Would a Turkey Make a Good Pet?
Question by vecrhite371: Would a Turkey Make a Good Pet?
I don’t mean a bred or caged turkey or one raised by you, but one snatched out of the wild, and not one that roam free in a fenced in yard, but inside the house, in your kitchen, in your living room, in your bedroom. Could it be domesticated to not peck and attack?
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4 Responses to Would a Turkey Make a Good Pet?
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No, They’re mean
Connor
May 31, 2014 at 11:27 pm
Wild animals will always be wild. You can’t train a wild turkey to not peck. Besides that, it would crap all over your house.
veelalynne
June 1, 2014 at 12:05 am
No bird is mean. I have known turkeys and they are nice birds.
You would have to get a very young one that would bond with you. Then it would be your friend.
However – they have BIG poop. Maybe you could litter box train a young bird.
Owlwoman
June 1, 2014 at 12:57 am
Wild turkeys would remain wild, and not good pets in any circumstances. I don’t know about US conservation laws (I’m in the UK), but wild turkeys may well be a protected species, so you’d be breaking the law by trying to catch one.
Commercial hybrid turkeys, the really plump type which end up in your local supermarket, do not make good pets either, but the range of heritage turkey breeds, such as Norfolk Black, Narragansett, Crollwitzer, etc are prettier than you might imagine, and make very good YARD pets – kept in a similar set up to hen houses & runs, but a bit bigger, obviously.
These types of turkeys can get very tame and friendly (no worries about being pecked or attacked), but cannot be house trained, so would be far too messy to be house pets, although I’m sure lots of pet turkeys wander into their owners kitchen or living room during the summer, when people are at home in their yard, hanging out, having a BBQ, or whatever. They probably don’t get too upset by the occasional turkey poop indoors in such a situation, but wouldn’t want it to be a regular thing.
DaveS
June 1, 2014 at 1:23 am