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That Troublesome Turkey

Dino the turkey is up to her usual antics. The other day when we went to close the coop for the night, she was nowhere to be found. We didn’t panic right away, knowing from last time she disappeared that she was probably brooding somewhere, so we started searching. After a while the sun had gone down and all the usual places had been checked, but no turkey had been found. Panic started to set in at this point. More than likely she was fine, but she would not be fine for long if we didn’t find her before the predators did. We’ve lost too many of our birds, sometimes right under our noses during the day, to feel secure with her out of the coop for even a few hours after dark. It really doesn't help that at night time, turkeys (and chickens) seem to lose all thinking ability and just sit there, no matter what's happening. Predators have no trouble walking right up and making a meal out of them, they don’t try to get away or anything. I guess it's the darkness or something, I really don't know. By now it was now plenty dark and my turkey was still not in the coop. I started running back to the house to get a flashlight, feeling my heart sinking. Suddenly, I felt the earth squish under my foot as something let out an indignant squawk. I flew towards the ground, catching myself on my hands and knees. Dino stared down at me, feathers ruffled but otherwise ok. 

She had apparently decided that the middle of nowhere with no cover or protection, other than being slightly hidden in foot tall weeds, was a great place to make a nest. Oh turkey..

She's a looker.

The Mystery of the Disappearing Turkey

Dino, our pet turkey

Yesterday, we learned what it feels like when a parent loses there kid in a crowded area. Our child was a turkey, lost amongst acres of four foot tall weeds, but I'm sure it's a similar feeling. I got home from work, and as soon as I saw John I could tell something was wrong. "I can't find turkey" he told me sorrowfully. The next 30 minutes were a paniced blur, we combed the property, looking everywhere. "Maybe she's hiding with some eggs", John tried to cheer me up. I rejected the idea, she had never even layed an egg before. If she didn't come for the afternoon scratch treat, the worst had to have happened. We called her and searched the best we could within the rain forest of weeds that is currently our property, there was no sign of her. Every bunch of weeds I searched, I expected to find her body, half eaten by a predator like we've found chickens who have gone missing. It would be hard, if not impossible to find any remainder of her amongst the weeds, so we headed back to the coop, giving up.

Well guess who was waiting for us at the coop when we got there? I don't know where she had disappeared  to, but at least she was safe.