Stopping an Australian Bush Turkey from Destroying the Garden with Bunnings Chicken Wire and Stakes

Every Spring for the past 5 years, a male Australian brushturkey or Gweela (Alectura lathami Megapodiidae) has chosen a specific spot in our garden to build his mound, usually resulting in 3 or 4 chicks. While this may be a beautiful thing in a National Park, he has caused literally thousands of dollars of damage over the years to our plants, mulch, topsoil and garden beds requiring countless hours rectifying the destruction.
This had to stop. We've tried all the NPWS recommendations, mirrors, stinky fertiliser, palm fronds, none of them worked. So now it was time to get serious. Off to Bunnings for some Saxon Chicken Wire and Hardwood Stakes to try to fence off the area. You can't hurt them, so denying him access to his favourite sunny spot will hopefully discourage him from scratching our garden to death!
Bunnings Links of what I used:
90cm x 50m Saxon Chicken Wire Netting: www.bunnings.c...
1200mm Hardwood Garden Stakes: www.bunnings.c...
Galvanised U Staples: www.bunnings.c...
Environment NSW Brush Turkey Control Tips and Information: www.environmen...
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#Australia #WarOnBrushTurkey

[@johnboyce8572]

I too have had several gardens ruined by these birds…. HOWEVER, I have solved the problem by mistake! I had access to a load of horse manure and spread it around the garden to boost growth. Pretty soon the Turkeys were back sniffing and scratching and within an hour were nowhere to be seen and that was 2 years ago. Now every winter here in Queensland I do the same. Not a bush turkey to be seen except in the neighbours property!! I suspect they they don’t like the smell or maybe too hard to control the temperature as it rots?? JB

[@FixitFingers]

That is a solution I've not heard before! I did try something similar, stinky Blood'n'Bone fertiliser, and it failed, they were back a day or two later. The smell dies off quickly as it is water soluble, you might be onto something with the organic nature of the poop being a bad component for the nest as it is full of bacteria and extra heat the birds might be clever enough to know it could be harmful to the eggs. I'm going to pin this comment as an option for folks to see and try before committing to a cage :D PS - This video was filmed in the 2021 breeding season. As of this comment, it is 2023 and the third season in and the cage has been a resounding success and the plants have grown to hide most of it. The birds have moved to the local park 50m away and leave our garden alone :D

[@johnboyce8572]

@@FixitFingers hey thanks for those comments… I still see the turkeys around our area but they do not seem to like ours! So I shall keep up the horse poo as it is a WIN/WIN!

[@johnboyce8572]

@chickennugget2411 There is no significant smell to us at all …maybe a hint like a farmyard. To the Turkey though, obviously sensitive in the smelling area…. Unpleasant. JohnB

[@FixitFingers]

@@johnboyce8572 we have 3 new chicks just hatched this year, but since the mound moved down to the park nearby and they left our garden alone I dont mind. The area where I built the cage is now completely overgrown so I'm thinking of pulling it out as the plants should prevent further mounding 😊

[@woodbywhitey2212]

Powerful back legs you say. Didn't know they even had front legs. Learn something new everyday I guess 😄😄

[@FixitFingers]

Well it would be funny if they started picking up leaves in their wings and carrying it to the mound I suppose 😂

[@kristinforbes7424]

Best thing is to place the wire on the ground it stops them digging.. looks bad but works..

[@FixitFingers]

Tried that... They just buried it 😅 Being a strata block we have several large garden beds and the mongrels just strip those to cover the mesh 😂 Cage still holding up, we'll see in spring!

[@Saw-IT]

Good vid. We get them passing through our back yard sometimes and we vigorously scare them away before they get any ideas. Our garden beds have a lot of cane mulch they can use. Lately we have been propping up a teddy bear over looking the garden because they don't like the beady eyes on them. from the other comments, sounds like you war is over and you really won. congrats.

