This week our little turkey friend has officially reached 2 months of age!

 

He is still enjoying his complete NatureServe®   Gamebird feed. While he is now old enough to eat the pellets, we still are giving him crumbles without issue. He gets his feed in the evening, separate from all the other numerous birds we have! The Gamebird starter is safe for chickens and ducks; it just has higher protein levels than your average layer pellet. He gets his food separate because he is a special little guy!

Although his name is Peter Pan (thanks to my daughter!), I usually lovingly call him “Turkey Lurkey.” He is by far one of the most friendly animals we have out here! He loves to follow us around and can always find us, no matter where he may be at the time. He loves to follow right behind me. Sometimes I forget he is there, until I hear the pitter patter of turkey talons on the grass.

Turkey Tip- They love to free range!

 

Despite our best efforts to keep him from flying, he managed to keep slipping under the fence, or hopped from one obstacle to another to get out. It has been fine and he seems much happier having free range of the yard. His best friends are 4 young chickens we got from Hoover’s back in April. Turkeys crave a sense of belonging. He is happy to follow the 4 hens around all day, under the brush, into the muscadine row, and beneath the fruit trees.

 

One of Turkey Lurkey’s favorite places to roost is inside our garden, on the green bean arch. My husband built a very tall, almost triangle shape out of wood for my green beans and cucumbers. Despite having one wing clipped, Turkey Lurkey hops his way to the top. If I can’t find him in the yard, he is usually chilling on that trellis.

 

Although I had grand plans for a nice, big homegrown turkey for Thanksgiving this year, I must say I have changed my mind! Turkey Lurkey has become a part of our farm family here! He is such a goofy and entertaining bird, I would miss him too much on the farm! (That is, unless he decides to get mean!) I hope you have enjoyed seeing him grow from a tiny poult to a teenage turkey! He still has lots more growing to do, and I suspect that in a few months time, he will be bigger than some of my goats!

Turkey Tip- Get some turkeys of your own!

 

Raising turkeys can be such a rewarding experience. They certainly come with their own set of challenges. Based on my experience, I think next time I will buy my turkey poults sooner in the spring to avoid the summer heat (and maybe a bigger batch). Turkeys are comical, very endearing, and great for the dinner table or -great for the backyard flock! I hope you learned from my experience and will add some turkeys to your own collection very soon!