Were not talking about our delicious Thanksgiving mealwere talking about the wild turkeys that are native to North America. If you live near a woodsy area, you might see these creatures foraging for food. Wild turkeys are omnivores known to eat almost anything. According to the DNR, they can eat more than 100 different food items! Wild turkeys love to chow down on insects and small reptiles. But insects are hard to contain if you want to feed wild turkeys yourself. During the wintertime, turkeys could use some help when looking for food. Here are the top five wild turkey foods that you can obtain:
Cracked Corn-Corn is chocked full of protein and fiber that makes a great wild turkey food. Cracked corn is simply corn that has been dried and broken into pieces. This process makes it easier for wild turkeys to digest. There is also little waste associated with cracked corn. You can purchase corn in bulk, making it relatively inexpensive and it can be kept around your home without spoiling. Since wild turkeys are a ground-feeding type, sprinkling cracked corn in an open area of dirt is a sufficient way to attract them.
Seeds- Another easily attainable food source, seeds provide even more nutrition for wild turkeys. Mixing seeds and cracked corn makes a great spread out meal. Sunflower, milo, and millet are all enjoyable types of seeds to put out for wild turkeys.
Nuts- Acorns are a chosen favorite for wild turkeys. But in the wintertime, acorns can become scarce. Beech and hickory nuts are a great alternative. Stay away from using feeders, though, as wild turkeys can become territorial. Planting bushes and trees that bear nuts is the best way to attract them to your home or property.
Crabapples- Its likely that youve already seen crabapples growing in the nearby woods. Crabapples make great wild turkey food because they are easy to attain and inexpensive to grow.
Leaves- Now dont go and attempt to feed wild turkeys a pile of leaves! Leaving piles of leaves, grit, and gravel attracts the types of small insects and reptiles that wild turkeys eat year round. Grasshoppers, spiders, snails, crickets and slugs are all delicious snacks for our wild friendseven small snakes and frogs. Providing a simple, natural ecosystem for insects and reptiles allows them to prosper.
A good guide to the amount of feed to put out is about two large handfuls of feed per turkey. Make sure to only put feed where you have seen wild turkeys foraging before. Spread feed out as wide as possible to ensure that every turkey has a chance to eat. Always remember to refrain from using pesticides as they can kill helpful insects and harm the wild turkeys.
If you are interested in purchasing corn for wild turkeys or learning about wild turkey food, call Daily Family Farms at (812) 371-5644 or stop by our farm at 3727 N County Road 1050 E, Hope, IN 47246. We package, ship, and sell our various types of fresh corn right to you. Our corn comes in different sizes all the way up to 40-pound bulk cases, all at an affordable price for your home or property.
Approximately two large handfuls of feed per turkey serve as a good guide when determining how much to feed them. Only place feed where you have previously observed wild turkeys foraging. To guarantee that every turkey gets a chance to eat, distribute the feed as widely as you can. Never use pesticides again, as they can harm wild turkeys and kill beneficial insects.
Leaves: Leaves attract the kind of small insects and reptiles that wild turkeys eat all year long, so don’t try feeding them a pile of leaves! Instead, leave piles of leaves, grit, and gravel. Our wild friends love to eat grasshoppers, spiders, snails, crickets, and slugs. Small snakes and frogs also enjoy these delectable treats. Giving insects and reptiles a basic, natural habitat enables them to thrive.
Nuts- Acorns are a chosen favorite for wild turkeys. But in the wintertime, acorns can become scarce. Beech and hickory nuts are a great alternative. But be cautious when using feederswild turkeys can become territorial. To get them to come to your house or property, plant nut-bearing bushes and trees.
Seeds: Another readily available food source that gives wild turkeys even more nutrition is seeds. Cracked corn combined with seeds makes a delicious, spread-out meal. It’s fun to scatter sunflower, milo, and millet seeds for wild turkeys.
We are not referring to our delectable Thanksgiving feast, but rather to the native North American wild turkeys. If you live close to a forest, you may see these animals searching for food. Wild turkeys are omnivores known to eat almost anything. The DNR claims that wild turkeys can consume over 100 different kinds of food! They particularly enjoy eating insects and small reptiles. However, if you want to feed wild turkeys yourself, insects are difficult to contain. In the winter, turkeys could use some assistance finding food. The top five wild turkey foods that you can find are as follows:
We do so love our wild turkeys. Their peculiar appearance makes them resemble dinosaurs more than birds.
Sadly, our big, rowdy flocks make me think of a lone, young male turkey that used to roam the yard of our former home so frequently that we gave him the name Kirk. As Ben Franklin suggested, Kirk the Turk may not have been especially brave. He did, however, frequently brave being in close proximity to our home and dog. Kirk, on the other hand, was a lonesome man who attempted to flock with our hens and our last guinea, Fred. He would spend hours loitering by the hen pen and escorting Fred around it. Fred seemed to think he was better company than the chickens, but the chickens ignored him. Our cats were enthralled with the enormous bird that was twice as big as them as they observed it through the windows.
Tossing out whole or cracked corn in the wintertime attracts wildlife, which is one of the beautiful things about living in the country. The deer arrive at sunset, the opossums start to scavenge at night, and a variety of birds, such as jays, black birds of all kinds, crows, and wild turkeys, visit during the day.
If you want wild turkeys to come visit your area, scatter wild birdseed and/or cracked or whole corn in a spot away from your home where they might find it. I dump the food onto the ground instead of filling the bird feeder. It’s possible that other birds will also be eating this food. But once the turkeys figure it out, they’ll probably keep coming back as long as you’re giving them free food. You can progressively move the food to an area where you can see the turkeys more easily once they begin to visit. Ours is situated quite near to the house, so we can enjoy watching them from the comfort of our living room.
Kirk never slept in our yard at night, but he spent a lot of the summer and early fall there. He would arrive, spend some time with Fred, and then depart once more. He disappeared later that year. Though it’s possible, I hope he avoided becoming a neighbor’s Christmas dinner. Turkeys do gather in flocks during the fall and winter, so it’s equally possible that he joined one of them, similar to the birds that frequently trample through our yard.
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