Ask Dr. Tom
BREAKING UP ISN'T HARD TO DO.
I have a flock of turkeys that have taken up residence in my yard. They are roosting in the trees above my front porch and car and leaving a mess of turkey droppings. I have young children, and we have to be very careful where we step so we don’t get in the poop. I need some suggestions on how to make them move on! Please help me!
Julie Brown
Somerville, Ala.
It is unusual that a wild turkey flock would roost that close to your home. Wild turkeys generally do not like a lot of human activity and tend to roost in more undisturbed areas.
Usually when wild turkeys behave like that, someone is feeding them regularly. When this happens, wild turkeys can become accustomed to people. If someone is feeding them, removing the food source should encourage the turkeys to leave.
In addition, you could disturb the turkeys by walking under the roost trees and making loud noises after they fly up. A combination of lack of food and regular evening disturbances should help solve your problem.
Dr. Tom’s note: In a follow up phone call, Julie said, “The birds have finally moved on and no longer roost in my yard. Thanks!”
Also, in the September/October issue, I said that white turkeys occur one in a 100,000 birds. I meant one in 10,000. The editors could not read my turkey scratch!
Have a question for Dr. Tom?
Send us your Dr. Tom question in 300 words or less. We may run it in an upcoming issue. Photos are welcome, as well. Only questions from NWTF members will be published. We also reserve the right to publish submissions on this Web site.