what does turkey scat look like

This resources was updated as part of the veterinary review process. It was originally published on November 30, 2022.

Veterinary Review Initiative This resource has been reviewed for accuracy and clarity by a qualified Doctor of Veterinary Medicine with farmed animal sanctuary experience as of June 2023.Check out more information on our Veterinary Review Initiative here!

If you’ve spent much time looking through our offerings, you likely know the important role routine health checks play in keeping residents healthy and catching signs of concern early. Performing health checks regularly is imperative, but this should not be the only tool you use to monitor your residents’ health and well-being. The importance of thoughtful daily observation cannot be overstated. While some issues may be difficult to detect without a hands-on evaluation, there are other potential signs of concern that could be missed during a health check particularly those that manifest as slight changes in behavior or activity. By incorporating both daily observation and routine health checks into your care protocols, you are more likely to catch issues that develop in the period between health checks, as well as issues that are unlikely to be detected without a hands-on evaluation.

When it comes to daily observation, the keyword is “thoughtful.” Daily observation of residents must be more than just looking at them. Anyone caring for an animal, regardless of their species or breed, should be trained to observe the individuals in their care for behaviors and physical signs that are abnormal for the species, keeping in mind issues that are common in a particular species or breed and their warning signs. Of equal importance is getting to know the individuals being cared for and watching for things that are out of the ordinary for that particular individual. To read more about refining your observation skills, check out our resource here.

Familiarize Yourself With “Normal”

In order to identify signs of concern, it’s helpful to first consider how a healthy turkey typically looks and acts. While all turkeys are unique individuals, there are some general characteristics that most healthy turkeys will present. While it’s important to familiarize yourself with how a healthy turkey typically looks and acts, of equal importance is getting to know the individuals in your care so that you can learn what is normal for each resident. It’s also important to keep in mind that turkeys, particularly males, can change certain aspects of their appearance (such as the color of the skin on their head and neck and the length of their snood). Males (and sometimes even females) can also puff themselves up, changing the appearance of the shape and size of their body. Therefore, there may be a few different versions of “normal” for each turkey resident in your care.

Recognizing that every turkey is an individual, in general, a healthy turkey should:

• Be bright and alert
• Have clear, bright eyes
• Have smooth, flat feathers (unless they are molting or strutting)
• Walk with an even gait
• Have clean feathers on their bum and should preen their feathers regularly
• Have a healthy appetite. Please note that large breed turkeys should be very excited to eat.

In addition to knowing what a healthy turkey looks like, it’s also important to know what healthy turkey droppings look like. Many people are surprised to learn that there is an incredibly wide range of normal when it comes to turkey poop. Therefore, it’s important to familiarize yourself with what is normal for the turkeys in your care so you can notice if something seems unusual.

Turkeys do not urinate like mammals do. They produce urates, which mix with the waste produced by the digestive tract in the cloaca. Therefore, most turkey droppings will be a combination of digestive and urinary waste. The white portions of a turkey poop are the urates, with the rest being the feces.

The color and consistency of turkey poop can be a great indication of the overall health of the turkey. The most common colors of turkey poop are some shade of brown, gray, or green, but the color of fecal matter can be affected by diet. For example, turkeys eating red fruits may have some red-tinged poop, which may be confused with blood. Turkey droppings are typically soft but formed. However, turkeys who are eating lots of water-dense foods or are drinking more than usual, which is common when temperatures are hot, may have loose stool.

As part of the digestive process, food matter is fermented by bacteria in the ceca. The ceca empty their contents a few times per day, and cecal poop looks (and smells) different from other turkey droppings. Cecal poop is often a dark shade of brown and has a pudding-like consistency. It also has a distinct odor.

A broody turkey may spend the majority of the day nesting. Because of her dedication to nesting and her desire to keep her nest clean, she will often “hold it” rather than pooping frequently throughout the day and may only leave her nest a couple of times to relieve herself. Because of this “backup” of waste materials, it is not uncommon for a broody turkey to produce surprisingly large, pungent droppings.

What can a turkey poo tell you?

FAQ

How do you identify turkey poop?

The male scat is differently shaped through. Rather than clumpy bundles like the female Hens, the Jake and Tom scats are long, narrow and straightish. I often find them with a bit of a curve at the end giving them a sort of “J” shape with the curved end splotched with uric acid.

How big is a turkey scat?

Turkey scat is cylindrical in shape with blunt ends and its diameter is slightly bigger than a penny.

What time of year do turkeys lay eggs?

• 

  Florida

  Osceola turkeys in Florida start breeding in mid-February, and hens lay eggs in March and April 
• 

  Michigan

  Hens lay eggs in April, and peak hatching occurs in June in southern Michigan 

What does a Turkey scat look like?

The scat often coils in one direction, and the ends of the droppings are typically blunt. Male and female turkey droppings vary in form; male droppings are longer or J-shaped, while female droppings are more or less spiral-shaped, like a snail’s shell. The internal anatomy of male and female turkeys differs, which accounts for the form discrepancy.

How do you know if a Turkey POOP is male or female?

The form of the droppings may also determine the gender of the bird. Females often produce more spiral-shaped droppings, whereas males typically produce more J-shaped droppings. Turkey poop’s color and texture may also inform the bird’s diet. For instance, if the droppings are greenish, the bird may have been consuming grass or other plants.

Why is Turkey poop different from other bird droppings?

Turkey poop is unique compared to other bird droppings because turkeys have distinct diets, digestive systems, and living environments. Here are four key differences: Size and volume: Turkey droppings are generally larger and produced in greater volume than most other bird species.

How do you identify wild turkey droppings?

Hunters, bird lovers and nature enthusiasts should be able to spot and identify wild turkey droppings. Since the droppings are fairly distinct from the scat of other animals, you need only a basic introduction to correctly identify the droppings. Look at the size and basic shape.

What color is Turkey poop?

The normal color of turkey poop ranges from greenish-brown and greenish-yellow to gray and dark brown. This variation largely depends on what the turkeys eat, as different foods can change the hue of their feces. Furthermore, turkey droppings often mix with urine, which affects their shade too. Why Is My Turkey’s Poop Liquid?

How do you know if a Turkey POOP is dry?

Hydration level: The moisture content of turkey droppings can indicate these birds’ hydration status. In particular, dry, hard droppings may suggest that a turkey is not getting enough water. Meanwhile, overly watery poop might indicate too much water intake.