What's a good treat for wild turkeys? And how long do the babies stay with the Mother turkey?

Question

We have a mother turkey with 7 babies hanging around our neighborhood and surrounding neighboorhoods (about a 3 mile or so radius). We live on Lake Michigan in a kind of rural area. I think they're attracted to the protection the dunes offer plus it's a heavily wooded area for protection and there's plenty of grasses which I've read is the majority of their diet. I'd like to encourage them to hang around so I've been putting out cracked corn. I know that the deer have been eating it because theirs tons of deer droopings plus hoof prints. Do wild turkeys like cracked corn? What else could I buy at a feed store that they'd like that won't cost a fortune? I don't want to buy them regular turkey food because it's too costly. The babies are almost 1/2 the size of the mom, do you know if they'll probably follow her still throughout the winter? THANKS for any info.!

Answer 1

The corn is just fine. they come up in our barnlot and eat what the cattle dont. You will also find them in crop fields alot. You are doing fine. Im a hunter but the ones that come up to thelot are safe as long as they are there.

They will stay in groups till spring. They will tend to divide into groups of hens and bachelor groups then.

Answer 2

Turkeys LOVE all stock (about 8% protein) sweet grain. Chops, scratch grains, millet, chufa, which is a type of grass, mealworms. So basically what I am saying, they like all sorts of different foods, but these are some of their favorites. :o)

  Yes, normally, the poults will stay with mom throughout the winter and sometimes stay with the clan throughout their lives. The tom and others are probably not too far away either you just don't see them as much or at all. It's sure possible she's out by herself with her babies, but being prey animals, the more the merrier.

Answer 3

See if the feed store has milo turkeys love it and deer don't pay it much attention. The young hens will always hang with there mother. they will go off next spring raise there own clutch of chicks then they will all get together again.