Duplicate post. Answered on your other thread.

I'm pretty sure if they have babies they won't be in a flock. The hens go off by themselves when they raise them so maybe you should be just as wary if you see a single hen. I'd never heard of anyone being attacked but will be more cautious myself now. Gardenweed is right, they're BIG when their wings are outstretched. I pulled in my driveway once and one flew up in front of my car only a couple feet from my windshield and I nearly had a heart attack. lol I haven't had any damage in my garden that I know of but don't have as many as you. I see them in our field but they rarely come up in my yard. I suspect they could wipe out a lot of seedlings in a hurry if they thought they looked appetizing but rabbits can too. Turkeys DO eat grasshoppers and that's a big plus. I wonder if they eat ticks. (hope so) It's still amazing to me how common they are now. Ten or twelve years ago, I had never seen a wild turkey at all. Now I see them almost daily if I'm out driving. Loved the videos. I think all the "attacks" were just people being followed. I'd be running too. lol Hope they won't flog you the way a rooster can. That's something to take seriously. Good luck Docmom. I think you may need to protect your seedlings with wire mesh or something. It might be easier to plant them out in a nursery bed for awhile spaced closely so they're easier to protect. Or at least protect your most precious seedlings until you get an idea of how destructive the turkeys and other critters are going to be.

Oh wow, those are great shots of the turkey families. I feel honored when they come here. Other guests are not so welcome. The deer, for instance, are eating the immature apples, and the other morning they had sheared off the tops of the zinnias, flowers and all. I suppose if I were philosophical, I'd say they deadheaded them so they'd sprout out fuller. My hubby found the beginnings of a groundhog burrow which was abandoned due to ledge rock he encountered, and found his new burrow in the neighbor's yard. Across the street, they had 3 coyotes about 2 weeks ago, but of course they don't eat plants, just other animals, right? Something new to me up in MA is the chipmunk. We don't have them in Alabama, and they are so amusing. At the Home Depot store in Nashua, they will run across the aisles of the garden shop without any concern for my presence. And the little sparrows who nested in the bird house hanging from our porch ceiling have raised THREE clutches of babies this year. They are unafraid of us, and a couple of the new fledglings come down to the wire mesh patio table (under the umbrella) when hubby is out there for his morning and afternoon breaks. I think they know he leaves crumbs for them. I love the wildlife in the garden here.

rhizo_1- Makes sense to post in the wildlife forum... sorry about the categorization! I was so infuriated at the time I posted this that I had a hard time getting past using only very nasty words to describe the feathered terrorists; "pest" was the very nicest of them. I contacted my local Fish and Game office and left a message. Hopefully something can be done about the darn birds. Kimmsr- I never knew that! Thanks for the info. I guess I never thought of it, as birds (particularly my chickens) have their favorite foods, but you learn something every day. I guess the garlic slop I made yesterday and spread around won't do much. At least it's a conversation starter, as the smell of garlic is wafting around all the flower beds. The creepy garden tactics will have to wait for the deer to come down from the hills in a few months =) Thanks for the help!