[@FixitFingers]

Yes the cage proved a big success so we left it there. This year he moved to the park nearby and we had no issue with him so a win for both sides ;)

[@kuffyswoodwork]

You can take his land, but you'll never take his freedom!

[@FixitFingers]

If he shows up in blue war paint I'll know there is trouble afoot! 🤣

[@SMee67]

hahaha, he obviously thinks he's an upper class Burb Turkey and not a lower class Bush Turkey...😉 He definitely kept you on ya goes for a wee bit, but you defeated the imposter in the end.😉😆😆😆

[@FixitFingers]

😁 Burbs Turkey... how does he think he can afford Chatswood rent for his mound!

[@SMee67]

@@FixitFingers He's a Burb Turkey squater 🦃 Never intended paying rent! 😆😆bwahahahaha😆😆

[@Poor_Mans_DIY]

I am truly sorry for the trouble you have had to deal with but I could not help but chuckle. The comment about the "Big Bugger" , "cheeky Bast***!" and how it is a shame that they are a protected species, sums up your true feelings, perfectly. LOL!!! Just out of curiosity, will using medium to large pebbles/stones work instead of mulch?

[@FixitFingers]

We _had_ small patches of pebbles... destroyed a few seasons ago :P They tend to get caught up in the general leaf scratching. Thinking about some large bush rocks in that spot and hope he doesn't bury them! 😜

[@1Thess4.10]

Read comment by elwood...vet wandered into backyard???? I am having same prob with bush/scrub turkey. Female jumped up onto back deck to pinch roosters dinner. A crow came and scared off the turkey then pecked the rooster on his bum to get him away from his feed. Natch I ran out yelling at crows and turkey and they took off. Had to stay and wait til rooster finished his dinner. They go into chook pen at roosting time to seek feed which I put in the shed, foiled ha ha. But then chase roosters around and guinea fowl. It is bedlam. I keep putting sheets of tin, whatever around garden. They started coming after my beautiful German Shepherd passed away. Dogs do deter them, esp big dogs. I have to chase them now 15:38 😢 🇦🇺🦃🐓😫😭🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@FixitFingers]

They are cheeky buggers! This is the 3rd breeding season since I installed the wire netting. It is still standing up well (if a bit overgrown) and has kept them away. They have moved down to the park and are in plague proportions but at least they are (mostly) leaving the garden alone now. I've heard peacocks make excellent guard-birds against them ;)

[@malcolmmarks7374]

Seems a lot of trouble to sort the problem when a 12 bore would make short work of it. Cheaper too.

[@FixitFingers]

You are not wrong, but unfortunately they are protected and as a Strata manager I can't risk the $22,000 fine for such measures so we have to do things the hard way 😋

[@Sherlock245]

Solution have you tried motion detector sprinkler? Or set sprinkle every 30min to water garden. And how about a mirror?

[@FixitFingers]

We tried the Mirror, he seemed to like it... then buried it 😂 The motion sprinklers were very expensive an I doubt they have the power to bother him. The cage worked perfectly, I've left it up and planted climbers on it so it now looks blended into the garden. This video is from last year. This year he moved his mound down into the public park nearby and has left our garden alone. So he got to breed and we didn't get the yard destryed. Win-win! :D

[@Sherlock245]

@@FixitFingers thank youno it works its not some small sprinkler its big. And go to amazon but pay 120 to protect hundred of plants is worth it.😁 my Turkey ran and never came back and when it does the water be ready. Or you can keep a dog cat or chicken and that might be cheaper. But i would not gurantee youtr garden safe just because there a park. As long as turkies can move freely your going to have trouble one day. I have a link can show it works even on deers.😁

[@Sherlock245]

@@FixitFingers you can get it for 50 i think or less usd.😀 can give you link!!

[@FixitFingers]

Hahahaha really? That's cool. Ours is a Strata building I manage but if he comes back I may have to look into them. Definitfely cost us more than $120 the first years in damage. Cage cost less than that I think but was a bit of labour.

