I came home from work just 10 or 15 minutes too late. Seven the Turkey's body was still warm. I didn't notice the outgoing bright-eyed little bird had been turned into a lime feathered hung of meat at first. It was just strange that Maron was over between a big rock and a green shrub. I thought her leash was caught on something and wen to untangle her, almost stepped on the dead turkey chick... And after it's all done Maron was just sitting there looking all cute an innocent. I had to make and effort to be mad at her for at least 24 hours... Hopefully she can retain the urge to be as far from the birds as possible when they gather around the feed cans. Or does she just look reticent when I'm there? I'll have to reorganize things somehow just to be safe I guess.. It was very disappointing to lose Seven, my first and last eye contact everyday for the last couple weeks. And it was also a lot of effort to hatch the turkey with an unreliable incubator and time the move to the brooding box with the heat lamp, and set up another box as the bird got bigger.. A bunch of kids and their guardians enjoyed Seven too, not to mention her hatch-mate LaBuBu the Silky... Now I have to wait till March to try and learn of Turkeys through experience...
#MaronTheShiba #TurkeyChick #DeadTurkeyChick #七面鳥 #七面鳥雛 #死んだ七面鳥雛

Not sure how the littlest chicks would make out trying to spend the night out with the 4 bigger chicks... To be safe I'll keep bringing them in to sleep in the box with the heat lamp...
#TurkeyChick #SilkyChick #七面鳥 #七面鳥雛

Seven photos of Seven the Turkey chick... nice cool dirt bath day, relaxing!!

#SilkyChick #烏骨鶏雛
#烏骨鶏 #七面鳥 #七面鳥雛　#TurkeyChick
#DirtBathBirds

"Seven" growing quick.

#SilkyChick #烏骨鶏雛
#烏骨鶏 #七面鳥 #七面鳥雛　#TurkeyChick

Seven the turkey out eating with the adults.
Silkies seem to get along with other birds. The Nagoya Kochin seemed to drive of the sparrows, ate a couple of quail chicks, tried to kill a disabled Silky and would body slam quail adults. The Kochin are cute birds otherwise...

#TurkeyChick #SilkyChickens #Silkies #七面鳥 #七面鳥雛 #烏骨鶏

Food Now!
Turkey ("Seven") is write in there among the adults demanding feed. Joel Salatin wrote that Turkeys are much more energetic or active about foraging.. I'm wondering if I'll have to figure out some fencing or just give Seven to someone else in a few weeks or months. It would be fun to get set up for Turkeys.. Nice people want to do a MaruYaki Rotisserie event.. Not with Seven of course!! But in March if I can hatch a couple more eggs and end up with extra Toms (male rooster turkeys) in the winter...

#TurkeyChick #SilkyChickens #Silkies #七面鳥 #七面鳥雛 #烏骨鶏 #烏骨鶏雌鶏

🦃
#TurkeyChick #Turkey #七面鳥
#七面鳥雛

After more then 2 weeks it's impressive to see how smart and social this first Turkey chick seems. There's a lot of eye contact and learning, I think. "Seven" runs over and finds me, makes me nervous about the dog(Maron) not noticing the difference between a in-group friend and a small-meal sparrow.. But Turkey prefers to get meal-worms and BSFL from between fingers than off the ground.. I can't see "Seven" as a meal for anybody. There is a Silky rooster chick and seems intent on bullying "Seven" and their peer "LaBuBu" he Silky Chick. Maybe that mean rooster will be somebody's meal in a few months...

If I can start hatching turkey eggs in march and they get to be about 15 kgs in 6 months or so... Getting people together to eat the extra males ("Toms"?) in the winter might work out fine, the end of November, the beginning of December. From next year maybe a new tradition will start right between Thanksgiving and Noam Chomsky day there will be a Turkey Feast day to celebrate the American contributions to the world..
#TurkeyChick #七面鳥 #七面鳥雛 #BackYardBirds #FrontYardBirds #Turkey

#TurkeyChick #SilkyHens #七面鳥 #七面鳥雛 #烏骨鶏 #烏骨鶏雌鶏

Another young hen decided to use the laying box by the front door. I confess I can't really see or remember the differences among the younger hens, but the hen that used to lay here leaves some sort of deposits on her eggs. I've been seeing those eggs over by their night cage. Three or 4 hens started laying in a wooden apple box but one went broody so I had to close it off. Otherwise that one hen would end up with 10 or so eggs under her, and probably not be successeful with any of them. Since, apparently I should be concerned about in-breeding after so many generations here I replaced the eggs with some a local heirloom's, Miyazaki JiDori. There used to be a half Silky half Nagoya Kochin hen named pink that was fascinating. If I get some JiDori chicks I'll probably give some away, let people eat the roosters but keep a few hens and see what happens. It was fun to compare the quail, Silky and Kochin eggs for a time a few years ago. Maybe, after a year or so, there will be in-hand comparisons of Silky, JiDori, and Turkey eggs!! I'm really liking this first Turkey chick, very social, lots of eye contact. As of now I can't see the bird as a meal.. Maybe that will change if "Seven" gets big, ugly, and aggressive but it's hard to imagine right now. Turkeys only lay eggs from March until the end of summer, so I won't be able to try hatching more for a few months. Just as well... "Seven" can help me decide how serious I want(need) to get about fencing and housing for a 15kg bird, how effective turkeys are as feral cat deterrrents.. In the meantime "Seven" is just sort of fun to hang out with.. Sorry I don't have a name for this hen. Better get on with the Turkey photos.. The two older hens in the photo with Seven are Prune and Plum, veteran EggLaying ChickRaising cuties. Prune tends to abandon chicks early for the roosting bar but now that team-work boxes are working the chicks don't need to come inside: a lot less work...
#烏骨鶏 #七面鳥 #烏骨鶏雌鶏 #七面鳥雛 #SilkyHens #TurkeyChick

Where's Turkey?　🦃
#TurkeyChick #七面鳥雛