- Mar 25, 2007
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They have a very serious latch on the door that requires human thumbs to open and close. There were no scratches on the pen, although it is framed with wood. None of the wire mesh was even pushed out of shape, let alone torn. Their waterer, food dishes, were all strewn about as if there had been a big dust-up.
Now, because these are big heritage-breed turkeys, they can fly decently well, and because they are penned every afternoon, the ones that had flown out were all hanging around in a big bunch with the toms standing guard and the hens in the middle. From the tracks in the snow, it looks like they wandered around the backyard and the garden, did not go far. Yesterday they didn't want to go out in the snow at all--they didn't even come down from their perches to eat very long before hopping back up, they don't like the snow and there's still plenty on the ground. So not only did someone unlatch the door after DH went to work in the afternoon, they must have had a heck of a job trying to get them out of the pen. I got home at 5:30, at least they weren't out for long.
All of them are present and accounted for. I didn't socialize them at all and they really hate humans. Anyone who tries to handle them gets boxed. Last weekend I got a black eye from one who was standing next to the food dish when I re-filled it. If anyone was fool enough to try to grab one bare-handed, I know they got a heck of a surprise. Both the girls and the toms are MEAN.
I'm putting a sturdy wire loop on the door tonight, and after this weekend when the culls go to freezer camp, I will move the others into one of the barn rooms that has a lock. DH will keep an eye out and ask the neighbors if they saw anything; our nearest neighbors are retired and spend most of their days watching the backyard birds, so hopefully they were around today to notice. If it happens again, I guess we can file a police report for trespassing or something, but it just makes me furious. This neighborhood has never had any problems like that!
And of course this was the one week that I have to keep my livestock guardian indoors to mind the other dog, who is sick and unable to help him guard in this weather.