Young males are called jakes, and young females jennies. Chicks are called poults. Toms can weigh more than 20 pounds. Hens weigh 8 to 10 pounds. Even though turkeys are big, they can fly and escape great horned owls and other predators.
Wild turkeys live in hardwood forests near farm fields.
Turkeys feed on insects and young plants in the spring and summer. In the fall they eat lots of acorns and hickory nuts, called mast , so they can build up a layer of fat to help them survive winter s cold. Turkeys do not migrate south for the winter. They can find winter food by going to farm fields and eating corn and grain leftover from the fall harvest. In the spring, as the days grow longer, wild turkeys begin courtship and breeding.