🦃 Turkey Tracks Adventure
Today we will go on a turkey adventure inspired by the fact that Thanksgiving is coming up and our favorite turkey friend Larry.
HERE is a printable version of our adventure. Click HERE to learn more about Larry’s story.
Look at those big chalk footprints! They look just like Larry’s. Let’s follow his Turkey Tracks and see where they lead!
(Imagine you’ve just spotted big turkey footprints drawn in chalk or CLICK for our paper cutouts. They look just like Larry’s! Follow those tracks through your yard, living room, or even down your hallway — each stop will help you learn something new about turkeys and nature.— how does a turkey walk? Can you do a turkey trot?)
It’s fall, and lots of birds start their migration to warmer places right about now.
But did you know wild turkeys don’t migrate like geese do? So you won’t be going far!
In the winter, wild turkeys move to cozy, sheltered spots with tall trees where they can roost and scratch for leftover seeds and acorns.
When spring and summer arrive, they wander back into sunny open fields and forests to find tasty bugs, berries, and fresh greens.
💭 Quick Question:
Do you think wild turkeys ever leave their home forest?
💡 Fun Fact:
Wild turkeys usually stay within 400–1,000 acres their whole lives — that’s nearly 300 football fields!
They follow the same “turkey highways” each day to find food, water, and their favorite roosting trees.
Turkeys can remember hundreds of acres and always know where to find everything they need all year round!
🦃 Stop 1 – Compost Corner: Turkey Tools
Larry is one lucky turkey — he loves his crunchy, dehydrated black fly larvae (basically fancy farm maggots!) or grubs from our compost pile, and when hes bored Larry does that too — scratching around and taking care of extra pests in our garden and yard.
But wild turkeys prefer the real deal — fresh bugs straight from the ground! 🐞
They love scratching in the dirt to find worms, beetles, and grubs. Their strong feet act like big shovels, tossing soil and leaves everywhere as they search for snacks. A turkey can forage all day long, exploring every corner for something tasty and full of protein!
If you can, step outside and look under leaves, rocks, or sticks. What tiny creatures do you see?
💭 Where do you think would be a good place to find bugs in nature?
Nature makes its own compost with fallen leaves and debris — bugs love to hide in rotting logs and under damp piles of leaves.
That’s how turkeys find protein in nature — and protein helps their feathers stay glossy and their muscles grow strong.
When my husband turns the compost, he tosses them a feast!
❓ Question:
Why do you think turkeys need more protein than chickens?
💡 Fun Fact:
Turkeys grow much larger and build more muscle — especially in their legs and breast — so they need extra protein to stay healthy.
Chickens do fine on 16–18% protein once grown, but turkeys — especially young poults — start out needing 26–28%!
Glossy feathers mean a turkey’s diet is perfect; dull feathers can mean they need more protein.
And guess what? Your body works the same way — protein helps you build strong muscles, hair, and bones!
Try This: Draw or write about three kinds of protein foods people eat and three that turkeys might find outside.
🦃 Stop 2 – Garden Goodies: Turkey Fuel
If you have a garden or some veggies in your kitchen, take a look! What colors do you see?
Turkeys love colorful foods — tomatoes, kale, lettuce, berries. Those bright colors mean vitamins!
Larry and his turkey friends love garden goodies like ripe tomatoes, kale, lettuce, and other leafy greens. These colorful foods give them vitamins A and C, which keep their feathers shiny and their bright red snood — that funny, floppy piece over their beak — healthy and full of color.
Try This: Sort your snacks or dinner by color — reds, greens, yellows. Which colors do you eat most often?
The best diet for a turkey is free-ranging where they can hunt and peck for a wide variety of plants and bugs.
And guess what?! That’s the same for you — the more variety you eat, the healthier your body is!
So we try to give our turkeys as much from the garden as we can.
❓ Question:
Why doesn’t Larry mind eating hot peppers?
💡 Fun Fact:
Birds can’t taste spicy heat like we do — they don’t have the same taste receptors!
The compound that makes peppers “hot,” called capsaicin, actually helps reduce parasites and supports gut health.
So while Larry doesn’t feel the burn, his belly sure feels better!
Herbs like oregano, thyme, and garlic are other natural helpers that keep a turkey’s tummy happy and balanced.
🦃 Stop 3 – The Growing Beard
Male turkeys grow something called a beard on their chest — it’s made of stiff, hairlike feathers.
Click HERE for a picture of one of our turkeys, or look up a picture of a “male turkey.” What do you notice?
Turkeys begin sprouting their beards around 5–6 months old, just like Larry is now.
As he matures, that beard will grow longer and thicker, and by about a year old, he’ll have the proud, full beard of an adult tom.
❓ Question:
What’s the purpose of a turkey’s beard?
💡 Fun Fact:
It’s not for warmth or protection — it’s mostly for show!
A turkey’s beard tells hens he’s strong, healthy, and ready to lead the flock — kind of like a peacock’s tail or a cardinal’s bright color.
The beard is made of stiff bristles called filaments, which may also help him feel movement while strutting through tall grass.
Larry’s little nub is his badge-in-training — his future “look-at-me!” signal.
Try This: Draw a turkey beard with markers or yarn on a paper turkey.
🦃 Stop 4 – Feather Power
Turkeys puff their feathers to look big and brave — it’s their way of communicating.
