Most of my day has centred around scraping manure and slurry from the pig enclosure into impressive piles of fertilizer next to the allotments. Not an exciting day, nor a particularly interesting one, but these stinky jobs need to be completed.The one positive thing about all this repetitive work is the fact I have had an opportunity of watching the newly formed turkey flock from close quarters, and what an entertaining little bunch they are too.
The four youngsters (now sexed as 2 stags and 2 hens) are robust, mischievous, bright and greedy birds who spend long periods jousting and larking around like teenage boys after school.
Out of nowhere, one will take a fancy to start an odd looking kind of skipping movement, and suddenly all four are gambolling in crazy circles, wildly flapping their great big wings like idiots.
This "crazy" behaviour carried on throughout the day, albeit in short bursts; and the rest of the time, the four turkeys indulge in their other passion, namely eating.Every time I venture into the feed shed for something 8 huge black soulful eyes zoom onto my movements and the babies start calling and gobbling excitedly, bouncing up and down as if shouting "Me!!!me!!!!me!!!me!!!"
Call me a softie, but I always succumb to this blatant and hammy begging, and the turkeys know it...and as always they get offered a large handful of corn or wheat, which they bolt down within seconds . No wonder they now resemble four brown feathery barrels! and no wonder I am going through a sack of corn a week!
note their beaks, sharp and painful if they accidently peck you during a feeding frenzy...I should have clipped them short when they were poults
Mmmmmm....they are starting to look delicious!
ReplyDelete~Randy
keep your cott'in pick'in hands off my turkeys!!!
ReplyDeleteI thought turkeys were meant to be quite unpleasant animals.
ReplyDeleteI know their chicks are prone to cannibalism
they can be hard on each other that's true dan, especially if the mood takes them....I guess my birds' personalities are a reflection of how I have brought them up!!!
ReplyDeleteI am surprised to see how large they have grown in what seems such a short time. Your turkeys seem to be smarter than the average bird. I always thought that turkeys were stupid and would stand in the rain and drown. Those must be commercial turkeys. Yours must have more of the wild still in them. They sound cute, funny and pretty smart.
ReplyDeletemy turkeys are not stupid or unpleasant but very enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteJohn, you've got to start giving us video's. I demand video's!
yes, a video...of John doing the turkey dance.
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of a male turkey being called a stag. Is this a local title? Or, is there a difference between a Tom and a Stag?
nope male turkeys are called stags!!!!!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds as if they are a delight to have around.
ReplyDeleteI must say John, I am jealous of how you live. Though not glamorous, it seems to have a charm, and be charmed.
ReplyDeleteI think your turkey's are probably easier to get along with than some people!
ReplyDeleteYou know way back when here in the US, Ben Franklin wanted to make the turkey the national symbol, because they were so smart, etc., but as you(may) know, the eagle won out.