*keeping it pure

Last year we started our rafter of turkeys with Spanish Blacks, Eastern Wild and Narragansett turkeys. We were hoping to have at least one tom and one hen of each breed, however we are short just one of the breeds being perfectly matched.  So the Narragansett hens will live alongside the Spanish Blacks.    Up until now the turkeys, all 8 of them (our breeding stock) have been living amongst our 40 chickens.  Over all this has not been a problem, but we want to keep the turkeys lines pure, so as Spanish Black toms are fertilizing Spanish Black hens, etc.   So this week Eric and Henry made a covering on the right side of the barn for one of the turkey breeds to have shelter from rain and wind. 

This bench was given to me by a dear friend from NC some years ago. It is now a part of the turkey's area, you can often find several of them perched up on the bench.  They also claimed this wagon that attaches to our lawn tractor, so in order to make them feel like this was home we gave it over to them.  We know where it is if we are in need of it.

All finished, a bit of rearranging and voila!

Narry, has a twin sister (just another of her breed) named Carry, and they seem pretty content. 

The two Spanish Black toms showing their stuff before the transition of the move from one part of the barn yard to the other. I am sure the chickens will be happier to have their WHOLE barnyard to themselves. 

Billy, one of the two Spanish Black toms has just gotten done making his gobble noise... look at his snood flinging in the air. (the snood is the flap of tissue off the front of his face that lays down over his beak - when it is not flying)

This is Scab and she is our Eastern Wild hen. Strange name, yes indeed.  When she was a young poult she was very high strung, well she still is, but she would race up and down the fence line and one day when coming out to check on the animals, we noticed she had wore a sore on her crown from trying to get through the fence.  It took weeks of loving care, close monitoring and some applications of meds to make sure she made it back to her normal (or not so normal) self.

This is her mate, Lurch, our Eastern Wild tom.  He is a beautiful bird to be sure.  They seem quite happy together, just the two of them in their little abode created just for them during the mating season.

For some odd reason, our Eastern Wild turkeys do not have snoods. Neither of them have any show of a snood at all. 

Elvira, a Spanish Black hen is on watch for hawks or other predators over head. They are simply fascinating to watch.  Their habits, their calls, and how the interact with each other.

One of our hens has started laying, we hope all of them pitch in soon and take a hint.  For now, we are eating the eggs, or selling them. But as soon as the others get on track we will start hatching some out.  Spring will be here before you know it and with that comes new peeps!