# Help-raising wild turkeys



## designer (Aug 19, 2004)

I have 5 wild turkeys, DH ran over the hen with the tractor mowing a field, put the eggs in the incubator and all hatched. They have done well in a small tote covered with wire in the house. They have wing feathers and are too big for the tote now, they grow fast! Only about 2 weeks.(and smell) So I put them out in my chick brooder, it is a 2x4ft house with a light outside, very secure. 

Well they went crazy in there. Running back and forth along the walls and hiding behind the waterer away from the light. I checked in this morning, hoping they would have settled down. All are still hiding behind the waterer. I am afraid they will not stay warm enough and not start back eating. Any suggestions on what to do? Should I bring them back in for another week?


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## farmrbrown (Jun 25, 2012)

I don't have much advice for you on trying to raise these birds and keep them, but there was a fascinating show on PBS on a man who did, at least for a while. It's about an hour, and even if you're disappointed in the outcome, I think you'll learn a lot.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/my-life-as-a-turkey/full-episode/7378/


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## Allen W (Aug 2, 2008)

They can be very flighty. You might shut them down into a smaller area if you can. Once they are mostly feathered they can do well with less heat then one would think.

If you have turkeys in the area they will eventually leave with them.


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## KSALguy (Feb 14, 2006)

if the sides are open wire and they are used to an enclosed tote try covering the sides with plastic or something to make them feel secure,


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## Jan in CO (May 10, 2002)

Domestic turkeys are about the dumbest birds on the planet, so wild ones probably aren't much brighter. They get frightened with everything. I would make the new brooder as close to what they were used to as possible and hope for the best. Good luck!


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## Fire-Man (Apr 30, 2005)

designer said:


> I have 5 wild turkeys, DH ran over the hen with the tractor mowing a field, put the eggs in the incubator and all hatched. They have done well in a small tote covered with wire in the house. They have wing feathers and are too big for the tote now, they grow fast! Only about 2 weeks.(and smell) So I put them out in my chick brooder, it is a 2x4ft house with a light outside, very secure.
> 
> Well they went crazy in there. Running back and forth along the walls and hiding behind the waterer away from the light. I checked in this morning, hoping they would have settled down. All are still hiding behind the waterer. I am afraid they will not stay warm enough and not start back eating. Any suggestions on what to do? Should I bring them back in for another week?


I have raised some and even when they were grown they were still scared of about everything. I would just hang something dark around the cage you got them in----leaving a section open. They will feel more secure. I would keep opening up a little more of this cage as days go by. When mine were adults they would go into the darker coop when I entered the chicken yard. They did calm down alot. I mainly fed mine live crickets and cracked corn. Its not hard to raise crickets.


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## Jennifer L. (May 10, 2002)

Two weeks is very young to be out of the house. These are still very young birds and with no mother to brood them, they've been taken from where they feel secure and put into a situation where they don't feel that way. I would never take a turkey poult outside before they were a good month old.


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## Fire-Man (Apr 30, 2005)

Jennifer L. said:


> Two weeks is very young to be out of the house. These are still very young birds and with no mother to brood them, they've been taken from where they feel secure and put into a situation where they don't feel that way. I would never take a turkey poult outside before they were a good month old.


Hey Jennifer. Isn't a brooder with heat "Kinda" taking the place of a mother hen. I have raised 100's of one day old chicks outside in a brooder with no problems-----even in the winter(we do have mild winters here). I have went out and checked on a few day old batch and had ice hanging off the brooder cover with them as snug as can be inside.


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## designer (Aug 19, 2004)

The brooder is enclosed, a box with a small ventilation section at the top, maybe 5" by the width of the box. Sealable doors. They have a light but are staying away from it. The days are in the 80s and very humid lots of rain. 
Found one dead today. I put in the divider so the box is now half the size. Hopefully it will keep them closer to the light.


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## Fire-Man (Apr 30, 2005)

Mine started dying and I figured out they were starving to death. Did not seem to want the chick feed, so I went and got them some crickets----they would snatch them out my hand. I started feeding them crickets and scratch/cracked corn. At the same time one or two died a Old Timer told me to put some sand in the brooder in a container---He said they needed the grit and could not get it in a cage. I do not know if they needed it or not... I just know no more died.


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## designer (Aug 19, 2004)

I added chick grit to the feed the first few days. They were eating the chick starter in the house. I didn't realise the change would be so much more stressful to them then chicks. If I was to bring them back in the house it would be just as stressful I would think, like a new place all over. 
maybe wild things are just not meant to be raised. :sob:


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## KSALguy (Feb 14, 2006)

wild things can be raised if you are very careful, a lot of times turkey poults are raised with a chick or two to show food and water and help keep them calm, but you can do it with out all that, I do like the idea of getting crickets or even meal worms to feed them, something that moves and attracts their attention and is full of good protein,


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## designer (Aug 19, 2004)

reducing the space did help. haven't lost anymore. the feeder was low so they have eaten some.


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## DarleneJ (Jan 29, 2012)

I would think game bird starter would have more protein than chick starter. The poster who mentioned crickets was right because bugs are high in protein. Worm, crickets, mealworms, whatever you can find.


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## K Epp (Jan 7, 2013)

If they are staying out of the light run a bulb in a LG metal coffee can with small dime size holes in it turned up in a terracotta dish. This will heat them with out the light. The guy I got mine from told me yo do that because to much light can cause them to pick each others feathers.


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## designer (Aug 19, 2004)

I picked up some Flock Raiser, only thing local that is for turkeys. I had to take the divider out, they were flying over it getting stuck on the side with no water/feed. But they are eating because the feeder was almost empty. So hopefully they are getting used to the brooder.
Can't find bugs, it won't stop raining!


