# What to feed turkeys?



## windknot (Jul 22, 2001)

I've got a mamma turkey and 7 turklets that wander through my back yard garden every day between 10:30 and Noon. (They just went through). 

What can I sprinkle on the ground in the garden just as a supplement to what they're pecking up (we've watched them since they were little bitty hatchlings and they've grown quite big now) in the garden. I'm not hunting them, hell, I dont even know if they're eating bugs or seeds out of the garden (I had lots of pepper plants). I just thought it'd be nice to supplement their nibbling with a little treat as a way of saying "thanks for the show" every morning. I dont want to drop a lot for a couple of reasons - 1. The deer 2. I dont want them becoming dependent on us for their next meal. 

Any suggestions? What do turkeys like for a late morning snack???


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## Linda G. (Mar 28, 2002)

They love common thistle seed, sunflower seed, and cracked or shelled corn, in that order. if the poults are smaller, go with the smaller seed species. But if you don't want them "growing dependent" on you, don't feed them at all. It's not that they would be dependent on you, they simply become used to finding feed there, and since that's much easier than foraging for themselves, they're there every day. They still know how to find their own food, of course, but why should they bother, when they've got you. Sort of like if you had someone willing to cater your dinner every night, why would you cook? Same thing.

Whatever you do, don't start feeding them now, then quit because you're away in the winter, sick of feeding them, or just no longer interested. That can be very bad news, especially if you do it when winter's starting or already underway.


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## windknot (Jul 22, 2001)

Thanks Linda,

I appreciate the quick reply - I'll have the discussion with Fair Wife (who has named all 8 of the "turk-a-lurks" as she calls them. We go through a couple hundred pounds of bird seed now with all her feeders at the house and cottage (father-in-law fills the cottage ones when we're not there) so the commitment issue wouldn't be a problem for her...

I'll make sure she understands all the time or none of the time. 

Thanks again!!!


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## Linda G. (Mar 28, 2002)

You don't have to feed them forever once you start, just don't STOP in the middle of the winter...you can quit once the snow's melting. In fact, we recommend that you NOT feed them during the spring, summer and fall months as predation can become an issue when the other wild critters get used to them being there EVERY day, like clockwork, and occasionally, disease can be an issue, too, or so I'm told, although I've never seen a sick wild turkey, ever.


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## MERGANZER (Aug 24, 2006)

Thistle seed is one thing but shelled corn is another. You cannot spread shelled corn on the ground cause the deer will eat it and if you are in the Saginaw Valley area that is illegal. Linda knows better than to suggest such illegal activity.

Ganzer


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## Linda G. (Mar 28, 2002)

Yes, I certainly do, Merganzer, that's why I said feeding turkeys. You can put feed anywhere you like, on the ground, in a tree, in a feeder, anywhere-ask any CO-you just can't feed deer. That's what the law says. 

It doesn't say putting corn on the ground means you're feeding deer, or that you're trying to attract deer. 

And lots of people are still putting corn on the ground, all over the state.

Oh, and btw, deer will eat thistle..they'll eat ANYTHING if they're hungry enough.


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## MERGANZER (Aug 24, 2006)

Linda G. said:


> Yes, I certainly do, Merganzer, that's why I said feeding turkeys. You can put feed anywhere you like, on the ground, in a tree, in a feeder, anywhere-ask any CO-you just can't feed deer. That's what the law says.
> 
> It doesn't say putting corn on the ground means you're feeding deer, or that you're trying to attract deer.
> 
> ...


 
Uh whatever you say Linda. Don't think the CO will see it that way though. You can tell em its for elephants too if ya want cause there is no law against feeding elephants right.

Ganzer


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## Linda G. (Mar 28, 2002)

It's already been cleared with every CO in the state. If they see a deer eating that corn, you're in violation of the law. If they see a turkey eating that corn, you're feeding turkeys. 

For the record, the MWTHA makes every effort possible to avoid making any type of TURKEY FEED available to deer-we elevate feeders onto platforms or trailers or other things deer can't reach up on, or we clean up the feed as soon as the turkeys are done feeding.

We don't want to feed deer anyway, it's too expensive.


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## hplayer13 (Nov 3, 2008)

I truly do not believe that every CO in the state would not give you a fine if they saw corn on the ground. Whether there is a deer/turkey at the "bait pile" or not, you're in big trouble. Easiest way to avoid this is a. don't use corn b. elevate your bait c. don't bait at all


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## webfarmer (Apr 5, 2005)

Linda G. said:


> It's already been cleared with every CO in the state. If they see a deer eating that corn, you're in violation of the law. If they see a turkey eating that corn, you're feeding turkeys.
> 
> For the record, the MWTHA makes every effort possible to avoid making any type of TURKEY FEED available to deer-we elevate feeders onto platforms or trailers or other things deer can't reach up on, *or we clean up the feed as soon as the turkeys are done feeding.*
> 
> We don't want to feed deer anyway, it's too expensive.


