Prevent conflicts with turkeys

Wild turkeys thrive close to people in suburban and urban areas. Follow these best practices to prevent conflicts with turkeys.
Wild turkeys in the road

Turkeys are extremely common in residential and other areas when they can easily find food, like seed from bird feeders or from intentional feeding by residents. Turkeys that are regularly fed by people eventually become indifferent, or habituated, to humans. In some cases, turkeys can then develop bold or aggressive behavior towards people. This change in behavior can happen over time when turkeys repeatedly receive food in close proximity to people and lose their natural fear of humans. Once bold behavior is established, it is very difficult to change. When communities join together and take simple actions outlined below, problem turkey behavior can be minimized or prevented. 

Never feed turkeys

Never intentionally feed turkeys

Keep wildlife wild! Wild turkeys (and nearly all wildlife) tend to avoid humans. Turkeys can survive and thrive eating natural foods and do not need handouts from people. Intentional feeding creates unnaturally high concentrations of turkeys in neighborhoods that can cause a variety of problems. When turkeys rely on human-based food sources, they don’t have to travel across the landscape in search of natural foods and instead stay in relatively small areas within neighborhoods. This can cause turkeys to lose their fear of people and develop aggressive behaviors. These unnaturally large groups can also spread disease among birds and lead to messes in yards and on roofs. 

Turkeys that repeatedly challenge or attack people may ultimately have to be lethally removed. To avoid these consequences, remember to secure all food sources and never intentionally feed wildlife. 

Remove bird feeders

Wild turkeys at bird feeder

Bird feeders draw wild turkeys, coyotes, foxes, bears, and other wildlife into residential areas and near people. Bird feeders also create unnatural feeding sites where disease can easily spread from sick to healthy animals. MassWildlife recommends removing bird feeders and instead growing native plants, shrubs, and trees and adding a water feature to attract birds. These alternative actions may increase the diversity of birds you see and will prevent the issues associated with feeding turkeys in highly populated areas.   

Aggressive turkeys

Wild turkeys that become accustomed to humans and human-associated foods, like bird seed, are likely to lose their fear and attempt to dominate people. You should haze or harass an aggressive turkey by:

  • Using dominant body language by standing your ground or moving aggressively toward the turkeys.
  • Keeping the turkeys in front of you at all times. Never turn your back to aggressive turkeys or run away from them as turkeys will view this as submissive behavior.
  • Making yourself look larger by raising your hands above your head, holding open your jacket, opening and closing an umbrella, etc.
  • Making loud noises by shouting or using an air horn.
  • Swatting a broom, spraying water from a hose, or using a leaf blower in their direction.
  • Deterring the turkey with a dog on a leash.  

Cover windows and shiny objects

Turkeys may act aggressively toward shiny objects, like windows and vehicles, where they see their own reflection. Since the reflection does not disappear when the turkey confronts it, the bird will often continue to display towards or attack the reflection until changing light conditions cause it to vanish. If a turkey is pecking at a shiny object, cover or disguise the object.

Addressing nuisance behavior and property damage

Protect your lawn and garden

Turkeys will scratch into the soil for grubs and insects, especially from mid-summer through early fall. Fencing off affected areas can be useful, and netting can be used to exclude turkeys from gardens. Visual deterrents can also be effective. Some residents opt to use a lawn pesticide to remove the grubs that can attract turkeys. Turkeys can become comfortable around people and houses, so it’s important to remove attractants and harass turkeys to reestablish and reinforce their natural fear of humans. 

Roosting and feces

Turkeys “roost” or spend the night in large trees to avoid predators. Roost sites often occur near the top of a hill or in large trees. Turkeys typically choose to roost in the same tree(s) for extended periods of time, which leads to the accumulation of feces. If turkeys are roosting on your property, be sure to remove food sources. Turkeys may be getting food from neighboring properties, so it’s important for communities to tackle these problems together. Turkeys roost where they feel secure. To change roosting behavior, harass birds on the ground or when roosted as much as possible with loud noises, water sprayed from a hose, or a leashed dog.  

Nesting and poults

Following breeding season (March – May), hens begin to lay eggs and hatching occurs about 28 days after the start of incubation. Turkey nests and eggs are protected under Massachusetts General Law, but if a hen is nesting on your property, you can harass the turkey to encourage her to nest elsewhere. 

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