r/turkeys

My three lovely turkeys were hatched out in March. Im having trouble sexing them. What do you think?!

currently taking care of an old neglected hen. she is the sweetest (big) little thing ever. i have been slow blinking at her like i do with my cats AND SHE DOES IT BACK! not sure how similar turkeys are to cats lol but i’m choosing to believe that she understands the trust 🩷 i just slowly blinked at her and now she is falling asleep. so cute. just thought i’d share!

Hello, wild turkeys frequent my yard a lot here in CT. I have a lot of bird feeders so they’re drawn by the food but also there was a spot in the back I’d often find them resting. I used to get two big boys who’d would frequent my yard the most. They always came together and they’d be here every day in the morning and in the evening. I haven’t seen them for almost a month now. The girls still occasionally come, and one just brought her babies with her. Besides the possibility of the boys being hunted 💔 I’m keeping my hopes up that maybe there’s another reason they haven’t been around and will come back? Sorry I don’t know much about turkeys, any insight would be appreciated. Thank you.

Anyone had this problem & have any suggestions , my neighbor has a peacock that comes out & hands out daily . They live 1/4 mile away he used to sneak off & go home nightly . Now my turkeys are following him home & I've had to go get them 2 nights in a row
James Kaufer

Hi all, does this look like fowl pox? I noticed these scabs on her wattle about a week ago and isolated her from the flock. The others show no symptoms. She does not seem to be feeling bad, she behaves normal and eats and drinks. I’ve been giving her vitamins daily in her drinking water, anything else I can do? Thanks in advance!

Hi turkey fans! I've seen several posts of pet turkeys here and thought it's time to introduce our Vivian! During pandemic lockdown, I was working at an animal care facility that remained open. An individual found a "baby chicken" on the side of the road & drove 50 miles to deliver baby. He said everywhere else was closed. Baby chick went to an enclosure in the poultry & waterbird room. I can't remember when I decided to bring her home (we had & have chickens), but I was back at work when my wife texted she didn't think it was a baby chick (1st pic). And she wasn't! We had a baby turkey, and that baby is still our baby. She's been an amazing addition to our farm/zoo/mayhem.

She keeps the actual chickens in line. She keeps them safe. She chased off a fox! We've learned to pay attention to her sounds. She's alerted us several times to copperheads (we don't kill them, just encourage them to move on). If we're having an important conversation, she stands right by us & becomes very attentive. She can be big bird mad at us, but if we start doing a leg/foot inspection, she gets serious & allows it to happen. I can go on forever about her.

We have over 40 turkeys on 5 acres. We sell eggs from a stand at the end of the drive.This year I bought chicks from tractor supply in the spring. 34 to be precise. At the time it seemed like a good idea. We were selling out of eggs every day and I just can't hatch enough turkey poults to keep up with demand from the stand. Yet in the end it means I killed my flock. I've never heard of blackhead until a couple weeks ago. But now I'm painfully aware. 4 turkeys died in quick succession. We had a necropsy done. And the result? Preliminary says almost certain blackhead. I culled another 4 today to save them the pain and suffering. The rest of my flock will quickly be processed even though they do not show signs or symptoms. Because this is a persistent "plague". I haven't felt this kind of regret and sadness for such a long time. No help to ask for. No cute post. Just need to state it out loud. I truly hope none of you share my fate.

My new best friend

I live in suburban south Florida. A few days ago, we came home and a turkey (I think???) was chilling by my pool. It has come and gone from my yard since then and I’ve seen it around the neighborhood while walking my dog. Is this an escaped pet???? I have lived in this area for 20 years and have never seen a wild turkey.

Thankfully my toes made it out unscathed, I can’t say the same for the glove though.

Also the verdict is still out on if it’s a he or she, if y’all have any insight I would love to hear it!

Don't mind his crusty snood. He had been fighting with his brother (all friends again now).