground feeders, you will likely see more than just turkeys. Enjoy watching all the different ground feeding birds that visit your yard!
Understanding When Turkeys Visit
Turkeys don’t just show up any time. Their visits might depend on the time of year or the time of day.
- Morning and Late Afternoon: Turkeys are often most active in the early morning and late afternoon. They look for food during these times.
- Season: You might see turkeys more often in certain seasons.
- Spring: Turkeys are breeding. Males (toms) might be more visible displaying. Hens are looking for places to nest.
- Summer: Hens are raising young (poults). They look for areas with insects and cover. You might see a hen with many small poults walking through your yard.
- Fall: Turkeys gather in larger groups. They look for acorns, nuts, and seeds before winter. This can be a great time to see many turkeys together.
- Winter: Turkeys group together to stay warm. They look for food sources that are still available, like acorns, seeds, or food you might offer.
Knowing when they are likely to be around can help you watch for them and plan when to make your yard most attractive.
Thinking About Safety
Attracting wild animals comes with responsibilities. It’s important to think about the safety of the turkeys, your family, and your pets.
- Keep Pets Away: Dogs can chase and harm turkeys. Keep dogs leashed or in a fenced area, especially when turkeys are visiting.
- Don’t Get Too Close: Wild turkeys are not pets. Do not try to pet them or get too close. They can feel threatened and might act to defend themselves.
- Prevent Sickness: Use clean feeders and water dishes. Don’t let old food pile up. This helps stop the spread of sickness among birds.
- Check Local Rules: Again, check with your city, county, or state wildlife office. Some places have rules about feeding wild animals.
Creating a Full Wildlife Habitat
Remember that creating a wildlife habitat is about more than just turkeys. The steps you take to attract turkeys (providing food, water, shelter, native plants, reducing chemicals) will help many other animals too.
Your yard can become a small haven for birds, butterflies, bees, and maybe even small mammals. This makes your yard more interesting and helps support the natural world around you.
Think of your yard as part of a bigger picture. How does it connect to nearby parks, woods, or other natural areas? The more connected your yard is to other green spaces, the more likely wildlife is to visit and use it.
Creating a wildlife habitat can be a fun and rewarding project. It helps you connect with nature and gives you chances to see animals like wild turkeys right outside your door.
Steps to Attract Turkeys – A Simple Plan
Here is a simple plan to follow:
- Observe: Watch your yard and the area nearby. Do you ever see turkeys now? What kinds of plants and trees are already there?
- Assess Needs: Think about food, water, and shelter. Which of these is missing or weak in your yard?
- Plan Small Changes: Don’t try to change everything at once. Start with one or two things. Maybe add a water dish or plant a berry bush.
- Add Food (Carefully): If local rules allow, start with a small amount of cracked corn or birdseed on the ground or in a low feeder. Watch to see if anything visits.
- Add Water: Put out a large, shallow dish of clean water on the ground.
- Add Shelter: Let a small area of grass grow taller, or plant a few dense shrubs.
- Plant Native Plants: Choose native bushes or trees that offer food (berries, nuts) or cover.
- Reduce Chemicals: Stop using pesticides and herbicides in your yard.
- Be Patient: It can take time for turkeys to find your yard and feel safe visiting.
- Watch and Enjoy: Once they start visiting, watch from a distance. Learn their habits.
Remember, the goal is to make your yard a welcoming place, not just a feeding station. A well-rounded wild turkey habitat needs all the key elements: food, water, and shelter, within a safe environment.
More Details on Food and Feeding
Let’s look closer at food. Best food for wild turkeys comes from natural sources. What you offer should be like what they eat naturally.
Types of food turkeys love:
* Mast: This means nuts from trees like acorns (oaks), hickory nuts, and beechnuts. If you have these trees nearby, you have a big advantage.
* Soft Mast: This means fruits and berries from plants like grapes, cherries, blueberries, and dogwood.
