Turkey Trot
By Anne Krantz, Master Gardener and Community Tree Steward
UNH Cooperative Extension
Sunday, January 7, 2009, at about 11:30 a.m., I spotted 30 to 40 turkeys
crossing the field, across our backyard, on to our front yard and up the
street. I got home in time to see them heading into the woods and up the
hill, a swarm of curved dark shapes against the snow. A friend who lives at
the top of the hill next to the oak forest watched them descend on her large
crabapple tree still loaded with apples. The apples are gone now.
These aren’t the first turkeys that have come to visit. Several summers ago
we had what became almost a pet family of turkeys living in the
neighborhood. One morning in mid-June I looked out the kitchen window and
saw what looked like a flock of turtles at the base of a rock in the
hedgerow. Dumbfounded, I stayed glued to the sight and watched the strange
menagerie move across the field toward our garden. As they came closer, I
realized I was watching nine baby turkeys under the watchful eye of the
proud, stately mother.
They grew fast, feasting on field insects. Grasshoppers weren’t a problem
that summer. In about two months they grew to adult size, and it became hard
to distinguish the mother among all the long necks poking above the field
grasses. Although we’d heard turkeys can damage gardens, other than scuffing
up some bare ground, we found no damage. But they did leave a wonderful
collection of turkey feathers.
The turkeys gradually became braver, waddling right up to the house and
circling about the lawn, feeding ravenously. One day in late summer, I
watched in astonishment as they marched up from the garden
across the lawn
right up to our back patio, and hovered about the drive, gazing at the
garage end of our two-story saltbox-style house. Then, with an awkward
fluttering of huge wings, one flew to the ridgepole of the garage, landing
near the weathervane.
Soon all nine were on the roof and proceeded to trot across the breezeway
section of the roof, from which they then jumped to the peak of the main
house. Next, I saw one on top of the chimney. We have a huge maple tree that
soars above the house, and I was totally flabbergasted when one flew up to a
branch in the tree. Cautiously, one after another, they all summoned up the
courage to follow.
The last one was obviously not enthused about the idea, but finally made the
leap from the roof ridgepole. They continued on to adjacent trees where they
were surprisingly well hidden for their night-time roost. By roosting in a
different location every night, turkeys hide from predators.
Checking the N.H. Fish and Game Web site, I learned that 25 turkeys were
re-introduced to New Hampshire in 1975. Today, about 36,000 turkeys live
here. If the flock of 30 really has only one tom, and 29 hens that each lay
10 eggs, with a conservative survival rate of five, we could have 145 more
turkeys next summer plus the 30 parents. That’s 175 turkeys!
Obviously, they’re thriving in our wooded suburban setting, with its
combination of lawns full of insects, native shrubs full of berries, and
mature oak forests producing nutrient-rich acorns. The pond where we saw
them first is fed by small streams flowing off the nearby forest-covered
hill. The stream flows all winter long, icing over only during the most
brutal cold snaps.
I read that turkeys mate in March. Their nests are just hollows in grass on
the ground. Hens lay 10 to 12 eggs; one a day for almost two weeks. The hens
incubate the eggs for 28 days, but are sensitive to disturbances during this
time and will readily abandon a nest. The poults are ready to leave the nest
24 hours after hatching. The poults I saw in mid-June must have been about
four to six weeks old. The poults can fly when they are two or three weeks
old; from then on they will roost in trees at night.
A New York Department of Environmental Conservation pamphlet, The Wild
Turkey in New York, explains how turkeys survive the bitter winter weather:
During the winter, turkeys reduce their range, diminish their daily
activities and often form large flocks. They frequently spend time in valley
farm fields feeding on waste grain and manure spread by the farmers. Spring
seeps, which are usually free of ice and snow, are also favorite feeding
areas. When a severe winter storms strikes, turkeys can spend as much as a
week or more on the roost, waiting the weather out. Studies have shown that
healthy wild turkeys can live up to 2 weeks without food.
Incredible! As I write, my 30 turkeys, stuffed full of crabapples, must be
roosting on tree branches waiting for the sun to break through tomorrow.
That will be a sight to see.
Editor’s note: To help biologists gather data on the health and distribution
of turkeys during the challenging winter months, the state Fish and Game
Department wants to hear from you. If you see a flock of wild turkeys flock
between now and the end of March, report your sighting using the electronic
survey form at
www.wildnh.com/turkeysurvey. Please don’t report multiple sightings of
the same flock.