[@FixitFingers]

@@Sherlock245 yes please! Will check it out

[@robertmcleod8941]

Your cage is a waste of time, just lay the wire on the ground. Much easier and looks better.

[@FixitFingers]

Been there, tried that 😉 They just buried the wire under the mound. 😅 That's good advice to try on a small garden where you can control where they scratch. We have a very large garden that would be impossible to cover all the mulch in wire, plus they get more from the neighbours and local nearby park anyways. The cage has held up very well the past two nesting seasons, now on the third, and the plants have grown over and around it. Worked perfectly and a very good investment in both time and money. 😊

Hi James, You have taken good measures for Turkey. A turkey with strong claws. I think you managed to keep him away that way. Sounds like a fun video to me. Because when I was a kid, a turkey chased me. I remembered that too and laughed. thank you for sharing. I wish you a nice new week. Your friend Mehmet

[@FixitFingers]

Hahaha oh dear poor young Mehmet. They can be quite vicious birds, very territorial, but this one I've made sure is scared of me 😆

@@FixitFingers I don't know any bird that isn't afraid of you anyway.😆😆😆😆😆

[@queenslander954]

Put a mirror in the Garden .. freaks the males out for a week.

[@FixitFingers]

Tried that! A big one too... he knocked it over and buried it in leaf litter 🤣

[@rumi885]

Had never heard of bush turkeys and the damage they cause before watching the weedy garden. Watching your video, it clearly shows how big of a problem it is 😬

[@FixitFingers]

I suppose they are just doing what comes naturally to them... But they can be very destructive in a well manicured garden!

[@aussieneil]

Apply rule 303.

[@FixitFingers]

Hahahha as you and others have suggested. A little difficult in highly urbanised Chatswood with many neighbours around 😅

[@woodfather]

😂 I've never even heard of these before lol, I bet you wish we had thanksgiving in Australia hey? Congrats on your victory!

[@FixitFingers]

They are smart enough to not cross the border south ;) Not seen him for a couple of weeks now. I think he got the message :P

[@justinbyers1441]

Well looks like you got a new pet 😂 you here in the US we just shoot em lol and eat em.... cheers mates 🍻 and great turkey video i enjoyed it 😀

[@FixitFingers]

They are lucky that by all reports thet are nowhere near as tasty as their American cousins. Stringy and tough as old boots from all that exercise. See, too much movement is bad for you 😁

[@helenflouch]

Ours taste like something you'd pull out of a blocked drain.

[@FixitFingers]

Point duly noted! 🤣

[@diyforknuckleheads]

😂....At the 1.45 minute mark l thought you were about to set up a trip wire....Vietnam War style 😂 If l was you, judging by the way he was camped outside your kitchen window, l'd be sleeping with a baseball bat under my pillow 😂 Sneaky little buggers mate...can't trust 'em. I was only sitting on the grass out the front of our local surf club last weekend checking out the beach, when a bloody Bush Turkey snuck up behind me and took a chip out of my hand....not very gently either.....if you need a hand mate...give me a buzz 👍🇦🇺😁

[@FixitFingers]

Oh that's just cheeky! This guy runs from me usually now, but previously he's just wandered into my shop to have a gander casual as you like while I'm working on something!

[@twotone3070]

You only think you've won.......... He's inside your head!

[@FixitFingers]

...I do have mild anxiety about removing the cage. Breeding season is now over, but I thiink when I pull it down he'll build a new mound just to spite me 🤣

[@gemspiritmessages2754]

😂😂😂

[@rickopato]

Teddy bears mate

[@FixitFingers]

That's a new one I've not tried! They don't like cute fluffy things?

[@sumosprojects]

Christmas is coming up 🧐😮 just saying 🤞🎃☝️

[@FixitFingers]

Yeah but Luis says the boys taste terrible... need to find the hens 😅🦃

[@corkystephan5073]

Hahahaa they only got two legs

[@FixitFingers]

@@corkystephan5073🎶 but they know how to use them 🎶😄

[@corkystephan5073]

@@FixitFingers hahahaa yeah but they were saying back legs like as if they had four legs hahahaa

[@FixitFingers]

@@corkystephan5073 hahaha now I get you 🤣 Took me a minute

[@JesperMakes]

OMG James! What a story, hope you can keep him out...