Spread your arms wide like a turkey showing off! How does it feel to take up space?
Even though Larry is still young, he’s already practicing how to look big and brave.
Sometimes he puffs out his feathers and fans his tail — usually right when he’s about to do something I don’t want him to do!
He thinks he’s showing off his strength, but really, he’s just testing his turkey confidence.
Our larger, full-sized Narragansetts do the same thing — but they have real jobs to do.
The toms keep close watch over their hens, standing tall and alert. If they hear or see something unusual, they gobble to warn the rest of the flock.
Click HERE to see another picture of one of our male turkeys. 🦃
Do you see that piece of skin hanging down over his beak? That’s called his snood! It might look a little silly, but it’s actually very important to turkeys.
❓ Question:
Why do you think the snood changes color?
💡 Fun Fact:
A turkey’s snood — that floppy piece over his beak — is full of tiny blood vessels.
When he’s calm it looks pale or bluish; when he’s excited or showing off, it turns bright red!
It’s like a built-in mood meter that helps turkeys communicate — red says “I’m in charge!” and blue means “I’m calm and content.”
💭 Think About It:
Can you think of other animals — or people — whose color changes with their mood or health?
Try This: Look in a mirror and make a happy face, a calm face, and a nervous face. What changes do you notice?
🦃 Stop 5 – Watchful Eyes
One of Larry’s favorite lookout spots is up high. From there, he can keep an eye on his whole kingdom.
Turkeys have super sight and hearing — they can spot the tiniest movement from far away and notice sounds most animals would miss.
❓ Question:
Why do you think turkeys have these special abilities?
How do you think they help them survive in the wild?
💡 Fun Fact:
Turkeys can see almost 300 degrees around them without turning their heads, and they can even see ultraviolet light — colors invisible to us!
They also have excellent hearing, even though they don’t have visible ears.
These super senses help them stay safe, find food, and keep watch over their flock.
Narragansett toms are especially alert — they stand between their hens and danger, using more than 20 different calls to warn, comfort, or talk to each other.
Try This: Step outside and play a quick game: Have someone stand behind you. Can you sense them moving even without turning your head?
🦃 Stop 6 – Talk Like a Turkey
Did you know turkeys have more than 20 different sounds they use to communicate?
Gobbles, clucks, yelps, purrs, and trills — each one means something special!
The male turkey’s gobble is his way of saying, “Here I am!”
He uses it to get attention — both to impress hens and to warn other males to stay out of his space.
Each tom has his own unique gobble, kind of like a voiceprint, so hens can recognize who’s calling!
The hen’s yelp, on the other hand, is a friendly sound — like saying, “I’m over here!” or “Follow me!”
When a group of turkeys moves together, yelps help them stay connected and calm.
❓ Question:
Why do you think turkeys need so many different sounds?
How do these sounds help them stay safe or find their flock?
💡 Fun Fact:
Turkeys can make more than 20 distinct calls, each with its own meaning — from warning of danger to calling their babies or showing excitement.
Turkeys “purr” softly when they’re calm — just like cats!
💭 Try it out!
Can you make a loud gobble-gobble like Larry?
Now try a softer yelp-yelp-yelp like a hen calling her friends.
Try This: Make a chart of animal sounds you hear this week. Listen for birds outside your window or on a nature walk. How many different sounds can you hear? What other animals make sounds?
🦃 Stop 7 – Roosting Time
As the sun dips and the sky turns pink, Larry’s wild cousins would be getting ready for bed. Click HERE to see a picture of Larry roosting. This particular time he was on the roof of our house. His favorite spots are on the barn, or up high on the patio. Sometimes he will roost on the back of the outdoor furniture with the dogs.
If he were a wild turkey, he’d roost up high in a tree each night.
Our other Narragansetts still have that instinct — as soon as it starts getting dark, they head for the trees and balance on high branches until morning.
👉 Can you imagine sleeping in a tree like a turkey?
❓ Question:
Why do turkeys sleep high up in trees?
💡 Fun Fact:
Roosting keeps turkeys safe! Their feet lock tightly around branches so they won’t fall — even while asleep.
Wild Narragansetts can fly up to 55 mph in short bursts and sleep together in groups called rafters.
Larry may prefer the barn rail or patio, but he’s still happiest close to his flock — that’s us! ❤️
Try This: Let’s roost like a turkey! 🌙
Bend your knees to get some momentum, then jump and flap your “wings” at the same time. How high did you get? Probably not as high as a turkey — they can roost as high as 25 feet, which is about as tall as a two-story house or a big tree!
💭 Farm School Reflection
❓ Question:
What’s one thing you learned about turkeys today that surprised you?
💡 Fun Fact:
Turkeys have amazing instincts — from their color-changing snoods to their sharp eyes and flying roosts — and Larry shows us every day that even farm friends still have a little wild magic inside them.
Try This:
Draw or write a story called “If I Were a Turkey…” — where would you explore, what would you eat, and where would you sleep?
💛 We’d love to be part of your lesson!
If you use our farm activities or printables, we’d be thrilled to see how your kids bring them to life.
Tag us on social media so we can celebrate all the creativity, learning, and fun happening! 🌾@k2acres
🦃 Extra Turkey Q&A — Tap to Find Out!
Curious minds welcome!
Click on each hand to reveal the answer. Or click for the printable Questions & Answers