* Seeds: Seeds from many grasses, weeds (like ragweed), and agricultural crops.
* Insects: Grasshoppers, beetles, ants, and many others.
* Greens: Clovers, grasses, and other green leafy plants.
When you are attracting wild turkeys with feeders, think of it as a supplement, not their main food source. It can help them during tough times like deep snow or very dry periods. But healthy turkeys get most of their food by searching their habitat.
Scatter food widely instead of in a single pile. This makes turkeys spread out more, which is more natural and can reduce the risk of spreading sickness. It also means less chance of one bossy turkey keeping others away.
Consider the time of year when offering food. In spring and summer, turkeys are focused on insects and greens. In fall and winter, they are looking for seeds, nuts, and grains. Adjust what you offer if you choose to feed.
Understanding Wild Turkey Behavior
Knowing a little about how turkeys act helps you attract them.
* Social Birds: Turkeys often live in groups called flocks, especially outside of the breeding season. If you attract one turkey, you might attract a whole group!
* Excellent Sight: Turkeys have very good eyesight. They can spot danger from far away. This is why they need open areas to feed but cover nearby to escape.
* Good Hearing: They also have good hearing. Sudden loud noises can scare them away.
* They Can Fly: While they spend a lot of time on the ground, turkeys can fly, especially to get into trees to roost at night or to escape danger quickly.
Making your yard a place that respects their senses and behavior is part of creating a wildlife habitat they will use.
Final Thoughts on Attracting Turkeys
Bringing wild turkeys to your yard is about making your space part of their world. It’s not just about putting out food. It’s about making your yard safe, providing water, and offering natural food and shelter through turkey friendly landscaping and native plants that attract turkeys.
Remember the key elements:
* Food: Offer natural options like native plants, or supplement carefully with ground-level feeders using corn, seeds, or grains. Think about best food for wild turkeys that matches their natural diet.
* Water: Provide clean water in a large, shallow ground-level dish or bird bath. Water sources for backyard wildlife are vital.
* Shelter: Offer places to hide in bushes, tall grass, or trees. This meets their need for providing shelter for turkeys.
* Safety: Keep pets away, avoid chemicals, and give them space.
By focusing on wild turkey habitat needs and creating a wildlife habitat that includes features for ground feeding birds like turkeys, you increase your chances of enjoying these magnificent birds right outside your window. Be patient, be safe, and enjoy the process of making your yard more welcoming to wildlife.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Is it okay to feed wild turkeys all the time?
A: It is generally better for wild turkeys to find most of their food naturally. Constant feeding can make them dependent, gather too many birds in one spot (spreading sickness), and attract other unwanted animals. It’s best to feed only small amounts, or just during tough weather, and always check your local rules first.
Q: Will attracting turkeys cause problems with my garden?
A: Turkeys might peck at certain garden plants, especially young greens or berries. If you have a garden, consider putting up a fence around it to protect it, while still allowing turkeys access to other parts of your yard.
Q: What time of day do turkeys visit?
A: Turkeys are most active in the early morning and late afternoon when they look for food.
Q: Can turkeys be dangerous?
A: Wild turkeys are generally not dangerous to people. They are usually shy and will run away if you get too close. However, male turkeys (toms) can sometimes be aggressive during breeding season (spring) or if they have become too used to people and feel threatened. It’s always best to give them space and never approach them.
Q: Do I need a big yard to attract turkeys?
A: You don’t need a huge yard, but your yard should ideally be connected to larger natural areas like woods or fields that turkeys already use. Providing water, food, or shelter in even a smaller yard can help if it’s part of a bigger habitat area.
Q: Will bird feeders attract turkeys?
A: Regular bird feeders on poles are usually too high. Turkeys are ground feeders. You need ground-level feeders or scatter food on the ground to attract them.
Q: How long does it take to attract turkeys?
A: It can take time. Sometimes turkeys find your yard quickly, other times it might take months or even a year. Be patient and keep your yard turkey-friendly.