Yikes!!! Now I want to learn more about turkeys. We are going to raise some this upcoming year, I have heard from other posts in the forum how aggressive the toms can be....especially with kids and animals, well, we have so many of these items (the kids and animals (dogs), that I will have to treat these big old things like babies, so that maybe they will be a little more tame than the ones that I hear chase people up the trees. I wonder if they can be tamed enough to be even a little nice to the human and dog race.
My neice got a little baby Muscovey duckling from the auction last summer when she went with her mother there. She took this little tiny baby into their home and nurtured it until it was old enough to go outside to the rest of the flock in the pen. Now this little baby did inded think that she was her mother. I believe they call this imprinting, yes, indeed. This little duckling would follow her everywhere, S.. would show her food to eat and she would eat. My darling neice really had to act like she was mom. Honestly, I think that the baby would have perished had she not, it was so incredibly independent on her. I was so surprised when she was slowly introduced to the clan in the hen yard, she did adapt. There instinct became the winner. That was good. Because, have you ever seen the muck that a duck makes!!!! I have never seen anything like it in my life. We put the big old sabo out there, they make that water look like the mud from >>>>> in about one hour. We put 5 gallon pails all over, for the fresh water, just for fun, they actually climb right inside and have a bath, don't ask me how they fit, but they do. Hold the hose above you and let it make the water sprinkle on the ducks, well, you would have thought that they had died and gone to heaven. I don't know how they love water so darn much. I find the Muscoveys far more interesting than the Kaki Campbells or the Japanese Longnecks, they appear to have somewhat of a personality, and I like the hissing sound that the drakes make. But the others make me laugh with their strange laugh. The Kakis bump their bills onto the ground will making the funniest sound.
Oh dear, I do ramble. So this morning I was awake long before the sun, and I have not heard the rooster crowing for the past two mornings. Now this morning I heard him loud and clear. He crowed and then I heard (they are quite some distance from my house) another crow, then our rooster, then another rooster. This carried on for about 6 or 7 "calls" we will name it. I called my sister and told her to listen out her door, there was a very strange "crow" coming from the neighbour that lives way, way out back, I could tell it was so far away. So she listened, and I listened with my ear that was not on the phone with her and my free ear. She laughed, and said that they neighbour had a male Silkie, obviously a new bird there, as I have not heard this particular "crow" before. Amazing how different species can have different sounds, well, that sounds kind of dumb now, doesn't it? I guess everything has a different sound.
By the way, has anyone heard the queen piping??? YOu will know what I mean. LOL, I am curious how many people have heard this beautiful voice. Great day. Cindi.