[@FixitFingers]

I'd say "just a bit of fun..." but this is serious business in my part of Australia. There are worse pests elsewhere I suppose! 😅

[@JesperMakes]

Here the big problem is deers in the garden.

[@frankemmite1666]

Whats the overall score in Aussie vs Bird wars? 😂 Great Video!

[@FixitFingers]

This breeding season me moved down the hill into the public park and mounded there. Our garden was left alone thanks to the cage and he got to have 3 chicks so I'd say we are both winning 😉

[@aspiewithattitude3213]

I am from Melbourne, I had been staying in North Ryde for the 5 days since I moved from there back in 1986 when I was 6 years old. On the 23rd August 2023, I came to check out where I used to live across the road from the Uni, it happened that I saw this strange bird not since when my Brother lived in Brisbane since the early 2000's. Since I live near the Dandenong Ranges in Melbourne, I am so used to seeing Superb Lyrebirds, after YouTubing in Lane Cove National Park, I got excited seeing them in action the same way I for the first time seen the lyrebirds in action. It's amazing how they almost became extinct in the 1930's, the same decade when the thylacines went extinct. I didn't know they were such as menace and if they ever get introduced into the Dandenong Ranges, I imagine saying good-bye to the superb lyrebirds. In Victoria, they only belong in Healesville Sanctuary or the Royal Melbourne Zoo.

[@FixitFingers]

I have seen lyre birds in the Lane Cove national park but have never equated Brush Turkey mounding behaviour as a threat to their reproduction...makes sense. One of those weird things where it is two native species at odds... I'd rather have the lyre birds! The turkies are in almost plague proportions around Chatswood now, becoming rapidly urbanised like white ibis. I've even seen them raiding bins.

[@aspiewithattitude3213]

@@FixitFingers I never want to see them in the Dandenong Ranges (Wild deer there are enough), Warrandyte State Park or Lysterfield Lake Park since those turkeys will spell disaster for the eco-system. Being a Melburnian tourist in Lane Cove National Park is just a different perspective. I even filmed a water-dragon scaring off a bush turkey from its own mound on my holiday in Sydney.

[@JohntheSchreiner]

Pesky bird, haha. Glad we don't have them here.

[@FixitFingers]

And your ones taste better... 🍗 🐓😊

[@craigolive4012]

Thanks for the video, I'm also dealing with these feathered pest totally understand the 'battle' great video thanks : )

[@FixitFingers]

Cheers Craig, we won the war the last 2 years, with him moving down the hill to the local park to mound and leaving our garden alone. However, he's started a new tactic recently of digging a foot deep 50cm round dust bath in the middle of our lawn! ... retaliation is planed 😤 (In the form of filling the hole and putting a garden bench over that spot :P)

[@craigolive4012]

@@FixitFingers Hi I've resorted to pegging down wire netting with 30 cm weedmat pins. If I want to plant anything I need to cut a hole through the wire plant then cover with mulch. I had to resort to this after coming home one weekend to find a hillside of established plants completely torn out. This definitely works!!

[@julietphillips1991]

James, this is like a mini documentary! Your funniest video to date! Where are the females he is trying to attract? What does he eat? Can't you set a trap of sorts for him and then "relocate" him? Since he seems to move away from you when he sees you, maybe if you install some life-size posters of yourself in certain areas, he might decide to move along! I think my neighbor is a worst pest than he is though!

