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How to build a brick turkey

The finished brick turkey: a Thanksgiving turkey with a big fan of red, orange and yellow tail feathers

To build a brick turkey, set a brown seat with two orange feet in front, stack a round brown body, and build a fan of tail feathers behind it in brown, yellow, orange and red rows. Add a head with a red wattle, black eyes and a yellow beak. It takes 34 pieces and 4 steps, for ages 7–9.

The turkey build at a glance

Pieces34 (17 kinds)
Steps4
Ages7–9
Colorsbrown, red, yellow, orange, black
Finished size11 × 4 studs, about 7.7 cm (3.0 in) tall
Special piecesNone: plain bricks

Parts you need

  • 4× brown 1×2 brick
  • 3× brown 2×4 brick
  • 3× brown 1×3 brick
  • 3× red 1×2 brick
  • 2× yellow 2×10 brick
  • 2× orange 2×8 brick
  • 2× brown 2×3 brick
  • 2× orange 1×2 brick
  • 2× yellow 1×2 brick
  • 2× black 1×1 brick
  • 2× brown 1×1 brick
  • 2× orange 1×1 brick
  • 1× brown 2×10 brick
  • 1× red 2×6 brick
  • 1× red 2×3 brick
  • 1× red 1×1 brick
  • 1× yellow 1×1 brick

Step-by-step instructions

  1. 1 Feet, body and tail

    The brick turkey after step 1 of 4, feet, body and tail: new pieces outlined, earlier ones faded

    A brown seat with two orange feet in front. Then the round brown body, with brown and yellow tail rows behind it.

    Find: 3 brown 1×2 bricks, 2 brown 2×4 bricks, 2 orange 1×1 bricks, 1 brown 2×10 brick, 1 yellow 2×10 brick, 1 brown 2×3 brick, 1 brown 1×3 brick, 1 yellow 1×2 brick

    Did you know? Only boy turkeys, called toms, spread their tails into a big fan.

  2. 2 Bigger body

    The brick turkey after step 2 of 4, bigger body: new pieces outlined, earlier ones faded

    One more brown body row in front, and a yellow row of tail feathers behind.

    Find: 1 yellow 2×10 brick, 1 brown 2×4 brick, 1 brown 1×2 brick, 1 yellow 1×2 brick

    Did you know? A wild turkey can run as fast as a bicycle.

  3. 3 Head and wattle

    The brick turkey after step 3 of 4, head and wattle: new pieces outlined, earlier ones faded

    The head with a red wattle, two black eyes and a yellow beak, and orange feathers behind.

    Find: 2 orange 2×8 bricks, 2 brown 1×3 bricks, 2 orange 1×2 bricks, 2 black 1×1 bricks, 2 brown 1×1 bricks, 1 red 1×1 brick, 1 yellow 1×1 brick

    Did you know? The red skin under a turkey's beak is called a wattle.

  4. 4 Top of the tail

    The brick turkey after step 4 of 4, top of the tail: new pieces outlined, earlier ones faded

    Finish the head, then the red tips of the tail feathers. Gobble gobble!

    Find: 3 red 1×2 bricks, 1 red 2×6 brick, 1 brown 2×3 brick, 1 red 2×3 brick

    Did you know? Wild turkeys sleep up in trees at night.

Questions parents ask

How many pieces do you need for a brick turkey?

34: 4 brown 1×2 bricks, 3 brown 2×4 bricks, 3 brown 1×3 bricks and 14 more kinds. The full list is in “Parts you need”.

Are these turkey instructions free?

Yes. Every step is on this page. A print-ready PDF with the parts list and one big step per page is free by email.

What if I’m missing a color?

Use a brick of the same size in another color. The shapes hold the model together; the colors are only for looks.

More Thanksgiving builds

Pumpkin pie 26 pieces · 3 steps · ages 4–9 Little turkey 24 pieces · 3 steps · ages 4–6
👇 StepsGet the free PDF