Pet turkeys and Thanksgiving

[southernsibe]

I have two pet turkeys. I love them, despite their ding dong little brains. I do live in a pretty rural area, and I am growing more concerned every week that someone will want to, ahem dress my turkeys for Thanksgiving, not in the TJ Maxx way, so to speak. I do let them free range, and they love it. I was thinking that perhaps I should confine them, but then, we are in an area that some people don't adhere strictly to the hunting "times". So that would mean, they no longer could be free range for quite a while. What have other people done for this?

I know this sounds a bit odd, but a friend of mine that raises cockatails has told me that if you put kool aid in bird water, they will turn the color of the dye. Apparently with no lasting effects other then a feather color change for a few days. Since I have royal palm turkeys, this seems plausable. Maybe I could turn them purple or orange for the season, or pink, something that clearly states that they are not for food. Any thoughts?

Thanks
Rachel

 

[justusnak]

Well...im not sure of the whole Kool-aid thing....but Blue coat would work too...Personally...mine will be in lockdown, untill after next spring laying season. Better safe than sorry.

 

[Motherhenandflock]

I would take the safe route and confine them.
I have seen where ranchers will tie orange strips on their horses and cows. But even then, some joker might take pot shots. It wouldn't take much to do a lot of harm to your turks. And if someone has a turkey call, your babies might just walk right up to see what is going on.
That's my 2 cents.

P.S.
You could get them real hyper on red kool-aid! I don't think that's a good idea either, even it would work.

 

[SueNH]

Kool aid in the drinking water isn't going to do a thing. We'd have a lot of kids with weird hair if it did.

I have a bronze tom that I paint a couple bright yellow stripes on his wings and legs. I just look for child safe pain in case he picks at it. My daughter had some T shirt magic markers that were florescent colors. She drew pictures on a white duck with no problems to the bird. It's been most of the summer and I can still see a few strips of pink. Could have fun with a royal palm making him a rainbow bird. Without the constant swimming a duck does I bet it would last a long time.

I even had some bonehead stop and ask me about the wild tom that was standing 6 inches from my butt at the time. I had to pick him up in order to prove to the man it was a pet.

If any hunter brought in a royal palm to be registered here they would be in deep doo. It would be obvious to just about anybody it wasn't a wild bird.

Hunting season does make me cringe. I live next door to a pheasant release sight. I've had my old nubian goat shot one year. She had a terrible wound on her flank. Poor old girl hardly goes anywhere either. Naps and wanders over to eat a bit of brush and goes back to sleep. Never leaves the fenced area.
Last year I heard shots fired in my horse pen. Horses stampeded from a tree line in panic. Called my husband who was inside that some idiot was shooting in the fence. He yelled nobody was that stupid but came out to see. Just as he got to the door more shots rang out. Horses again charged in panic across the pasture. My husband went out there and confronted the fools. They laughed and said they thought they saw some woodcock. Thought they saw!!!! They thought it was funny that their dogs got shocked from the fence.
My elderly mare died of heart failure the next day. Few hours after I buried her the idiot came to my door and attempted to hand me a freshly killed pheasant. I shut the door in his face. Too sick to say a darn thing. I miss my old lady but even worse it could have been a child playing out back that they thought was a bird. Goats and old horses don't look much like pheasants or woodcocks. My daughter and her friends are always out there messing with my birds or the horses and goats.

The pheasant hunt itself makes me sick. The birds are dumped and immediately get shot at. Stocked opening day. The game officers barely have time to get out of the line of fire. The poor birds are raised in a pen. Have people bringing them food and water and then booof! Dumped in the woods and shot at.
I've had them run up to me begging for food.
When the hunters leave at dusk the predators move in. It's a disgusting massacre. Not hunting at all.

The old lady down the road from me has a trio of survivors from last years massacre. The come to the back door and call her when they are hungry. Hope they make it another year.

 

[theOEGBman]

The kool-aid can be rubbed onto their feathers I think, but I think it, or they, have to be wet. Im not really sure, but I wouldnt mind making my Cochin Red or Blue for a while,lol. Also, I think it comes out when they moult.

 

[silkiechicken]

Yeah, livers are great filters and no color going in is going to end up on their feathers. The only exception is flamingos to my knowledge and it lasts through molt. I've streaked my white silkie purple and painted my cat with red dots once with hair dye. I would pen them up for safety if hunters are going to be a problem. If you do want to keep them out... I would paint them orange, give them some clothes to wear, and give them a numbered leg band or wing band for the season. I would even say you could put a dog harness on it and attach a name tag to it. I know you can put dog harnesses on chickens, as I've done that, so a turkey should work too.

 

[southernsibe]

Wow, thanks for the replies! I was a bit skeptical about the kool aid, but I thought I'd ask. I have tons of kid safe paint, but I think it would flake pretty easily. Hair dye sounds like a good thing, I may try to look into that.

Maybe if I start to get them used to a harness not they will be more apt to not try and wriggle out of it.

I hadn't even thought of a turkey call! That just makes me sick to the stomach. I know that that nature will take it's course and I always stand the chance of loosing one of my babies to another critter. It doesn't make me happy, but I am realalistic. Loosing one of my birds to a human predator makes me pretty darn mad.

Does anyone know of the best place to look for the hunting times?

Thank you
Rachel

 

[chicks rule]

Check online for your states, Department of Conservation, it should list hunting seasons in your area. HTH

 

[southernsibe]

I realized right after I sent that post that I had it bookmarked. Oh well, mommy brain strikes again. Maybe it is cynical of me, but I just don't trust someone to not shoot my birds just because they are not "wild turkeys" They are beautiful birds already and they are still juveniles. I also don't trust people to report that they have shot something. If they throw it in their truck or what ever, dress it at home who is the wiser?
Rachel

 

[Motherhenandflock]

Our Walmart has booklets for the hunting seasons in our state. Anywhere hunting licenses are sold would have the hunts posted or could tell you. And I would take care even if it's not turkey season. I've had cats shot by the neighborhood hooligans.