[@TheGrantAlexander]

I like the way you think Juliet! Life size cardboard cut outs of James all around will surely scare off the Turkey (and everyone else, lol)

[@FixitFingers]

I should have channeled my best David Attenborough voice 🤣 I haven't actually seen many females around this year (possibly because I pushed over the mound so oftern last year :P) They scratch for grubs and worms mostly I believe for food. Trapping them is also illegal except for National Parks Rangers. There are so many of them though they won't usually provide the service as if you move one male, another will just come take its place, probably in the exact same spot😅 You are the second to suggest "Fixit" a scarecrow ... not sure how the neighbours would react to that 🤣🤣

[@SujMenon]

Haha, that's an interesting dilemma to have, James. Hopefully he has gone away now. If not, just build a huge mount for him, and he will stop making a mess and start using it for his activities 😜

[@FixitFingers]

You know I never thought of that 😅 No, he's still here, but if he has found another location to mound it's not on the property I manage so happy days 😊

[@gemspiritmessages2754]

I’m off to buy horse poo 😂 Destroyed all the new plants 😢

[@FixitFingers]

They can be painful! At least the equine poop will help replenish the soil for the next batch. I wish you success in your turkey battle 🦃 😁

[@aboutthecurves]

I've been waging a war against my own swatter in my yard. Had tried to just fence off where he gets the leaves from in the hope he will give up one day.

[@FixitFingers]

Denying him the mulch may certainly help! Hopefully he moves on to the neighbours place 😅

[@aboutthecurves]

@@FixitFingers hahaha. I must say I laughed and felt for you all at the same time watching your video... Everything you were saying and feeling resonated with me 100 percent hahaha. Loved the video.

[@FixitFingers]

Cheers mate. Rather off topic for my channel but good fun none the less 😋

[@woodenthumbyt]

Jeez what an effort the bird goes to go to just to mate. I wouldn’t make it as a brush turkey

[@FixitFingers]

To be fair, if you've got a REALLY big mound you might get 4 or 5 ladies a season 🤣

[@woodenthumbyt]

@@FixitFingers good to know 😉

[@briansbuildsandoutdoors4936]

Hi James, what a troublesome critter. Locally the council trap and relocate troublesome Magpies, can't they relocate the Brush Turkey? Also, I thought I heard you say they have powerful back legs.........😄

[@FixitFingers]

National Parks will sometimes remove them, but they are reluctant to do so around here. Just today we saw him fighting with another male. They are very territorial, and if you relocate one, another will just move in.

[@MrGeoffreySmith]

Next F.I.F build video: scarecrows! 😀

[@FixitFingers]

Well he certainly doesn't like me.... might be time to get Daz to make me another shirt and buy one last bale of of hay 🤔

[@TakamiWoodshop]

Is "ur a turkey" an appropriate comment?

[@TakamiWoodshop]

The vid was cool tho mate, never heard of those messy buggers.

[@FixitFingers]

@@TakamiWoodshop worse than a caffienated Kea! And yes. Your earlier remark is well founded 🤣

[@TakamiWoodshop]

@@FixitFingers caffeinated kea 🤣

[@pajaro685]

Brush Turkeys have powerful back legs! That's the way! If you can't dazzle us with brilliance, baffle us with B.S. But you do know, you won't get rid of it! :) Great work though, working out in the bush. Fresh air, lovely trees, turkeys you can't eat. Cheers

[@FixitFingers]

Hahaha you're the third person to pull me up on that comment 😅 Though I think they were jeering at 'back' legs. They may not be kangaroo strong but for their size I've seen turn throw palm fronds 4x their own weight and they work tirelessly for days on end so I'll give them that credit 😉 Was nice working outside with the little wifey for a change 😃

[@andyfunke9484]