I understand constructing and using elevated feeders for winter stress feeding - that makes the most sense. But to clean up after the turkeys are done feeding? I suspect this is very small scale like backyard feeding. However, based on last years baiting threads, some guy got a ticket, if I recall correctly, from a couple corn kernels found on the ground near a bird feeder or something (had to been during deer season I bet). No matter how you look at it, corn isn't the wisest thing you could use today. Because people are spreading it all over the state doesn't mean you won't get in trouble either. Linda did say it was the last choice initially. Maybe a better response would have been: "yes, you're right - not the best choice" instead of defending it? What do I know anyway..... Good luck with your turklets as you call them. I've seen more this year then ever!


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## Linda G. (Mar 28, 2002)

I've had a couple of chats with a couple of people in high places in DNR Law Enforcement. So have a lot of other people involved with wildlife feeding in this state. And the DNR told us all the same thing-as long as we are making every effort not to feed the deer, it doesn't matter how we feed. Or what we feed. You just can't feed the deer. 

And it's easy to clean up what's left after they eat from the ground, and yes, most people are feeding the turkeys right out their back doors because in the dead of winter, that's where the birds often end up-under back yard bird feeders. So the people put more food down and if they deal with us for corn, we tell them to put down 1/4 pound of corn per bird per day...which is a set amount of corn. Do that, and there won't be anything left over at all. 

The birds show up to be fed every morning between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. (within an hour of dawn) and then come back between 2:30 and 4 p.m. (within two hours of dusk) every day. That's the way turkeys are all over the state. So you put the corn down either just before they show up or when they actually appear, and you only put down just what the program calls for. 

It works fine. We did that in more than 1000 locations all over northern Michigan, from Bay City north to Mackinaw, all last winter, and it worked great. No tickets were issued to anyone that I'm aware of that was genuinely feeding turkeys. 

Barrels are put out on platforms or up on trailers or on some kind of elevated platform of some type, there's all types, whatever works is fine, in places where there's no people around or where people like me had multiple birds in multiple locations to feed. 

It's the cheats they ticketed...and they knew who those people were. We helped as much as we could.

Putting corn on the ground is not illegal...feeding deer is illegal...again...putting corn or any other type of grain on the ground is not illegal...feeding deer is illegal. 

You have to remember that in many areas, there aren't any deer at all around that immediate area in the winter. They do migrate, even in the NLP, from high windy areas to lower more sheltered areas, etc. It's not hard to know where those areas are, and aren't, when you live up here every day all winter. And if you have deer around you, they're going to be there whether you're feeding or not-they're feeding on your shrubbery, the bushes, anything at all. Landscaping trees and shrubs are right up there on a deer's preferred list-ask anyone who didn't wrap their bushes last winter...LOL And if you know you have deer problems, you just have to be careful. 

BAITING is when there's food on the ground during the DEER SEASONS in an area where hunting can be done. Putting corn out in your backyard within a safety zone or when a flock of turkeys are standing there from January-April is NOT baiting. Again, if the deer are there, and food is present, where deer can get at it, then you're liable to get a ticket. You have to be careful. 


We don't start our corn programs till January 1, at least, every year. And we don't feed deer, period. We do everything we can to work with the ban on deer feeding and baiting...and the DNR is fine with us. And all the people, thousands of them, who feed the turkeys every winter and make sure they are there for turkey hunters every spring.


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## hplayer13 (Nov 3, 2008)

Putting corn out on the ground is NOT illegal, but putting corn out on the ground for deer IS illegal....OK Linda because we sure know that deer can't be in the same area as turkeys. THERES DEER EVERYWHERE!!! Hell theres deer everywhere in the city's now. You can't avoid feeding deer if you put corn on the ground, anywhere, plain and simple. I'm not that worried about getting a ticket because I don't and won't follow these "grey areas" but I just don't think it's fair that people will look on this forum and because of your "authority" and connections you say you have with the DNR they get tickets because of your poor judgement


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## glockman55 (Mar 9, 2006)

Make sure you put your feeders up high enough..


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## mak (Apr 19, 2009)

My neighbor puts bird seed out in her feeders for birds. I sit in my kitchen late at night with night vision scope and watch the deer empty her bird feeder of seed.

Neighbors told me that bears make the rounds of the houses with bird feeders south of me eating the seed also, though I haven't seen it, myself. Though I have seen the tracks.


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## k9wernet (Oct 15, 2007)

Linda G. said:


> The birds show up to be fed every morning between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. (within an hour of dawn) and then come back between 2:30 and 4 p.m. (within two hours of dusk) every day.


Funny, I had a cat that did the same thing. Must've been a wild cat. Do these "wild" turkeys (which only survive the winter because we feed them) like to be scratched under the chin, excuse me, snood, as much as 'Lil Whiskers did?

Boy I miss that cat... Dang yotes caught on to his feeding habits and that was that!

KW


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## k9wernet (Oct 15, 2007)

Linda G. said:


> ...predation can become an issue when the other wild critters get used to them being there EVERY day, like clockwork...





Linda G. said:


> ...The birds show up to be fed every morning between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. (within an hour of dawn) and then come back between 2:30 and 4 p.m. (within two hours of dusk) every day. That's the way turkeys are all over the state...


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