My Life As A Turkey (new documentary)

fiberdrunk

Songster
12 Years
Mar 6, 2011
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I just caught this new documentary on my local PBS station tonight. It's fantastic! Check your local PBS station for air times.
My Life As A Turkey

Here's a description from the website:

After a local farmer left a bowl of eggs on Joe Hutto’s front porch, his life was forever changed. Hutto, possessing a broad background in the natural sciences and an interest in imprinting young animals, incubated the eggs and waited for them to hatch. As the chicks emerged from their shells, they locked eyes with an unusual but dedicated mother.

Deep in the wilds of Florida’s Flatlands, Hutto spent each day living as a turkey mother, taking on the full-time job of raising sixteen turkey chicks. Hutto dutifully cared for his family around the clock, roosting with them, taking them foraging, and immersing himself in their world. In the process, they revealed their charming curiosity and surprising intellect. There was little he could teach them that they did not already know, but he showed them the lay of the land and protected them from the dangers of the forest as best he could. In return, they taught him how to see the world through their eyes.

Based on his true story, My Life as a Turkey chronicles Hutto’s remarkable and moving experience of raising a group of wild turkey hatchlings to adulthood.

It's available as a DVD and book . The book was from 2006 but the documentary is brand new.​
 
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Oh man!! Thank you SO much for sharing this post!! I was so excited when I saw this, as I had a shockingly similar life-changing experience, being a mother to a wild turkey and it was one of the most satisfying, bitter-sweet and heart-breaking experiences in my entire life. I almost couldn't believe I was reading about such a similar story when I checked on the PBS website about this show! I was crushed to learn at 9pm that it had aired from 8-9 in my area... but I'm very grateful to have seen this post and have my DVR all set up for the next airing on Friday!!! Thank you!
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The book is excellent.

Along with Schorger's The Wild Turkey (Its history and domestication), I can't think of any better.
 
I was fascinated by it but I have a question, will my domestic tom go on the attack at 18 months? We are planning to have a 6 foot fence around the coop by the spring to keep him in in case he feels protective of his two hens (we have a toddler so male breeding animals must be contained) but is that enough? He doesn't fly out now even though it's only 5 feet and he seems respectful of me when I'm in the coop (I did not make him into a pet on purpose). I do not let our toddler into the coop or run with the turkeys.
 
I was wondering the same thing, about them becoming so aggressive by 18 months. I've only had my pair of turkeys (females) since April so I don't. Sometimes my females act a little aggressive, pecking on the chickens. They fluff themselves up from time to time and display their tails from time to time, too.

I found this video clip on YouTube from the documentary. It shows a baby turkey hatching. Really cute!
 

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