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## DarleneJ (Jan 29, 2012)

Look under rocks and boards, anything that is lying on the ground. Also, worms always surface when it rains, check on roads, sidewalks and driveways.

The most important thing is getting their protein up which you've done with the turkey feed. Good job.


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## KSALguy (Feb 14, 2006)

petsmart sells crickets cheep, bug zappers work good too,


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## Allen W (Aug 2, 2008)

I've raised them several times, for some reason a bigger bunch seems easier then just a few. When you turn them out the little buggers can fly right out of any hole they can fit through.

There is always a marker nearby a wild turkey nest, for the ones we have here any way. It may be a nearby tree, an old weed clump, a bare spot or about any thing slightly different then the surrounding vegetation.


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## DarleneJ (Jan 29, 2012)

Designer, I'd like to hear about how your experience with the wild turkeys is progressing if you have a moment? How are they now, what did you learn along the way? Thanks. Darlene


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## Fire-Man (Apr 30, 2005)

DarleneJ said:


> Designer, I'd like to hear about how your experience with the wild turkeys is progressing if you have a moment? How are they now, what did you learn along the way? Thanks. Darlene


 Yea----Me Too!


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## Tiempo (May 22, 2008)

Bumping this thread as I have wild turkeys hatching in my hatcher right now, a hay man called me to get the eggs after he ran over the nest about a week and a half ago.

Any advice welcome.


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## Fire-Man (Apr 30, 2005)

Tiempo said:


> Bumping this thread as I have wild turkeys hatching in my hatcher right now, a hay man called me to get the eggs after he ran over the nest about a week and a half ago.
> 
> Any advice welcome.


 Get some crickets/bugs ready---LOL. Good Luck!!


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## chickenista (Mar 24, 2007)

Ok...

First thing is to put something green on their feed.
The feed needs to be a little bit moist too.
They are drawn to the color green.. finely, finely, finely chop some chickweed or even spinach and put it on their feed.

And then they need to bond with you.
They need eye contact and some physical contact too.

Also, put a radio with them so that they can hear human voices at all times.
It helps with the bonding process as well.
And you should spend a LOT of time with them.
It would be best if you could bring them inside in a Rubbermaid tote for a while.

If they don't get a chance to bond with you/recognize you as a mother, then they will continue to freak out completely every time you come near them and will eventually all die.


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## Tiempo (May 22, 2008)

Three are hatched, the other four are pipped. I'll brood them in a clear tote on the laundry room which is open to the kitchen. Always busy in there and a radio on most of the time.

At what age should I start crickets?


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## Fire-Man (Apr 30, 2005)

Tiempo said:


> At what age should I start crickets?


 First Day should be good, even though they can go a couple days without eating. A mother hen would grab a live cricket and kill it while calling the babies----if the cricket was to big she would even tear the cricket into pieces for them---------Remember NOW you are The Mother Hen----Get Busy. LOL


Put a few torn up crickets on top of some good chick feed---this will get them started. In a few days you can just drop a few live crickets(with back legs removed) into the brooder(plastic tote) they will know what to do with them. Then in a few more days mine would eat them out my hand. I also added a little sand to the side of their feed for some grit. Have Fun.


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## aart (Oct 20, 2012)

Oh, how interesting.....do let us know how it goes!


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## DarleneJ (Jan 29, 2012)

Pics, please!!

Can't believe how excited I am about YOUR baby wild turkeys!!

How many eggs were there? How many hatched out?

Sounds like the mama was able to do most of the work for you since they hatched so quickly.


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## Tiempo (May 22, 2008)

I should have got crickets in town this morning, I thought it'd be a few more days. Anything I can gather from the garden for them? I can drive back to town if necessary. 

Would meal worms make a good substitute? I can get tubs of bait worms in the village.


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## Tiempo (May 22, 2008)

DarleneJ said:


> Pics, please!!
> 
> Can't believe how excited I am about YOUR baby wild turkeys!!
> 
> ...


He had 8 eggs, one was already a dud, looked like it clearly was before he found them, maybe 3 or 4 days dead in the shell. I set the remaining seven and seven hatched!

They are incredible, they have long, shafted primaries coming in while still wet in the incubator!

Pics and video coming soon


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## Tiempo (May 22, 2008)

How about scrambled egg, can I feed them some?


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## Tiempo (May 22, 2008)

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-86Kqwpl0kg&feature=youtu.be[/ame]


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## DarleneJ (Jan 29, 2012)

Sweet! Thank you. They are so amazing.

Scrambled egg wouldn't harm them. Egg yolk from hard boiled egg would be higher in protein.

And congratulations!


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## Tiempo (May 22, 2008)

I dropped them off at the wildlife center today, they'll be raised by people who really know what they're doing....it's fabulous place.

I asked them (the in house vet and the tech) if they are in need of volunteers who are used to handling birds and they about hugged me they are so busy right now, I'm going to talk to the volunteer coordinator on Friday so hopefully I'll still be able to see them grow up and help other wild birds too 

I hope it pans out, it'll be a great learning experience for me.


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## aart (Oct 20, 2012)

Tiempo said:


> I dropped them off at the wildlife center today, they'll be raised by people who really know what they're doing....it's fabulous place.
> 
> I asked them (the in house vet and the tech) if they are in need of volunteers who are used to handling birds and they about hugged me they are so busy right now, I'm going to talk to the volunteer coordinator on Friday so hopefully I'll still be able to see them grow up and help other wild birds too
> 
> I hope it pans out, it'll be a great learning experience for me.


Oh, that's Cool!! I think I remember that you are on the east side of the state....which wildlife center?


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## Tiempo (May 22, 2008)

The Howell Nature Center aart, it's a beautiful place.


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