Turkeys - Not Like Chickens

I'm posting this blog today, Tuesday, because we have been without internet since Sunday. It's frustrating how much we have come to rely on it.

This post is going to be one of those random ones.  Just warning you.

First, about turkeys.  So you may remember my first mention of getting turkeys, back in June.  I did not do any of my usual reading up before venturing into this new thing.  The title of today’s post refers to what I have learned about turkeys since then.  About the only thing really.  Oh, and they can fly.  Very well, and very high. 

The turkeys have decided that the place they prefer to spend the night is on top of the brooder, which is stored on top of the hog hut in their pen.  I would prefer that they sleep in the coop, where they are safe from predators.  The first night I attempted to shoo them indoors also turned out to be the last time.  What ensued was sort of a flying circus with one turkey on flying up to the roof of the coop and from there launching itself off the roof, over the fence and heading south with Hoover in hot pursuit.   Great.

To skip to the end of the story, we did find the bird hunkered down in the Black Forest, which is what we call the near-impenetrable grove of pine trees behind the house.  It was returned to the company of its siblings which were all back to where they started.  And that is where they stayed.

I picked this book up from the library.

I haven’t had much time to look at it, but what I have seen so far are dire warnings about all the nasty diseases that these birds are susceptible to.  My Royal Palms are so much unlike the frankenturkeys on the cover of the book that I am not going to worry about that too much - I believe they are much hardier birds than those raised for commercial use - and will be tastier too.

 Speaking of Hoover…

Dog of Destruction - enough said.

Can’t wait until he ages out of the puppy stage.

The sunflowers are at their peak.  We have some here by the house to greet us when we come home from work, and a bigger field of them out by Kori’s deer stand.  Kevin climbed up to take this first photo.

Looking good except for that low spot that is really wet.

The deer are systematically mowing them down, beginning at the north end and dining their way south.

While we were out there, I checked on the blackberries – looks like a bumper crop will be ripe soon.  The bears will be happy!

If you are in the habit of looking at this blog weekly, I want you to know there will not be a post next Sunday.  We will be on vacation, enjoying some time with the trees, rocks, and water up in BWCA.