You’ll remember my tirades about bloody bush turkeys. Well, all this time I have been trying to discourage them (or is it only one – they all look the same to me). I have had success in preventing them from building a mound and have gotten a lot of exercise in the process! But I have not yet managed to rid myself of them completely.
The most surprising thing is what was most effective in their deterrence. Would you believe a big green rubbish bin?!
To explain: In desperation I put all sorts of obstacles around the place to stop them scratching and nesting. I put a fence around the mound so they couldn’t get in, then I disturbed the mound, then I put a silver tarpaulin over it. All that helped, but didn’t stop them, and I had to admire their persistence.
Fence around mound and tarpaulin
Next I put down weed matting to stop them scratching on bare earth and mulch. That worked too. But they started scratching further into the garden and bringing earth and mulch from further away.
Fence halfway across the garden. Prevents "earth moving".
So I put a fence through the garden dividing it in half. That worked too. But they found a new place to scratch!
So I put chicken wire on the ground as a barrier over which they could not scratch. That worked too.
That only left the paddock next door and underneath the plumbago bushes – which I can’t fence. I have managed to cut down a lot of weedy bushes in the paddock and use them as preventives to scratching, but, like I said, I have to admire the turkey. They keep finding ways and places I haven’t seen.
My hero. Rubbish bin Man.
Anyway, one of the obstacles I used to deter scratching was my rubbish bin. I put it over a place they like to scratch and also used it to create a barrier between the mound and they dirt they had scratched up for it. It worked – but much better than I thought.
The first time I moved the bin was to have it emptied, and, since the turkey(s) hadn’t been active for a few days I thought my troubles were over and I put the bin back where it belongs. Next day the turkey was back, scratching! So I put the bin back in position again. No turkey!
Coincidence? Maybe. Required further testing. Which I did yesterday. Took the bin out to the kerb and sure enough, this morning, turkey-lurkey was back. I put the bin back in position and – no turkey! At least, not near the mound – which it keeps desperately trying to get earth onto but cannot because of the fence.
So today I spent the day rushing in and out of the house chasing it away. Finally, I got really smart and waited for it to return (a matter of a few minutes) and then shoed it away. It got so that as soon as I moved a little it ran. Then, I only had to stand still and when it caught sight of me, it ran. Aha! Thought I.
For my next trick I got a pair of trousers and a white t shirt and put them on a coat hanger and hung them in a tree. So far so good. No turkey. Hopefully the clothes will move with the breeze.
The turkey is still in the paddock next door, scratching, I can hear him (it’s the male that builds the nest) but he’s not in MY yard.
So, the big secret is a green rubbish bin.
The second good tactic is to train the turkey to fear you (not hard), then impersonate yourself with a scarecrow.
I would prefer that it end up in someone’s casserole because the damn things will breed whatever I do, and protected or not, they are a pest. However, at least I can prevent my garden from becoming a breeding ground. I have plans for when breeding season is over (December).
There is also some good that has come out of this. The garden is well weeded. Everything that can be uprooted, has been so I am now rid of a particularly virulent creeper.
I also have a wonderful mound of top soil that I can redistribute around the garden when the time is right.
And when the mound scratching time is over, I am going to plant the whole area with some grassy, shrubby things that the turkey has not been able to scratch up – lomandra.
What a shocking mess. This is bare earth covered with tree limbs and old creepers to deter scratching
Old tyre holding down chicken wire.
I hope you’d write more pieces. It’s positively worth reading.
I had been looking for ways of discouraging brush turkeys for years, and at the suggestion of the late Rick Natrass, I placed a couple of standard wall mirrors up against trees, fence etc. Being very territorial, and not being over-endowed with brainpower, the male bird spent so much time chasing away the other male bird that he thought was usurping his territory, that he gave up in disgust, and moved away, to a new territory, I presume!
Believe me it works, and there has been no attempts at mound-building for some years! However, I am now looking for a way of discouraging the female, who at the moment is demolishing the rest of my garden nightly in her endless search for whatever is tasty (for a turkey) among the mulch and leaf litter in my garden.
Any more ideas?
I’m going to write another blog on this, so look in the tag cloud for “turkey” and find my next article.
We have developed an all natural solution that deters the Bush Turkey from building its mound. Simply splash over the mound and immediate area and the bird will give up and relocate. It is called Kings Bush Turkey Solution.
Citronella oil will keep them away
I have found that simply putting a tarpaulin over a substantially built nest works very well. However is has to be kept there a few weeks otherwise the crafty bird will return to check that it’s still there and if not, continue with construction. After a while I can replace all the nice mulch purloined from around my fruit trees !
Great article; however I need to add to it. I have 2 green wheely bins in the yard and they use them to sit on whilst they terrorise my dogs and chickens. the turkeys aren’t bothering to nest, they are attacking our chickens and sending the neighbourhood dogs into a frenzy.
We have been in our home for close to 20 years and until 6 months ago never had turkeys. This is an unfortunate result of a lot of development and little help from council and authorities with assistance in relocation, etc.
This is the first time I’ve heard of turkeys being aggressive! I agree it has a lot to do with the development of land for houses.
My turkeys only arrived about 4 years ago. I think they were dumped here by operators who remove them (for money, at $250 per turkey) from nearby “wealthy” suburbs and dump them in our “poor” suburb which has plenty of undeveloped bushland.
Turkeys are a protected species and only licensed operators are allowed to remove them. They must also be released no more than 25ks away from their original site. Our suburb is lovely and close to the suburbs that can afford removal! My theory is that that is how those bloodly pests have arrived in my yard.
Legal or not, the best deterrent I have found so far is a slingshot. Any turkeys that come into my yard are “trained” to run very fast as soon as they hear a window being opened (because they know this will be followed by a sharp sting from a puzzling source).