Early this morning we were woken up by the sound of turkeys gobbling and we looked outside to discover that we had an entourage of baby visitors.
This story actually started 6 weeks ago, when we became aware of a female turkey hen who had laid 12 eggs just by our neighbour's cedar rail fence.
The hen laid 12 eggs and she sat on them for approximately 28-30 days before we discovered the broken shells.
We have never witnessed a wild turkey sitting on a nest before and we weren't exactly sure if her nest had been raided by a predator or not.
This is what "Momma Turkey" actually looks like when she's not splaying her wings flat to cover all her eggs:
She's a good size bird and you can see her carefully watching to see if we would be a threat to her or her young poults (which are what baby turkeys are called).
Momma is teaching them how to forage for their food.
They aren't the best photographs in the whole world because turkeys don't tend to stay still very long but you can see their body shape and how small they are at approximately 2 weeks old.
Congratulations to Momma Turkey and her little ones. 12 eggs were laid and this morning, I have counted 10 poults running around.
I consider this a big win for Mother Nature too!
~ Rebecca Ryan
@rebeccaryan
Great day. You found turkeys and then you showed me how to use my computer for Steemit. Wonderful day. Didn't think so about five hours ago.
Ha
Enjoy your turkeys. I will look at your photos more closely soon.
Francis
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Aww! How sweet! There is a lone turkey living behind me. One of my kitties tried to befriend him but the turkey ended up being pretty terrifying and chased him away.
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Thanks for commenting @mermaidcat!
I'm not a turkey expert but I think where there is one, there will eventually be more. LOL!
They most definitely know how to protect themselves and wild ones are incredible intelligent. They have great sight and hearing, plus the ability to run fast and fly.
Welcome. I have followed you. :)
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oh case solved then
they actually hatched and she must have gone on a holiday with them, too? :D
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Yes, for about 2 weeks...lol!
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Very cool!
Great pics and post.
Thanks for sharing this beautiful nature post.
Steem on :)
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You are in wild turkey country, alright. I remember your winter picture of them out in the field. It's so cool that you saw their nest. They are so vulnerable to dogs at that stage. Have fun watching them grow up!
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Awesome haha glad the babies arrived! Can't believe you got that close to take the pictures without getting attacked haha
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Very carefully, let me tell you!
It was really cool to see.
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Very cute new born Turkey ..all are looking very active.
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They are all very active @how2steemit! In fact, it was impossible to count them until I had a still photo to go by. LOL!
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Such handsome birds! They've really been multiplying around our place, too.
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That is sooo freaking cute !!
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Thanks @journeyoflife! I was really excited to finally catch a glimpse of Mother and babies...just a beautiful thing to witness. ;)
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this is pretty amazin, tried to breed some chicken eggs once in a machine .. i think just about 20% hatched so 10/12 is amazing !
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I thought so too @rizatr! Mother Nature knows how to do things. :)
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Those babies are so sweet! The wild turkey is my spirit animal and I see them every day on my way to or from work. It does my soul good to see them and I thank you for that :)
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Thanks so much for taking a minute to comment @tamaralovelace!
Even though I see turkeys regularly in my neck of the woods, I am always amazed by them. They are sentient beings who prefer to live in harmony.
I respect them. :)
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<3
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Hi, upvoted!:) Good post. Also, fun fact: a 1 minute kiss burns 26 calories.
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Thanks for commenting and upvoting @ergoproxy!
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