Tribute to @memphis and her Lapper turkeys

[R2elk]

Sep. 16, 2015 @memphis wrote

Geez...Daisy (the Blue Slate ) has decided to become a lap turkey. Third evening in a row she's hopped in my lap. Just loves her head scratched. Sits there and wards off all chickens & my other turkey hen. She's quite funny. Annie (the Bourbon Red ) sneaks around behind her & lays her head on my arm. These girls are so sweet & such attention hogs!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-century-of-turkey-talk-2000-2100.966414/post-15842177

 

[R2elk]

Sep. 17, 2015 @memphis wrote

Charmed....I'm rooting for ChaCha!
Friend of mine is married to a chef. When he heard I had laying turkey hens he offered me 4.00 per egg. Being a good friend, I gave them a pile & got the most delicious pound cake in return. I had no idea what a rare & valued commodity a turkey egg was to a baker! Did some research & found out the going price per egg is 3.50 to 5.00 per egg. Who knew?

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-century-of-turkey-talk-2000-2100.966414/post-15843598

 

[R2elk]

Sep. 17, 2015 @memphis wrote

Bob...you're correct about fertile eggs being worth more. Apparently that is why it's hard for chefs to find turkey eggs to bake with. Seems most folks would rather hatch out the eggs vs selling them to chefs. So I have no Tom...just the two girls. I'm sort of happy that the eggs are so valued by a friend. Of course the baked goods is the other thing making me happy!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-century-of-turkey-talk-2000-2100.966414/post-15844002

 

[R2elk]

Sep. 18, 2015 @memphis wrote

Maybe Banshee was doing a turkeys version of a "Happy Dance". Or maybe he had his earphones in and was break dancing to something.

I have a molt question. Starting to find a few turkey features here & there. Do turkeys do a hard molt? What part of their body looses feathers first? I'm used to hard chicken molts.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-century-of-turkey-talk-2000-2100.966414/post-15848561

 

[R2elk]

Sep. 18, 2015 @memphis wrote

YES!!


I have so many turkey feathers on the ground, I actually looked for signs of predators or a dead bird! JJ is completing his molt, He is starting to look good again. Ethel is just starting hers. I am not sure what the deal is with Sidekick, he looks good and has not seemed to molt. I think "stupid B****" has completed hers. She looks better than has in a long while. Now if she only learned to behave!

So I guess my two haven't really started molting yet. Never seen a naked turkey before. Yipes!! Ralph...did you get rid of the guineas yet?

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-century-of-turkey-talk-2000-2100.966414/post-15848671

 

[R2elk]

Sep. 18, 2015 @memphis wrote

I think turkey molting pictures could be pretty funny! I think we should start posting naked turkey pics!! In fact...we out to send naked turkey pics to the calendar folks for their "other than chickens" calendar! !

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-century-of-turkey-talk-2000-2100.966414/post-15848694

 

[R2elk]

Sep. 22, 2015 @memphis wrote

Feisty! Where is everybody?? I was out of town this weekend and boy were my turkeys happy to see me when I got back. All kinds of little happy turkey sounds. Of course Daisy jumped in my lap....leaving poor Annie to pull my hair. Maybe its me....but they really seem to miss me when I'm gone. They are both still laying eggs. No one has committed to a molt yet....although the chickens are really starting. Its pretty funny to have a lap turkey. Scratch her head and she goes to sleep.

Waiting for pictures of naked molting turkeys! I really want to see your bald birds! BYC usually has a molt contest each year....I want to win it with a turkey....chickens take it every year!! Turkey's need to step up!!

Starting to cool off here. Well....its about 90 today but the nights are going down into the 60's. That's huge for us. It was a miserable summer.

So Ralphie....have you eaten a guinea yet? Do you still have the flock? Read the list of guinea crimes. Geez!!

Feisty....Turkules looks like he's over his wing injury. Is he 100 percent now? Love the shot of him and your DH. Can't believe how big the rest of the crew is getting!

What's everyone else been up too???

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-century-of-turkey-talk-2000-2100.966414/post-15863742

 

[R2elk]

Sep. 22, 2015 @memphis wrote

Fiesty...I agree with Feedman about Porters. If you've never been to his site you need to go check it out. I want one of each!

Feedman, 14 toms out of 15 ....yipes! Will you raise them all? What are you getting ready to hunt? I just bought little orange vests for my hens. Kidding...although they would look very chic in them.

Ralph sounds like the guineas have been pardoned. Out of jail & back to moma. Maybe she can keep them in line for awhile. Nice that your building them a deck!

Aurora...the most time I spend at my stove is to dust it. That's an amazing amount of canning.

I did rig a sort of lean-to thing in the turkeys coop and Daisy is using it! Annie still just drops an egg & keeps on walking.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-century-of-turkey-talk-2000-2100.966414/post-15864431

 

[R2elk]

Sep. 22, 2015 @memphis wrote

Hi, this is a photo that I took last year after my turkeys had finished breeding. She hasn't started moulting yet this year but as you can see last year was brutal lol

OMG Dragon Lady! Thanks so much for the molting turkey pic! We all need to have our naked turkey pictures ready for the molting picture contest! It's time a turkey won!! And Dragon Lady that's a great one!

Aurora...Ralph is right. Most of these hunters are only in the woods once a year and shoot at anything. Slob is a perfect description. I was really kidding about orange vests for my hens....sort of...being cautious may be prudent. And yep...i can just see some slob in a bar bragging about a turkey with a vest.

I have an Eastern Box Turtle, Mertle Turtle, who's lived in my back yard for years. Been there so long that she joins the chickens for veggie treats. I have a construction flag on a stiff wire super glued to her shell so I know where she is and don't kill her with the mower. I take it off when she goes to hibernate. Point being...you could make a vest & attach a tall flag.."Dont Shoot my Name is Sweatpea"...Ha...think that would help??

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-century-of-turkey-talk-2000-2100.966414/post-15864967

 

[R2elk]

Sep. 24, 2015 @memphis wrote

Boy that's right. Lymes is rough. Apparently it can be hard to diagnose sometimes. My turkeys are fun to watch when hunting bugs! They've even picked mosquitoes off my legs!
I know turkeys sleep outside in frigid weather, but do any of you do anything special in their coops for winter. Mind you, if it gets down in the 20 's here we think we are dying. So it doesn't get too cold. But it is a wet winter and humid.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-century-of-turkey-talk-2000-2100.966414/post-15873211