It’s been a while since we’ve posted a blog. Due to me having a recent shoulder surgery I’ve been out of the swing of things lately, but definitely still tending to the flock as if I have 2 good arms! 

What better way to come back than to blog about this special fella right here, TJ. He’s quite the special Turkey and his story is amazing as well. 

Chickens were cool for a while but if you’re an avid poultry lover like myself then you know “chicken math”. Chicken math begins as a few hens, then moves to adding some roosters, then to some ducks and eventually here you are with turkeys and even a lone Guinea named George. 

Well… I had made it to the few hens part, past the ducks and roosters but something was still missing. A Turkey was missing! After receiving a message from another farmer/paramedic about looking to rehome his set of turkeys I had the Jeep in the wind with a dog kennel stuffed in the back headed to Halifax County to pick up Big Boy and Turkey Girl. Man! Was I excited! I had no clue about raising turkeys but that wasn’t going to stop me from adding this pair to my ever growing flock!

Needless to say the pair made it to the farm and was introduced to the existing flock. Everyone seemed to get along and things were going smoothly with my new feathered buddies. Turkey Girl had laid a clutch of eggs, and of course I was eager to put them into the incubator I had just purchased. Again, I’m new to turkeys and incubating any egg much less a Turkey egg. So off I went I placed 3 Turkey eggs into the incubator, set it up and waited. Impatiently might I add! 

During this time we had a terrible fox problem that just wouldn’t go away. I was a drive thru for this fox and it was depleting my flock slowly. Unfortunately Tj’s mom, Turkey Girl, fell victim to this fox. I was devistated. I returned from work one morning to find her dead in the backyard. I cried like a kid as I buried her. Little did I know that same day a tiny little Turkey was going to peep his way into the world and more importantly my heart! 

While sitting around the house that day, still upset about the loss of my Turkey Girl we heard a faint peep. I blew it off to the pair of tiny bantam chicks I had just purchased from Tractor Supply. But to my surprise it was a tiny turkey! My heart was so full again! He knew I needed him to make his way into the world that day. 

After hours of waiting and watching there he was. An awkward little Turkey poult! My TJ! Since that day we have grown a bond that no one can believe. He follows me around when I’m outside and will always gobble back at me when I call his name. Who knew Turkey could be so loving?! We have a park bench that we will sit on together, him in my lap and I’ll talk to him and let his little head till he falls asleep. 

I wouldn’t tell any of the other birds this but he’s definitely my favorite!