What do turkey farmers feed turkeys?
- Low-quality chicken feed. Turkeys require more protein than chickens do, therefore, a simple chicken feed will not contain the nutrition that a turkey needs.
- Other Livestock Feeds.
- Dried/Raw Beans.
- Avocados.
- Fruit Pits and Seeds.
- Tomato and Eggplant Leaves.
- Raw Meat.
- Onions.
What to feed a Turkey?
- 2 plain rice cakes, such as Lundberg’s
- 1 4-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled
- 5 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 jalapeno, stem and seeds removed
- 1 large bunch of cilantro
- ¼ cup fish sauce
- 7 to 10 ounces rice noodles
- 2 pounds ground turkey
- Salt
- ¼ cup full-fat coconut milk*
What do turkeys like to eat?
Winter:
- hemlock buds
- clubmosses
- evergreen ferns
- burdock
What do turkeys eat for Thanksgiving?
- Season: Turkeys, like all animals, select food sources that are most abundant and easiest to reach. ...
- Geography: A bird's location greatly influences the foods it can find. ...
- Age: Young wild turkeys can forage for themselves very quickly, and the hen will lead her brood to the best available food sources. ...
What can you feed wild turkeys?
Acorns, hickory nuts, beechnuts, or walnuts, either cracked open or swallowed whole. Seeds and grain, including spilled birdseed or corn and wheat in agricultural fields. Berries, wild grapes, crabapples, and other small fruits. Small reptiles including lizards and snakes.
Is bread okay for turkeys?
Can turkeys eat bread? Yes, turkeys can eat bread. Bread is good food for turkeys, nutritionally, and it's best to feed bread to turkeys occasionally but there are some toxic effects of feeding the moldy bread. Make sure to not put the moldy bread on turkeys and other poultry birds.
What is the best feed for turkeys?
FEED turkeys cracked or whole kernel corn, sunflower seeds, oats, wheat, or non-medicated commercial poultry or turkey rations. FEED turkeys daily by broadcasting food at a rate of 2 large handfuls (or 1/2 cup) per turkey per day.
What human food can you feed turkeys?
Turkeys like to eat the growing tips of the grass. They will also enjoy any kitchen or garden scraps: lettuce, tomatoes, sweet corn, summer squash, and so on.
Can turkeys eat table scraps?
Turkeys, like most poultry, will readily accept scraps and leftovers, but as their caretaker, it is up to you to know which foods are safe for your flock. This is an excellent summertime treat to offer your turkeys as it can help keep them hydrated even on the hottest days.
Can turkeys eat carrots?
Turkeys love to pick at natural plants. They will consume all sorts of leaves and grasses. You can also feed your turkey various vegetable plants like lettuce, cabbage, carrot leaves, and much more.
What should you not feed turkeys?
Here is some food that you should not feed to turkeys:Low-Quality chicken feed.Dairy foods.Onions.Raw meat.Chocolate.Processed foods.Fruit pits and seeds.Tomato and eggplant leaves.More items...
What is a wild turkeys favorite food?
Preferred foods of wild turkeys Generally, turkeys thrive in and near mature forests that produce abundant amounts of mast, the fruits and nuts of woody plants. In the spring, they tend to eat leaves and grasses, and in the fall, they feed more on fruits, berries, seeds and insects.
Where do wild turkeys sleep in the winter?
treesWild turkeys love to sleep in trees during winter. Most times, they stay in areas where food is easily accessible. During the day, they hunt for food and rest up in the trees at night. Domesticated turkeys sleep in brooders in enclosed pens.
Can turkeys eat rice?
Birds eat rice during migration all the time, and they do just fine. While the rumor that eating rice kills birds isn't true, fact is it's been so popular that the rumor has pretty much killed the tradition of throwing rice at weddings.
Do turkeys eat oats?
Turkeys love cracked corn, oats, and ryegrass.
How do turkeys drink water?
While the Eastern wild turkey can get most of its water from dew and insects, western turkeys such as the Rio Grande and Merriam's do not have that luxury. These birds can be found in arid parts of the plains states and must have free standing water to survive.
Which kind of bread is good for turkeys?
The kind of bread that is good for turkeys is fresh bread and unprocessed bread.
Why should you feed turkeys bread?
Bread like whole grain bread which is one of the best bread you can give your turkeys is packed with nutrients.
Why should you not feed turkeys bread?
Bread is a good treat for your turkeys as long as they are fed occasionally.