😅😅😅 James this has the potential to become your version of the movie Caddyshack. Maybe you could ask Bill Murray for a few pointers. We have turkeys here too, (domesticated), they're delicious, especially with cranberry sauce. How strong are his front legs compared to his "back legs"? 🤔 Besides black bears, grizzly bears, wolves, wolverines, coyotes, the odd mountain lion, and the moose and deer, I've been trying to think what we have to compare,........🤔. You win! Most of what we have here isn't brazen enough to stalk and mock you. Word of warning though, don't buy anything from the Acme company, their products never work out well for the coyote either. Besides your friend the turkey having feathers and being black, have you ever read the book Moby Dick? Ahab had a similar obsession. You haven't developed any visual ticks have you? Like a twitchy eye or the thousand mile stare, possibly even Tourette syndrome? Going into the shop is a good idea, and coming up with a Rube Goldbergian type machine to discourage your foul fowl's machinations of backyard domination may be therapeutic Captain Ahab,.... I mean James. Am I having fun with this? You bet I am! It's 4am here, snowing so hard we're in white out conditions. Besides the yard light, I can't even see the shop or barns from the house. Speaking of barns, I have to go and feed the animals, including some soon to be delicious turkeys. Then its fire up the Toolcat and start blowing snow, we're at 30 cm and counting. God I love this time of the year. Five months from now though, after cabin fever has set in, I may be singing a different tune. Thank you James for the vignette in to the struggle/obsession between man and turkey. It was both educational and entertaining. Cheers. 👋🇨🇦

[@FixitFingers]

Hahaha I am of a vintage able to remember that movie 🤣 Unfortunately ours are like most of our landscape, tough and unforgiving... though apparently, the girls taste better than the boys 😅 It always amuses me of folks from overseas worrying about visiting Australia because they believe everything here is trying to kill you... I'd much rather have snakes, spiders and poisonous mammals than the big clawed and toothed bite-your-face style beasts wandering around my tent at night! ...and snow is most pretty at a distance or in small, at will, encounters😅

[@axiomic]

I was planning to buy a compound bow... Or have some foxes. The fox baiting has caused this epidemic.

[@FixitFingers]

The cage has worked really well. We are at the end of the breeding season now 1 year on and our garden has been untouched by the local birds (he moved down into the park nearby).

[@axiomic]

@@FixitFingers that's cool. However my local brush turkey doesn't nest on my land, at random times of the day he's just been coming in and tearing up my newly planted vegetable garden beds. And putting a cage around my large beds doesn't seem practical. I'm thinking of setting up a trap and relocating him. There's not much chance of another turkey taking his place in my area.

[@FixitFingers]

@@axiomic that might work! They are clever buggers, but National Parks trap and relocate at times so can be done... Beer soaked bread for bait 😆

[@axiomic]

@@FixitFingers haha, didn't realise those turkeys were glutenous alcoholics 😂 thanks for the tip

[@stirlingwoodcraft]

If you can bring him over here to the west, my dad a nice collection of firearms

[@FixitFingers]

There may be a reason they are only on the east coast... now. 🤣

[@mrghm]

We had a couple fly in to back yard over fence then ran around for bit then on to roof You live in marsfield?

[@FixitFingers]

Close! Chatswood, other side of the Lane Cove National Park. He was out again today chasing off another male. The younger one actaully flew over 50m off our elevated drive to the neighbours roof, but old mate couldn't make the distance and crashed down into the park below 🤣

[@stevecollins9450]

Entertaining video, James. My research on them shows that the mound size is due to trying to win over a female or two to make that their nest.

[@FixitFingers]

Yep... size matters in the game of love! 😆Old mate Turkey in the National Park early in the video must be a VERY popular fellow. That thing was huge, a good 1.5m high and probably about 3-4m diametre.

[@TheGrantAlexander]

Great video James! I haven't heard more on Instagram so I am guessing you won this one!

[@FixitFingers]

Yep just went away for a week and still no further issues, so 3 weeks since the 'gap' was filled and that seemed to do it! This was mostly just a little fun, but it's a common issue here on the East Coast of Oz so hopefully is genuinely useful to some folks experiencing the struggle! :D

[@CrudeButEfficient]

That's a really impressive bird, but I wouldn't want it in my backyard either... If you made his favourite spot shady (sun sails between the trees?) - would that discourage him, or is he set on the spot from previous years experience?

[@FixitFingers]

Hmmm, no I hadn't. Sun sails would be be problematic though with the gum trees. They drop branches constantly and they'd get destroyed so couldn't be expensive. Might try to bring in some large broad foliage plants in the summer though. Fill the space and shade it... good thinking!

