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Author Topic: Blind turkey ??  (Read 2014 times)

Offline Fishing-Nut

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Blind turkey ??
« on: July 17, 2017, 04:40:13 pm »
Well a few weeks ago an older guy I work for on occasion gave me 9 turkeys. I brought them home and just put them out to range around my farm. I noticed one was smaller than the others, but not a whole lot so I didn't pay it much attention. The turkeys are pretty cool and have been hanging around real good. When they see me they come over hoping that I have some food for them. Well today I made a sandwich with the last of the bread....other than the end pieces (I don't eat those), and decided I'll take then outside and give them to the turkeys. Well as I was throwing little pieces of bread on the ground I noticed that one of the birds was just standing there and not getting after the bread crumbs like the others. Me being the nice guy that I am figured she was just the run and didn't want to get bullied around. So I throw some down and get the birds away from her and then tossed her a piece.....she acted like she didn't even see it go by her head. If you know anything about the vision of a turkey then you know she surely would have seen it. So I throw her another piece. She just stands there. I thought "there's no way this turkey is blind".....so I walk over to her and wave my hand on one side of her head...... nothing she doesn't even flinch.....the I do the same thing to the other side/eye and still nothing. Yep...this turkey is as blind as a bat. I've never had turkeys before, and for all I know this is a pretty common thing. But I sure hate it for the girl. She stays with the group just fine though. Does anyone here raise turkeys? Have y'all ever heard of such a thing? How in the world has she been eating and drinking? These are 100% free range birds. They either drink from the river here at the house, or from a bucket I have under my ac line that drips when the air is running.i guess she's just living off of grass that she eats because I know she can't be catching bugs and worms....
Take a kid fishing !

Offline 220

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Re: Blind turkey ??
« Reply #1 on: July 18, 2017, 05:49:41 pm »
No experience at all with turkeys, if she is hanging with the mob they would be taking her to water. Obviously getting a feed somehow as she is surviving but doing it hard if she is a bit runty.
Surprising what disabilities and injuries animals can survive with but I thought being blind would usually be a death sentence for a bird.

Offline Fishing-Nut

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Re: Blind turkey ??
« Reply #2 on: July 18, 2017, 10:25:57 pm »
I figured it would be a death sentence to. And it very well could be. Today I can't find her. Yesterday she got separated for a bit to. But I put her back with the group. I am not so sure that this didn't just come on all of a sudden.
Take a kid fishing !

 

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