Yard Dinosaurs
On October 8, 2023, we happened to look out the bedroom window to see these wild turkeys wandering across our yard.
They varied a bit in coloration, with some being brown and others a darker black.
None of them appeared to be males, which is not too surprising. Apparently the females and their chicks will form up into flocks with other females in the late summer and fall, but the males stay separate until early spring.
This was a fair-sized flock, with at least 14 birds. I understand that a female turkey will lay up to 15 or so eggs, so this could be all the chicks from a single clutch of eggs, although a near-100% survival rate seems unlikely. I think it is more likely that there are at least 2 mothers and their chicks here.
So, anyway there are a lot of large wild birds running around our yard at times.
And not just wild birds.
Sam’s chickens wander around the yard during the day, too. This one is a Buff Orpington, and the next one is a Barred Rock.
These are both good breeds to keep for pets. They are hardy, lay a moderate number of eggs, and stick around the yard very well so they don’t get lost (or eaten). The Barred Rocks seem to be, well, not so much “standoffish”, as indifferent to humans. The Buff Orpingtons were fairly friendly. Sometimes *too* friendly, as we found the day that they came by and started stealing graham crackers out of our hands while we were making s’mores around a campfire.
We don’t actually let them into the house, but they certainly seem like they would appreciate it if we did.
