What can I feed wild turkeys in my yard?

What can I feed wild turkeys in my yard?

Feeding Wild Turkeys the Natural Way

• Plant Native Oaks: Acorns are a key food source for wild turkeys.
• Plant Other Nut and Berry-Producing Plants: In addition to oak acorns, other staples of the wild turkey diet include beech nuts, pecans, hickory nuts, crabapples, and hackberries.

What is the best feed to attract wild turkeys?

Turkeys love acorns and pecans, as well as dogwoods, huckleberries, blueberries, and other fruits found in the understory. Planting food plots: Follow these tips to establish food plots as a supplement to natural forage. Food plots can also be used to increase turkey sightings and harvest success.

What do turkey poults eat in the wild?

Poults grow at rapid rates and require a steady intake of nutritious food, mainly consisting of small insects (beetles, grasshoppers, leafhoppers) which are generally better sources of protein and energy than plant materials.

Do turkeys need light at night?

Turkeys should be spread out and moving around comfortable if they are warm enough. Once your Young turkeys have feathers be sure to keep a light on them at night just in case. This will ensure that they will not get cold, they may not need the light but let them decide.

What do you feed a day old turkey?

Young turkeys need a high protein feed to thrive and grow efficiently. Turkey poults require the most protein during the first eight weeks of life, making a whole grain feed (28% protein) the best option. However, a broiler chicken feed consisting of 23-24% protein is efficient.

How do you encourage wild turkeys?

Food. Turkeys are omnivorous and will sample a wide variety of foods. To attract turkeys to your yard, you can provide them with a large ground feeding station containing cracked corn or mixed birdseed. Turkeys will also happily clean up any spills under hanging feeders you may have up for other birds.

Is it bad to feed wild turkeys?

Don’t feed wild turkeys Most conflicts with turkeys occur in areas where they’re being fed by people. The first step towards resolving conflicts with turkeys is to eliminate sources of food such as direct handouts from people, unsecured garbage, and spilled bird seed.

What is the best thing to plant for turkeys?

Turkeys prefer thinner vegetation when foraging and strutting. Some of the most popular and well known plants for turkeys include agricultural crops like rye, millet, oats, wheat, soybeans and sorghum. Chufa, a plant which forms small underground tubers, is also a favorite of wild turkeys.

What kind of food do you feed a baby turkey?

Baby turkeys need to eat turkey/gamebird starter mash or crumbles, a blend specially formulated for their growth and development. Layer or breeder mash, crumbles, or pellets should never be fed to poults, not even as an emergency ration.

What’s the best way to feed wild turkeys?

Feeding Wild Turkeys the Natural Way. Plant Native Oaks: Acorns are a key food source for wild turkeys. By planting native oaks, like red oak, chestnut oak and black oak, you’ll supply them with plenty of acorns to eat.

When do you start feeding Turkey grower crumbles?

Sprinkling chick grit on their feed also helps prevent pasting. Poults should be fed 28% protein turkey starter until 8 weeks of age. 24-26% protein turkey grower crumbles should be fed after the first 8 weeks until they are approximately 6 months of age.

What do wild turkeys eat in the fall?

Turkeys eat acorns in fall and winter and in many oak forests you can even notice a V-shaped scratching in the leaf litter (a sure sign of wild turkeys). Many other wildlife species rely on acorns as a food source too, so you’ll be feeding more than just turkeys when you plant native oaks.