Tag: baby turkeys

Happy Solstice!

~ Crystal Sands ~ Leave a comment

Friends, I have been busy. I have been in turkey school.

I feel like I could write a book about what I’ve learned from having baby turkeys running around our here, but the two most powerful lessons are as follows: 1. About 15% of turkey babies hatch with a neurological disorder that, if you carry them around and feed them for about seven days, they will grow out of it. That’s definitely a story worth telling, but in summary, I have been busy carrying a turkey around and performing the duties of my life pretty much with one hand. Thankfully, said baby turkey is doing great and has been recently returned to its mama and sibling. 2. Turkey mamas are quite fantastic, just different from chickens, even though there is a lot bad press for turkey mamas.

I still have much to learn, but I am making great progress in my efforts to understand turkeys, and I have decided they are worth all the work, which is a lot. I am kind of in awe of them.

In other good news, maybe the best news, last week, I started seeing a lot of Eastern Phoebes around. They are always around, but suddenly, they were really close to the house. Then, this weekend, Ron said he found nest under the eave of the turkey house. I was so hopeful as I ran outside in my bare feet to check the nest. It was empty, but sure enough, it was an Eastern Phoebe nest.

I have been bene wishing with all my heart that Eastern Phoebes would come back to the nest on our deck, but every time I see them hanging out, either Bairre or Boudica accidentally scares them away. The Phoebes are all around us in the trees. I see the birds around every summer, but to get a nest right where I can see the whole process is a little bit of heaven to me. I will keep my distance, but last night, I went to check to see if the mama had started sitting on her second round of babies for the summer. I couldn’t tell at first, so I went to get my phone. The zoom on the camera allowed me to see in the nest without getting too close, and there she was! I am pretty sure I was jumping up and down with joy.

It has been a lovely Solstice for us. My son was hired to play his cello at a Solstice celebration at a local church, and it was beautiful. Then, when I got home, I picked strawberries from our beds and tried an old fashioned recipe for strawberry jam without pectin. It was a slow and lovely process. The jam is different but delicious, and I am hoping to make more.

I am also hoping you had a beautiful Solstice as well. Happy Solstice, dear friends!

Turkey Time and Other Updates

~ Crystal Sands ~ 5 Comments

It’s been a little chaotic on our little homestead the past few weeks. It is mostly related to my turkeys. I don’t know if all turkeys are like this, but my turkeys are mama’s babies and demand a lot of time and attention. They are magnificent and beautiful and so smart, but they are also a challenge. I spend a good bit of time every day having “turkey time.”

They are big enough to spend time outside during the day, outside of their brooder, but they don’t want to be out there by themselves. So I have to sit out there with them for hours. I have much work to do, so I usually sit on a tree stump and grade papers while the turkeys fly around and do their turkey thing. Sometimes, they fly on my head. Sometimes, they get into my lap. Mostly, they just run around and scratch and eat bugs, but as soon as I try to leave, they run after me and then sit at the fence and cry. And cry. And then cry some more.

Ron cannot hear it. It’s too high pitched for his old ears, but mine are not old enough yet, which means I hear it all, feel like a terrible turkey mama,, which I totally am, and then head back outside with my laptop and sit on the hard tree stump to do my work. My tailbone is very sore.

I put them to bed early tonight. My son said, “You’re putting them to bed? It’s only 6:30!”

I said, “Shh. Don’t tell them what time it is.”

And I put them back in the brooder box and told them mama was getting some alone time.

So I get to write this evening.

I hope you are all doing well. There is so much going on. I’m worried about our food supply without proper safety inspections. Are any of you worried about this as well? We grow a lot of our food, but I still rely on the grocery store for quite a few things. I hate the thought of our food getting less safe. I mean, it’s already not great.

Ron and I are keeping up with things but just barely. Poor Ron is still planting and being bitten by black flies, but I think he’s nearing the end. He’s moving the tomatoes from the planters he started the seeds in to the garden today. When he gets to the tomatoes and peppers, he’s getting close to done. I hope he can rest a little. He’s tired too. We both have a hard time getting out of bed in the morning.

I made the first round of rhubarb jelly, and I took pictures of the process so I can share the recipe with you. The jelly is already almost gone because we all love it. It’s beautiful jelly.

I will share my pictures and recipe tomorrow–if my turkeys will allow it.

Just this sweet little turkey…

~ Crystal Sands ~ Leave a comment

I now have eight little turkeys to mother. The other nine are with fantastic parents. I will write more about this journey so far later in the week, but I just had to write quickly tonight because we had our first field trip outside today. I hope to have the video to share soon, but I do have this picture. This one is a girl, I am pretty sure–at least I hope–because she’s the biggest mama’s baby. She comes up to me when everyone else is playing and just wants to be held. She’s working hard in this picture. I think she got a bug!

Oh, my heart. I needed some babies. I haven’t had time to read the news in two days.