By Isaiah Doscinski
We get turkeys at our house. I wonder if they might eat my corn. They are opportunistic omnivores. They might see my corn as an opportunity.
I have researched turkeys because I don’t want them to eat my corn. Here are some facts about turkeys:
Turkeys live up to 3-4 years old.
They lay up to 4-17 eggs.
They run up to 50-55 mph. (I want to catch them, but that’s fast.)
Imagine a turkey running in corn. Have you ever seen a turkey run? I’d need a car and a net. They are fast when they fly. It would be hard. I would need water to drink afterward.
Editor’s note: The author is Isaiah Doscinski and he is going to be a third-grade student at Cape Cod Hill School in New Sharon. He has a passion for the outdoors and loves spending time exploring in the woods. Isaiah wanted to share his thoughts and some facts about wild turkeys since they are such a presence in Maine and he would be interested in what others have to say about them. This work was done in collaboration with Nikki Baylis.
Great post and info. Thanks Isaiah.
Isaiah, you have done a fine job of research. I enjoyed reading your report and learning more.
We get turkeys in our yard,too. They fly to the tops of the trees, but I did not know how fast they were moving. They are lucky to be faster when they fly than our dogs Griz and Bear are when they run!
I hope your corn grows faster than the turkeys can eat.
Good job Isaiah
I had no idea turkeys could move so fast! Have you thought about putting a scarecrow…I mean, a scare-turkey up in your corn? I hope you keep on exploring and writing, Isaiah!
Great job with your research, Isaiah!! I love the phrase “opportunistic omnivores”. I get turkeys near my garden too. You are right. They are FAST!! Before we can get our door open to shoo them away, they are quickly scurrying through the hayfield. Looking forward to your next fact finding mission.
Congratulations, Isaiah. What a wonderfully informative letter you’ve shared with us all. I knew that wild turkeys were fast but had no idea they were that fast running on the ground. I am told they really don’t have any natural predators because they are so fast. I also understand they sleep up in trees so that ground animals, like foxes or coyotes, can’t catch them at night. So, I wish you good luck on keeping them out of your corn.
I look forward to reading more articles from you on wildlife and nature.
Thanks everyone! Isaiah is very pleased to have been published and is enjoying your attention. ; )
Good job Isaiah! Turkeys can be fascinating creatures to watch.
We have many troop through here and sometimes they spend the night. They roost in the trees and I watched as they “went to bed”. They fly straight up into a tree, one at a time. Never saw two go at once; but took turns until all 20 to 30 of them were high up in the trees and then you could not see them. They conceal very well.
They don’t seem to bother our garden but eat around the edges.
Great job Isaiah!! There are turkeys in my backyard, too. I have seen a turkey run – away from my dog :) – and they make a lot of noise when they fly.