Written by Alex Kountry
Alex Kountry is the founder of HayFarmGuy and has been a backyard farmer for over 10 years. Since then he has decided to write helpful articles that will help you become a better backyard farmer and know what to do. He also loves to play tennis and read books
Discover the Diet of a Wild Turkey
Turkeys are common guests on the dinner table, particularly for holiday meals such as Thanksgiving and Christmas, but what would wild turkeys eat if they could plan the menu? Learning about turkeys' preferred foods can help birders better understand these birds' foraging habits and where to find turkeys throughout the year when different food sources are available..
Foods They Eat
Wild turkeys are opportunistically omnivorous, which means they will readily sample a wide range of foods, both animal and vegetable. They forage frequently and will eat many different things, including:
How They Eat
Wild turkeys forage constantly, always seeking out a new meal or snack. They are most frequently found feeding for several hours in the early morning just after sunrise, and will also feed more actively several hours before darkness.
How Their Diet Varies
Though turkeys will eat many different things, their diets can be influenced by a number of factors, such as:
Feeding Turkeys
Wild turkeys are not common as backyard birds, but birders who live near wooded areas may find these large game birds foraging near their feeders. To provide an adequate feeding area for wild turkeys:
Commercial Turkey Feed
For the small flock owner, purchasing bags of commercial turkey feed is often the easiest and most cost-effective way to ensure your turkeys are getting the best nutrition. These bags are readily found at local feed stores and are often labeled as gamebird feed.
Custom Mixed Turkey Feed
Mixing your own feed ration can be the best option if you want to focus on a more cost-effective sole ingredient to provide the right nutrients or if you have a larger flock and prepackaged bags of feed are not enough. Additionally, mixing your own ration can be a great way to ensure your flock is receiving only organic or antibiotic-free grains.
Feeding Turkeys for Optimal Growth
If you are raising meat turkeys and need a quick boost of healthy weight gain, there are a variety of feeds you can offer to help get your birds to harvest size in a short amount of time. Turkeys, in general, have a much higher protein requirement than other poultry, especially when they are young and growing.
What Is Fermented Feed?
Fermenting is a way to take advantage of lactic acid fermentation in your commercial or custom mixed turkey rations. It is a simple and highly effective way to make digestion easier on your flock, leading to larger-sized birds with less feed required.
Raising Turkeys on Pasture
With proper pasture management and periodic flock rotation, raising your turkeys on the insects and vegetation, they forage on their own is an excellent way to raise both heritage and meat breeds. Your flock of turkeys will help to keep bugs, flies, ticks, and other insect pests under control.
Feeding and Attracting Wild Turkeys
Having wild turkeys visit your farm is an excellent way to ensure you have plenty of options during turkey hunting season. Attracting wild turkeys can be as simple as clearing out some dense brush and leaving large trees available for roosting or as elaborate as planting a diverse selection of plants to attract them.
Safe Table Scraps for Turkeys
While you should place most table scraps and leftovers from your home into a compost bin, you might be considering feeding it to your turkeys. Providing a little extra food in addition to their normal ration can help save on feed costs while ensuring nothing goes to waste.
Understanding the Nutritional Needs of Turkeys
The first thing you should keep in mind is that turkeys are not the same as chickens, therefore their nutritional requirements are not the same either.
Foods You Should Never Feed to Turkeys
While feeding turkeys may seem like a simple concept at first, it is slightly more complex. Farm owners often utilize home-grown foods to supplement the feed for some of their animals. It is important that all turkey owners know the specific foods that should be off-limits for their turkeys.
Final Thoughts
Feeding turkeys is not as difficult as it may seem. The key is to avoid certain foods and never feed them anything that is unhealthy for humans, as that will mean it is probably unhealthy for turkeys. While some of the foods mentioned here will not kill your turkey, they can still cause them unnecessary issues.
Can red-eared slider turtles eat bread?
Red-eared slider turtles are the most common turtles kept as pets. It’s reasonable for people to wonder if they should feed them with bread. The answer is no, the same as it for all other turtles.
What should you feed your turtles instead?
Red-eared slider turtles are omnivores, and they should have a well-balanced diet. Younger turtles need a protein-based diet, while adult red-eared sliders should have a diet based on vegetables.
Can pond turtles eat bread?
Pond turtles, turtles in the zoo, or turtles that live anywhere near frequent places have a direct negative effect by people feeding them bread.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, turtles can eat cat foods. But the real question is cat food healthy for turtles. I am afraid so, no. Even though turtles will certainly survive on a cat diet based food, it can be harmful in the long run. The proportion of fats, proteins, and minerals are not appropriate for a turtle.
Final Thoughts
As you have read, feeding your turtle with bread is not a good idea. In order to be healthy and happy, turtles need a diverse diet which includes meat, fish, and vegetables.
