Bush Turkey

3 Little Ladies · **Joined:** Fri Jun 28, 2013 10:46 pm **Posts:** 21

Hi all,
does anyone else have problems with Bush Turkeys?? They are driving me mad!!! [smilie=a_doh.gif]

I am in Sydney near bushland.
My chooks roam all day free in the backyard so I leave the hutch door open which has their pellets and fresh water and this is attracting the Bush Turkeys...They are scoffing all the pellets and generally scaring the chooks. I am squirting them with a hose every time I see this but this is not a long term solution. I will get a mirror in the back yard apparently this can be effective..

I am considering putting the pellets away during the day to stop the turkeys eating it and putting it back out when I put the chooks in at night - do you think that would be ok?

Chicka-Dee · **Joined:** Tue Jan 17, 2012 11:12 am **Posts:** 1194

I love bush turkeys

They're a great sign that the local Eco system is still acceptable for wild life :-D

One thing about local wild life is that they are very resourceful [smilie=a_goodjobson.gif]

, if they find an easy food source they will keep going back to it over & over until it disappears, then they move on to try & find the next easy food source.

Maybe the trick is to keep moving the food around?

As your girls would be use to going to the same spot for their food source, would also mean they might get a bit confused. conf665

Locking the food away would mean the girls go without as well & you don't want to do that to them do you :?:

Another solution could be to keep the girls in their pen until they've had a good feed every morning & then let/lock them out to forage for the remainder of the day & then at the end of the day lock them back in, say half an hour earlier so they can have another feed before heading off to bed?

Food for thought. Maybe :-D

Cheers

Chicka-Dee

Blak1 · **Posted:** Sun Jun 30, 2013 7:06 pm

You could try one of these:
http://www.nosloc.com/product-information.html

Chicka-Dee · **Joined:** Tue Jan 17, 2012 11:12 am **Posts:** 1194

Hmmm novel idea, not sure how well it would work with mash. conf665

Plus by the look of the video on the website one bully chook can certainly prevent the others from getting access to the food.

My girls at least have the ability to go to the other side of the feeder if they get too close to the bully :-D

Bobkat · **Posted:** Mon Jul 01, 2013 3:07 pm

I'm also in Sydney near bushland and we have several around. The males are building their mounds ready for mating and they are all out and about looking for food and good spots. We have a truckload of mulch in our front garden at present, waiting for us to have the time to move it. A bush turkey has made a crater in the top - trying it out for laying...... Not on my watch!

I also chase them round and out the back garden, generally with the hose on them. But I also move the chicken food away when they are out free ranging. I let them out about 2pm this time of year, so they have plenty of time to eat their layer mash before then. I get them in with scratch about 4.30, put the food back and they normally have another scoff at it before going up to roost. Some people do swear by the treadle feeders, which chickens get used to but other birds don't (not sure if they would eventually work it out).

Good luck!