How do I keep wild turkeys away from my bird feeder?

The short answer

• Turkeys come for the seed on the ground. Rake the spill every evening, take away trays, ground feeding, corn and cheap mixes, and the yard stops being worth the walk.
• Hardware is the easy part. The lightest turkey Audubon lists, 2.5 kg, outweighs the heaviest gray squirrel four times over, so any weight-activated feeder closes under one at any setting. What a turkey can use is a tray, a hopper ledge or a deck rail.
• Spring is when to pause. Bowling Green, Ohio and Humane World for Animals advise taking feeders down in spring, when natural food is plentiful and toms in the February to May breeding season can turn bold.
• Turkeys keep a pecking order and may rank a timid person below them. Haze them every time: yell, wave, open an umbrella, spray a hose. UC IPM says harassment is legal as long as the bird is not physically harmed.
• Wild turkeys are not on the federal migratory bird list. They are state game birds, and the feeding rules come from states and cities. Fort Bragg, California and Albany, Oregon allow songbird feeders but ban feeding turkeys.

Clean up the ground and the turkeys lose interest in the feeder. A Wild Turkey forages by walking, so what brings a flock in is seed on the grass, a tray, corn and cheap mix. Rake the spill every evening, take away the tray and the ground offerings, and keep the hanging feeders on clean ground. In spring, take the feeders down for a few weeks. Haze any turkey that stays. Then check your town's code, because some cities that allow songbird feeders name the turkey as the one bird you may not feed.

You will read two answers. One says a hanging feeder is turkey-proof, so leave it up. The other says every feeder has to come down. The first one fails because turkeys never needed the feeder: they eat what lands under it. The second is right only in spring, or when the flock has stopped moving on. Most of the year, a clean drop zone is enough.

What a turkey actually eats at your feeder#

Audubon's account says the Wild Turkey "forages mostly by walking on the ground" and "often scratches in leaf litter to expose food items," and that it "sometimes climbs in shrubs or trees to eat berries." Its diet is mostly plant material, including acorns, seeds and grains. The Connecticut wildlife agency lists corn and "a variety of seeds." Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, UC IPM and Humane World for Animals all name birdseed among the things that bring turkeys in.

So a turkey problem has three parts:

1. Seed on the ground. The hulls and kernels under a busy feeder, and anything scattered for ground feeding.
2. Food at turkey height. A platform tray, a wide hopper ledge, or a feeder clamped to a deck rail where a 20 lb bird can stand.
3. Grain. Cracked corn, millet and the fillers in cheap birdseed mixes that other birds sweep out of the feeder onto the grass.

Size settles the hardware#

Audubon gives one range for both sexes: 5 lb 8 oz to 23 lb 13 oz, or 2.5 to 10.8 kg. By our arithmetic, even the lightest of those birds is four times the heaviest squirrel in the table and about 55 times a cardinal.

That makes the shape of the feeder the real decision. A tube feeder with short perches and no seed tray offers nothing a turkey can stand on. A hopper on a deck rail does, and so does any tray. If turkeys reach the feeder itself, move it off the rail and onto a pole in open ground. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks puts the goal plainly: keep the area below feeders clean and the feed "inaccessible to species such as turkeys and deer."

The ground: what to change this week#

Clearing the ground is most of the work. Rake the seed under the feeder every evening for two to three weeks, so the flock arrives in the morning and finds nothing. Switch to sunflower hearts in the hanging feeders while you do it. With no hull to crack, there is far less for birds to drop onto the grass.

