For this story, we have to back up a bit. Last Fall we kept 4 of our heirloom turkeys (Major Tom and 3 hens) in the hopes of raising our own flock and not having to rely on hatcheries. One of turkeys went broody this spring, sitting in all kinds of weather upon her nest of, what we were certain, was a pile of infertile eggs. So, we robbed a collection of eggs from the hen we were pretty sure was fertile and put them in the incubator to also sit for 28 days. We timed the hatch so the eggs would pop just a day or two after we returned from China.
While we were in Beijing (I was riding on their very efficient subway toward some sort of temple) Rex texted the family that the broody turkey hatched out a clutch of 10 babies. Well! This was exciting (and unexpected) news!
Upon our return we hatched out another 10 turkey poults from the incubator. Dang. That's a lot of turkeys. And then our third turkey hen went broody. Oh no. (She's still on the nest. I will probably have news early June).
Anyway, way too many turkeys over here. I decided to sell some of our incubator hatch. I sold 6. A hawk filched 3 out of the yard. So, now we are down to a "reasonable" 11 poults (plus whatever might hatch out of that last hen).
We've really enjoyed watching the mama turkey strut around the backyard with her babies. Sometimes they ride on her back. She's been very attentive. She's taught them how to take dust baths in the garden and eat the choicest seedlings. They've also destroyed a few potted plants on the back patio and pooped all over the place. The domesticated incubator turkeys were flying out of their enclosure in the garage and getting lost in there and perching and pooping on bike handlebars and the like. So, while it was entertaining for a while, Wild Kingdom was encroaching on our domesticated lifestyle.
So, today was the day, Michael decided, that he would round up all the turkey poults and put them in a locked pen (with netting on top) in order to reclaim our space. Well, if he had any hope of putting it off, he quickly had proof that action was necessary as he found mama and her babies in the front yard (wrong side of the fence!) by the propane tank. These were some feral birds.
Not long after Michael rounded up all the baby turkeys (not an easy task) and corralled them in the enclosure he took a much needed break. Of course the break lasted about 10 minutes before he looked out the window and saw the feral ones in the garden again. What?!
So, now that Amira and I were home, we went out there with Michael and a pair of scissors and rounded them up and clipped a wing on each. There is much complaining coming from the turkey pen this morning. First day in boarding school is the roughest.
When we first moved here I thought I'd gotten all the training I needed out at the GRUB CSA Farm about growing food. I mean, how hard can it be? We'll be living off the land, we mistakenly thought. Well, not only do I lack a little bit of (okay, A LOT of) discipline, but also boundaries. GRUB would never have let turkeys run wild in the garden. And they are also more vigilant about successive planting, cultivating and harvesting than I am. I'm a sloppy gardener. I'll admit it.
Michael and I had discussed all the radishes, carrots, lettuce, etc. that we would have had were it not for the turkey infestation. (Last year it was a gang of gophers). This year I suggested that sign back up for the GRUB CSA for our veggies and consider anything out of the garden a bonus.
How hard can it be? Well, every time I udder those words I expect I'm asking the universe to show me just how hard it can be. Have I learned nothing?
In other news, and quick pix:
Rex wrapped up his Senior Year at Butte College. He still got dressed up from Prom with Dylan. Love this photo.
Amira participated in a "chalk walk" with other art students at her Junior High. The theme was "Album Covers". She and her friends created the below from the band called Logic. When this got posted on social media, it received a "like" from the actual band. This caused quite a lot of local excitement. It's a pretty amazing likeness, really. I like it too. (But I'm not famous ... so I don't count with as much weight at the actual band. I mean, c'mon!)
Valerie was elected President of her FFA chapter for her senior year. Her Livestock Judging Team placed 4th in the State of CA in San Louis Obispo this spring. (Pretty darn good for their first year as a team!) Below photo is: Josh, Hailey, Valerie & Sarah. They pretty much rule the local FFA chapter.
She also placed 4th in sheep showmanship at the Silver Dollar Fair. This is pretty darn good considering the level of the kids she was up against. Those people do nothing but show sheep year round.
Lastly, Michael and I tacked a few extra days onto his trip to Beijing (for business) in order to have a vacation and see some important sites like the Great Wall, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace ... etc. It was a great trip! I'm glad we went.
And now, here we are back at Tifftown with the kids and critters. We are getting ready for a High School Graduation, 8th Grade Graduation and 18th Birthday. I'm hoping for a slightly slower paced summer ... but somehow, well, I'm not going to ask how hard it can be.
