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View Full Version : Dang, those wild turkeys!!



Mare
06-23-2013, 02:36 AM
We are now up to 12 wild turkeys hanging around the property. They are waiting to feed off the horses left over grain and they pick through horse's poop, in the morning, and are becoming annoying by eating all the leaves off of our garden plants!! They love tomato leaves, melon leaves and Swisschard!
We love these birds, they are beautiful, friendly and all, but they are really not part of my family unit,,until now, I guess!
Dang these turkeys!

Turquoise
06-23-2013, 03:52 AM
:th_loltears: You must go find that 'Free Food & the Owners are friendly' sign the turkeys have out there inviting all the new ones! pretty soon the health dept. will be coming out to inspect your turkey farm thinking you raise them for Thanksgiving Dinner.

It reminds me of when my sister was still alive. She lived in my garage in her travel trailer. She would leave her door open at night to catch a cool breeze. A Momma raccoon came up one night, she could smell the chicken Sis was eating. Sis threw a piece of chicken to the raccoon and she left. The next night Momma came back & brought her 3 babies. Sis told me one night she was engrossed in the movie she was watching & didn't notice Momma raccoon was standing in her trailer by her snack table, reaching for her plate. She got to watch the babies grow up and then more raccoons began to come up plus a mouse & her babies would come to eat the cat food she left out on the steps for her cat. My sister said she heard what she thought was the raccoons one evening, opened the door to talk to them and said it was a skunk standing there looking at her. She said she told 'Mr/Ms Stinky' it had to go find another place to hang out. We all called her Ellie Mae Clampett from the '60s comedy, the Beverly Hillbillies. :th_LOL:

Mare
06-23-2013, 05:54 AM
Yeah, De'Andrea, Ellie Mae is NOT what I was going for! It's all good, though. These birds come in the fall and hang around, usually will leave after breeding season. I don't know why but many have chosen to stay. I actually, take it as a compliment, they're comfortable and consider us family!

Mare
07-16-2013, 10:51 PM
Update; weeks later...
We have NO leaves left on melon, tomato or cucumber plants. I had to pull them yesterday because their fruit was not able to continue :(. This morning when I went to the market, I bought what else I needed to make batches of pesto from the basil that the turkeys didn't touch. My husband watered this morning and informed me, after I got home, that the deer had discovered the basil overnight and there was only small baby leaves left on the plants! They were beautiful, full plants last evening when I watered! :th_crycry: I'm so bummed :(.
Next season, there will definitely be fencing around the gardens!!

Turquoise
07-17-2013, 03:16 AM
Have you thought about turning your property into a wild animal sanctuary. That way you don't have to pay property taxes any longer. If your gonna' insist on feeding the wildlife, ya' might as well cash in on it. You could even start tours of the fowl, flora, fauna & heck, just call it the critter hangout! :th_LOL:

That is so sad, but funny! So I take it the deer figured since you were not picking your basil, you didn't like it either. So they would get it out of your way & you could reseed it with things more to their liking. :th_toofunny:

Mare
07-17-2013, 04:16 AM
I'm seriously bummed :(. But I can see the humor especially when I'm usually the most sarcastic :). Thanks De' for the suggestions but for now I think I will just be bummed :)
God knows, I will get over it! :th_biggrin: