When we got home from work the turkey had come out of her fenced area (we left the gate open just in case the poults jumped through the fence and she panicked) and was in the far corner of the garden with them.
This is what happened when I tried to get my first picture
This is my next attempt
I managed to herd them back in to the run where there house is but later on when I went to lock them up she was missing her babies and they were not calling for her. In her panic she flew on to the neighbours fence and I thought she might go in their garden so I did what all good smallholders do - I left her to it and walked up to the field to lock everyone else up.
By the time I got back she was not on the fence, I checked the neighbours garden and she was not there! I found her hiding in the stinging nettles with her 2 poults!! Crikey knows where they were!!
So they have not been locked up tonight but I am sure she is quite safe in the back garden hidden away.
Yesterday I was asked if Turkeys are too domesticated which is why they can't rear their young - I asked DH and he said 'No, they are just stupid creatures'!!
My turkeys are quite wild compared to some I have seen - ours free range on a 1 acre meadow and prefer to roost as high as possible and would rather eat insects than pellets.
Looking on the internet one website says Narrangansett (our favoured breed) are very maternal for a Turkey - I would hate to see the other breeds with their young.
I remember reading an article about why Narrangansett's started to die out (some of it was the large producers favoured quicker growing birds) and basically it was the increase in traffic on rural roads in America, they just didn't know what to do around traffic and kept getting run over!!
I know other Smallholders don't let their Turkeys rear their young and instead use chickens or buy in eggs or poults. I wonder if anyone does the same as us??
Forgot to say the poults are now about 4 days old.
Thanks for thet, I hope this mummy is more succesfull, then perhaps her young will learn some tips from mummy, at what age will they be able to fend for themselfs
ReplyDeleteThey will stay with mum for about 12 weeks - she will still try to keep them warm at night even when they no longer fit under her! It's a site to behold.
ReplyDeleteAs they are all in the same flock they will naturally gravitate to her when they are grazing etc even when they are fully grown.