Corn is a cereal grain. It has much nutritional value, including vitamin C, protein, and a lot more. Both human beings and wild animals can eat corn.
Some animals love to eat whole corn as their primary food source. Songbirds, squirrels, and other birds mostly live on corn. If you search for other birds that take whole corn, you will find hundreds of options.
So, your search for getting your answer on turkeys. Can you feed corn to turkeys? Do they even like corn?
We have come up with these answers in the following sections. If you look for the same, keep on reading. It will meet your queries indeed.
Can turkeys eat corn?
Turkeys can eat corn. You can use both whole corn and corn pet food for your turkeys. They get protein, vitamin C, and any other nutrients from corn. These ingredients help turkeys to grow quickly and become healthy. However, you should avoid feeding processed corn.
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On the other hand, corn has different versions. You will get corn kernels, cornmeal, corn husks, whole corn, and other corn variations. Now the question is, do turkeys eat them all?
Corn kernels:
Corn kernels are the full version of corn. If you scatter them in front of the turkeys, they will eat that. But wild animals find corn kernels and eat them.
That means turkeys eat corn kernels. You can either buy the whole corn or break them into parts.
Corn on the cob:
Turkeys can eat corn on the cob. You can cook them and offer the cooked version as well. Keep in mind; cooked food is ideal for wild animals.
You can cook the corn cobs without salt and offer them to your baby turkeys.
Cornmeal:
Cornmeal is the dried version of corn. You can either make it or buy the cornmeal from local shops. To make the cornmeal, you will need to take corn and dry it under direct sun.
Then offer your turkeys and feed corn meals. Turkeys will surely eat cornmeal.
Corn husks:
Wild turkeys can eat corn husks. But not every turkey. If you have baby turkeys, you should avoid feeding them husks. The husk is hard and not enriched with proteins.
However, you can blend the husk with other foods and then offer turkeys that mixture. However, every adult turkey will love to eat corn husk.
Whole corn:
Whole corn is one of the best turkey foods. You can scatter the whole corn in the ground. Turkeys will eat them with dust. There will be no issues at all.
You may think of the health of turkeys. But that’s not the case here. Turkey can eat whole corn and become healthy.
Cracked corn:
Another version is cracked corn. It is also a turkey dish. If you crack the corn, your turkey will eat that quickly.
Cracked corn is the correct version of corn; it is considered the best pet food. In a nutshell, a turkey can eat cracked corn.
Popcorn:
Popcorn is a portion of human food. Sometimes it is processed food. Therefore, they are not safe for birds. These foods cause health issues.
Therefore, you should avoid feeding popcorn to your turkeys. Popcorn will be a life threat if the turkey eats popcorn for a long time.
Canned corn:
Turkey should not eat canned corn. Canned corn has lots of added salt and becomes tasty for the time being. But, added salt or delicious salt is highly injurious to birds’ health.
It would help not treat your turkeys or other birds like other human beings. That’s why canned corn is not pet food.
Sweet corn:
Sweet corn is not pet food. You should not offer sweet corn to your turkeys. This food will create stomach issues. Mainly, sweet corn is human food. It has extra added sugar.
That’s the main reason why turkeys should not eat sweet corn.
Will these turkeys eat corn?
If all types of turkeys can eat corn or not depends on the type. Check below to know about them.
Wild turkeys:
Wild turkeys eat everything they find around them. Therefore, they can also eat corn. It has health benefits as well. But the leading cause is flavor.
Corn is slightly sweet. And birds like wild turkeys love to eat sweet food. That’s why they can eat corn.
Baby turkeys:
Baby turkeys also eat corn. You can either offer them the whole grains or blend the corn and mix with other pet foods. It will be the best way to feed baby turkeys.
Remember, baby turkeys should not be fed with sweet or canned corn. These foods will create health issues.
Domestic turkeys:
Domestic turkeys are also omnivores. That means they can eat pretty much everything, including corn and corn husk. These foods are pet-friendly. That’s the main reason why domestic turkeys also eat corn.
However, you must avoid using sweet and canned corn for your domestic turkeys. These are not any excellent foods. They contain added salt and sugar, that’s why you should avoid them.
4 reasons why turkeys eat corn
Turkeys eat corn for some reason. But they are all common reasons you will mostly find everywhere.
Taste:
The first reason is taste. Turkeys mostly eat everything except human foods. But they love the slightly sweet taste. And corn is sweet food. That’s the first reason why turkeys eat corn.
Superfood:
Turkeys love to eat food that helps them to grow quickly. If you look at corn, you will find it has a good amount of protein, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients.
That’s why corn helps turkeys to grow quickly. That’s another reason why they eat corn.
Edible:
Corn is a quickly edible grain. And most of the birds love to eat all edible grains. The same goes for turkeys. Turkeys also find corn as the most accessible edible grain; that’s why they eat corn.
A common ingredient of turkey food:
Finally, corn is used to make turkey food. If you search on the market, you will find different corn-made turkey foods. That’s why Turkey also eats corn when you offer them ready-made food.
At what age can turkeys eat corn? Is Cracked corn good for turkeys?
At the age of 10 weeks, the turkey can start eating corn. It is safe. However, you should avoid feeding corn to baby turkeys. They can’t chew properly and will face stomach issues if you force them to eat.
Other than that, turkeys can eat corn after ten weeks. But, you cannot use every type of corn for turkey.
But you can use cracked corn. They are suitable for turkeys. On the other hand, cracked corn comes with all the required proteins and vitamins for turkeys. Therefore, you turkeys will love to eat them whole.
Cracked corn is also suitable for baby turkeys. They find it easier to eat and digest. Moreover, cracked corn is also available as turkey or bird food. If you search for the bird’s food, you will find most of the pet foods have included cracked corn.
How often should turkeys eat corn? How much to feed?
Turkeys should eat corn pretty much every day. They meet their daily needs from corn. It will be wonderful. You don’t need to restrict turkeys from eating corn. Especially if you plan to raise turkeys for meat, you should offer corn every day.
But the question is how much to feed? 2 handfuls of corn would be a nice amount for your adult turkeys. What if you have baby turkeys?
One handful of corn is enough for baby turkeys to meet their protein needs. You should also use some other food for the baby turkeys. Keep in mind; you should not let your turkey start living on corn.
They should eat other food as well. You can buy some other turkey foods and mix the corn with them. That will also be fine for your turkeys.
How can I feed corn to turkeys?
You can feed corn to turkeys in different ways. One of the best ways is to scatter the corn in front of your birds and let them feed by themselves. Mainly, turkeys are wild animals.
They used to eat by playing and walking. They are not dogs or cats. Therefore, you must give them the independence to eat at their own pace. But you can follow the other way to feed turkeys.
Another excellent way would be to mix the corn with other pet foods and offer that to your turkeys. It is a wide feeding method. On the other hand, you can blend the whole corn with water or other foods.
It is the best method to feed baby turkeys. So, you can follow these three methods and feed your turkeys.
Final Thoughts
Corns are my favorite wild animal food. It has pretty much everything a bird needs to grow. On the other hand, it has good taste as well. It’s an edible seed. For all these reasons, turkeys can eat corn. They love to meet their needs through whole corn.