[@CrudeButEfficient]

@@FixitFingers Problematic trees to work with, but they look nice. Some bushes with the same volume as your chicken wire construction should theoretically do the same job, if it can withstand the attacks from the bird that is... 😅

[@MindMatterCreate]

Lol, love the covid hair mate :D Would one of those really big fishing nets thrown over him to catch him work ? They're huge, you can get a few people together to corner him and catch him, then you can just relocate him to the national park.

[@FixitFingers]

Hahaha you're the first to notice the crazy hair 😂 All fixed now 💇 You are not allowed to trap them, and the Rangers won't usually help as if you move one on, another will take its place. They are like bloody bamboo, pop up everywhere!

[@HDWorldclass]

Four of us have tried to trap ours , fishing net a broom a weighted blanket !!! He’s way too smart for us 😂

[@FixitFingers]

Hahaha they are clever, and they can learn. Good news from this year, the cage I built in this video last year is still standing and has done its job. He moved about 50m down the hill into the public park and hasn't destroyed our garden. He's looking very happy on top of his huge creation and out of harms way. Win win!

[@HDWorldclass]

@@FixitFingers there still hope then

[@elwood212]

Yep the Bane of every gardeners existence in the northern parts of Oz. These bastards can move 1 x tonne per day. As for protection laws in Qld…I took 6 x baby bush turkeys to our local vet who had wandered into our yard..our local vet put them all down….protection laws 😂😂😂 yeah right mate 👍🇦🇺

[@FixitFingers]

I've seen it! I put 1.5 tonnes of mulch ion the garden a few seasons back and every scrap of it was mounded the moment I turned my back... hence the drastic measures here :P

[@Sundrop2204]

Omg wow I’m pleasantly shocked and surprised!! And a bit jealous. So does it mean if I succeed in catching any of these bush turkeys (there is currently a family of 6 roaming around our suburb this year that were never here last few years ago! 😱) and take them to the vet, the vet will put them ALL DOWN? I would LOVE that lol!! That would be my Christmas wish come true… and yes, Christmas is coming! 🥳🥳

[@FixitFingers]

Not sure if risk the fines here on Sydney's north, but Elwood has no reason to fib so if you are in Queensland...check with your vet before rocking up with a box full of turkey 🦃 😅 Honestly though, they can be dealt with humanly, check out the horse poop trick in the pinned comments

[@elwood212]

@@FixitFingersyour right , I have no reason to fib. One persons action does NOT correlate to entire occupation.😂

[@FixitFingers]

@@elwood212 though I do think it would be hilarious to just crash the local vet with half a dozen crazy birds 🤣

[@marksmith7147]

You had me in stitches, 🤣, build him an area, just for himself and “embrace” the turkey love!

[@FixitFingers]

You're saying it may have been easier to put him on the INSIDE of the cage.... You know, I genuinely never thought of that. He'd probably have started making a ruckus 😋

[@marksmith7147]

@@FixitFingers not necessarily inside, but giving him an area that he could "model his love mound" whilst respecting the rest of the garden, almost a sacrificial area. I have the same issue in the UK but with foxes. They don't choose to be wild and foxes, but I choose to have a nice garden. So, I restrict the area that they are able to dig up and crap over, whilst accepting that the area I leave will be dug up and crapped on.

[@FixitFingers]

Argh I see what you mean. Well he has the run of the garden now except the mound area. Unfortunately building the mound takes a LOT of material, so it's not just the area under the like that suffers, it's everything within 50m of it as they will scratch bare leaves, soil and mulch during construction. I kid about more drastic measures, but the mound fence is probably the best compromise solution for him and me 🙂

[@marksmith7147]

@@FixitFingers keep us updated, it’s always great to see others trials and tribulations, and I can’t wait to see whether the old cock is lucky in love and goes on to raise more hell raisers 👍🏻