Then take the grain off the menu. CT DEEP lists corn in the turkey's diet. Our data shows which feeder birds lose out if you drop it:

• Top-tier favorite for: Blue Jay, Mourning Dove, House Sparrow, Common Grackle, Red-winged Blackbird
• Eaten readily by: Dark-eyed Junco, White-throated Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Eastern Towhee, Steller's Jay, California Scrub-Jay, European Starling
• Taken occasionally by: Northern Cardinal, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Northern Flicker

The top tier is jays, doves, House Sparrows and blackbirds, and the next tier is mostly juncos, sparrows and towhees: the ground and tray crowd a turkey joins. The cardinal takes corn only occasionally. Take the tray away and that whole group thins out together. The clean ground also takes away food for rats and mice, which keep feeding at night after the turkeys have gone up to roost.

Two other things outside the feeder matter. UC IPM says pet food left out overnight brings turkeys in, along with raccoons and opossums. And low fruiting shrubs and fallen fruit draw them too, so net berry bushes and pick up windfalls under fruit trees.

Spring: when to take the feeders down#

Toms get bold in the breeding season. Humane World for Animals puts it at February to May, and CT DEEP says gobbling and display start in late March and early April. Bowling Green, Ohio advises removing feeders in spring, "as there are plenty of natural foods available for all birds." Humane World for Animals suggests removing them "especially in the spring and summer" until the turkeys move on.

Our working rule, built from that advice: if a flock is in the yard daily by March, take the feeders down for three weeks, rake the ground clean, and put them back with no tray. The spring feeding guide covers what to put back first.

Breeding toms also fight their reflections. Bowling Green says a turkey that sees itself in a window or a car door will keep displaying or attacking "until changing light conditions cause it to vanish." Cover the surface for a few weeks.

Hazing: who backs down first#

Turkeys keep a pecking order, and that is the reason hazing works. Humane World for Animals says they "may view people or pets who act fearful as underlings, chasing them or blocking the entrance to homes or cars." It recommends that everyone in the household haze them, children and older family members included, or the turkeys simply avoid the one person who does.

UC IPM states the limit: "It is legal to harass turkeys as long as they are not physically harmed." UC IPM also describes what an aggressive tom can do: charge, chase, "or even attempt to attack by flapping its wings, pecking, or spurring." CT DEEP measures the spurs at up to 1.5 in. Hazing a bold tom from a step away is not a good idea. Use the hose.

What the law allows#

Federal law is not where the turkey rule lives. The Wild Turkey is not on the federal list of migratory birds at 50 CFR 10.13, so the Migratory Bird Treaty Act rules on the cowbird and crow pages do not apply. Turkeys are state game birds. In California, UC IPM says they are resident upland game birds, and taking one needs a hunting license and an upland game bird stamp, in season. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks does not relocate turkeys at all, because of the risk of spreading disease.

Feeding rules differ by place, and the ones we read look like this:

The pattern is the same in both cities. The songbird feeder is allowed, but turkeys feeding on your spill can take you outside the exemption. That mirrors the conditional exemptions on the deer page and in bear country. If your town has had turkey complaints, search its code under animals, nuisances or wildlife feeding.

Where this page stops#

• Two states and two cities are a sample. Many towns with suburban flocks have turkey rules we did not read. The Massachusetts wildlife agency's turkey guidance blocked our fetch, so it is not cited here.
• US only. We did not check Canadian provincial rules.
• The California row is narrow. We cite the one statewide feeding regulation we read. It is not proof that no other California rule applies to turkeys.
• The corn list is ours. It shows which feeder birds eat corn. It is not a turkey study.

If deer are in the yard with the turkeys, the deer page covers the height and corn rules they share. The problems section has every other visitor.

Frequently asked questions#

Will turkeys eat from a hanging bird feeder?

Rarely from the feeder itself. Audubon says the Wild Turkey forages mostly by walking on the ground and scratching in leaf litter, though it sometimes climbs into shrubs and trees for berries. What a turkey eats at a hanging feeder is what the other birds drop. A tray, a wide hopper ledge or a feeder on a deck rail is different, because a bird that size can stand on or beside it.

Is it illegal to feed wild turkeys?

Not under federal law, which does not list the Wild Turkey as a migratory bird. State and city rules decide it. Montana says feeding turkeys can be unlawful if it harms local populations or creates a public nuisance, with fines up to $1,000. Fort Bragg, California and Albany, Oregon ban feeding wildlife, name turkeys, and exempt only bird feeders kept so other wildlife cannot use them. Look up your municipal code under animals or nuisances.

Should I take my bird feeder down because of turkeys?

In spring, yes, for a few weeks. Bowling Green, Ohio and Humane World for Animals both advise removing feeders in spring, when natural food is plentiful. The rest of the year, a hanging feeder over clean ground usually does not need to come down. Take it down if raking and hazing have not moved the flock within two to three weeks, or if your town has told you the feeder is attracting them.

Are wild turkeys dangerous to people?

Usually not, but toms can be. UC IPM says an aggressive tom may charge, chase, or attack by flapping its wings, pecking or spurring, and CT DEEP measures tom spurs at up to 1.5 in. Humane World for Animals says turkeys have a pecking order and may treat people or pets who act fearful as underlings. Stand your ground and haze the bird rather than backing away.

Can I trap and relocate turkeys from my yard?

Not on your own. In California turkeys are resident upland game birds, and UC IPM says taking one requires a hunting license and an upland game bird stamp during the season. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks does not relocate wild turkeys at all because of the risk of moving disease. Removing food and hazing are the tools a homeowner has.

Sources and further reading

1. Wild Turkey, Guide to North American Birds National Audubon Society Length 3 ft 7 in to 3 ft 9 in, weight 5 lb 8 oz to 23 lb 13 oz (2.5 to 10.8 kg), males larger; forages mostly by walking on the ground, scratches in leaf litter, sometimes climbs for berries; diet includes acorns, seeds and grains; adapting to suburban edges
2. Wild Turkey fact sheet Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Toms 15 to 25 lb and 48 in, hens 8 to 12 lb and 36 in, spurs up to 1.5 in; diet includes corn and seeds; breeding from late March; DEEP recommends not feeding wild turkeys
3. Wild Turkeys, Pest Notes Publication 74176 University of California Statewide IPM Program Remove birdseed and pet food; aggressive toms may charge, peck or spur; harassment legal if the bird is not harmed; hose, motion sprinklers, dogs; resident upland game birds, license and stamp to take
4. Turkeys, Living with Wildlife Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Do not feed turkeys; feeding can be unlawful if it harms populations or creates a nuisance, fines up to $1,000; keep the area below feeders clean and feed inaccessible to turkeys and deer; hazing list; FWP does not relocate turkeys
5. What to do about wild turkeys Humane World for Animals Most conflicts where turkeys are fed; spilled birdseed; remove feeders especially in spring and summer; pecking order; hazing methods; breeding season February to May, reflections
6. Urban Wildlife FAQs: Wild turkeys are becoming a nuisance on my property City of Bowling Green, Ohio Feeders that keep seed off the ground; remove feeders in spring; pecking order; hose or sprinkler if over 60 degrees F; cover reflective objects
7. Chapter 7.18, Feeding of Wildlife (Ord. 971, 2021) City of Fort Bragg, California Wildlife includes wild turkeys; feeding banned on public or private property; bird feeding allowed except wild turkeys, feeders at least 5 ft up, area below kept free of seed and feces; infraction
8. Albany council bans feeding of wildlife Hasso Hering, HH-Today Albany, Oregon ordinance adopted 6 Nov 2024 after turkey complaints; quotes the central provision: feeding wildlife a public nuisance, songbirds and waterfowl exempt if feed is in receptacles designed to avoid access by wildlife; wildlife defined to include turkeys
9. 14 CCR 251.3, Prohibition Against Feeding Big Game Mammals Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School No person shall knowingly feed big game mammals as defined in Section 350
10. 50 CFR 10.13, List of Migratory Birds Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School Lists Turkey Vulture but no Meleagris species; the Wild Turkey is not a federally listed migratory bird