June 18, 2024 • 9 mins
The Feathered Delights of Raising Your Own Turkeys Howdy, friends! Pull up an old chicken-coop stool and let me regale you with the feathery, gobble-filled joys of keeping a flock of turkeys amidst your homestead menagerie. Sure, everybody gets starry eyed for those beguiling chookies, those ridiculously charming backyard chickens clucking about, but let me ask you: have you ever experienced the pure, unbridled delight of a turkey welcoming committee? Well let me tell you, there are few sweeter homestead greetings than being happily mobbed by a trotting, purring pack of feathered hooligans whenever you enter the paddock area! You haven't lived until you've felt the soft buffeting of fanned tail feathers and pronking turkey haunches wuffing against your overalls. And the ecstatic churrr-churrrring vocals showering you like the most riotous jazz scat singers ever to grace the avian amphitheater! That's the true allure of turkey husbandry, my friends – the total immersion into a wacky realm of unbridled fowl enthusiasm and personality. These remarkable birds possess a zest for life and showmanship that'll have you grinning from ear to ear each morning as you make your feeding rounds. Now I know what you're thinking: Tom turkeys seem so comically ill-tempered and stand-offish, raring for a scrap every time you lock eyes through the fence. And sure, while they may strut about with considerable bluster and those arresting cobra-like iridescent plumes fully flared at the slightest provocation, the truth is domesticated turkeys quickly become as docile and bonded with their caretakers as any dog once introduced properly. Why, I'll never forget sweet ol' Thunder Ridge Maximus, who'd come loping across the homestead the second he caught my scent, leaping and wings aquiver, just to station himself beside me like an adoring royal guard for the entirety of my morning chores! So long as you thoughtfully establish boundaries and safe spaces, domestic turkeys will cement themselves as the goofy, feather-dangling sidekicks you never knew your homestead days were missing. And what unabashed gourmets and unapologetic treats goblins these gobblers make, let me tell you! While chickens often retain a somewhat fussy, picky disposition when it comes to their feed, domestic turkeys are game to try absolutely anything. And I do mean anything. My jennies and toms routinely frolic about like popcorn kernels, joyfully gobbling down stray veggies, melon rinds, apple cores, literally any vegetable scraps or chicken scratch the earth has to offer. One look at those irresistible spiral twist turkey necks bobbing and snaking about mowing down on a fresh bounty of backyard goodies reaffirms why these feathered vacuum cleaners deserve a treasured spot right alongside your compost heap and workhorse gardening staff. Now I'll admit, the early days of introducing turkeys to an established homestead can feel a tad, well...chaotic? Their boisterous nature and endearingly spastic movements as they joyously ricochet about inspecting/devouring/perch-mounting every new dangling curiosity on your slice of Gaia's good green earth definitely takes some acclimation. Gardens and water features in their path may need some tender reinforcing for those first few months. However, I promise - once everybody on the homestead comes to understand one another's boundaries, turkeys swiftly reveal themselves as the Zen masters of your motley animal crew. You'll catch them serenely digging dust baths in the strawberry patches, languidly wing-flapping meditation sessions between zoomies through the lettuces, all while abiding by their secret ancient turkey philosophy: "Whaddya gonna do, maaaan? Whaddya gonna do?" Blissed out at every turn, these birds. Oh, and regarding the inevitable seasonal "processing" turkeys undergo on most homesteads, I find their spiritual equanimity somehow eases the difficulty of that November occasion. You can just sense these iconic fowl peacefully accept the natural cycles of thanksgiving and rebirth, as if they intuitively understand their very presence as guests on our plates serves to nourish and strengthen the enduring human-turkey allegiance. After all, domestic turkeys have been right there alongside indigenous North Americans and Europeans preserving our cultures over the centuries, comically jangling and flicking debris around our cooking fires throughout history's hardest epochs. It's like they know their higher calling encompasses sustaining us as a bedrock of endurance food, while their dazzling feathers and charming hatchling antics feed the human soul's need for natural wonderment. On a practical, get-your-hands-dirty homesteading level, the humble domestic turkey can't help but steal your heart, either! Each spring, few experiences top the utter delight of poult posses trailing in your shadow, peeping and prattering at your boots with those riotous mini cone heads and popcorn ball bodies aquiver. I'll take a regimen of darti
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
The feathered delights of raising your ownturkeys. Howdy, friends, pull up
an old chicken coop stool and letme regale you with the feathery, gobble
filled joys of keeping a flock ofturkeys amidst your homestead menagerie. Sure everybody
gets starr eyed for those beguiling chokies, those ridiculously charming backyard chickens clucking about.
But let me ask you. Haveyou ever experienced the pure, unbridled
(00:21):
delight of a turkey welcoming committee.Well, let me tell you there are
few sweeter homestead greetings than being happilymobbed by a trotting, purring pack of
feathered hooligans. Whenever you enter thepaddock area. You haven't lived until you've
felt the soft buffeting of fantail feathersand pronking turkey haunches waffing against your overalls,
and the ecstatic chur churring vocals showeringyou like the most riotous jazz scat
(00:44):
singers ever to grace the Avian amphitheater. That's the true allure of turkey husbandry,
my friends, the total immersion intoa wacky realm of unbridled foul enthusiasm
and personality. These remarkable birds possessa zest for life and showmanship that'll have
you grinning from ear to ear eachmorning as you make your feeding rounds Now,
I know what you're thinking, Tom, turkeys seem so comically ill tempered
(01:06):
and stand offish, raring for ascrap every time you lock eyes through the
fence. And sure, while theymay strut about with considerable bluster and those
arresting cobra like iridescent plumes fully flaredat the slightest provocation, the truth is
domesticated turkeys quickly become as docile andbonded with their caretakers as any dog,
once introduced properly. Why I'll neverforget sweet old thunder ridge Maximus, who'd
(01:30):
come loping across the homestead the secondhe caught my scent, leaping in wings
a quiver, just to station himselfbeside me like an adoring royal guard for
the entirety of my morning chores.So long as you thoughtfully establish boundaries and
safe spaces, domestic turkeys will cementthemselves as the goofy, feather dangling sidekicks.
You never knew your homestead days weremissing. And what unabashed gourmets and
(01:52):
unapologetic treats goblins. These gobblers make, let me tell you. While chickens
often retain a somewhat fussy, pickydisposition when it come to their feed,
domestic turkeys are game to try absolutelyanything, and I do mean anything.
My Jennies and Tom's routinely frolic aboutlike popcorn kernels, joyfully gobbling down stray
veggies, melon rines, apple cores, literally any vegetable scraps or chicken scratch
(02:16):
the earth has to offer. Onelook at those irresistible, spiral twist turkey
necks bobbing and snaking about mowing downon a fresh bounty of backyard goodies reaffirms
why these feathered vacuum cleaners deserve atreasured spot right alongside your compost heap and
workhorse gardening staff. Now, I'lladmit the early days of introducing turkeys to
an established homestead can feel a tadwell chaotic their boisterous nature and endearingly spastic
(02:40):
movements as they joyously ricochet about inspectingslash devouring slash perch mounting every new dangling
curiosity on your slice of Guya's goodgreen Earth definitely takes some acclamation. Gardens
and water features in their path mayneed some tender reinforcing for those first few
months. However, I promise,once everybody on the homestead comes to understand
one another's boundaries, turkeys swiftly revealthemselves as the zen masters of your motley
(03:06):
animal crew. You'll catch them serenelydigging dust baths in the strawberry patches,
languidly wing flapping meditation sessions between zuomiesthrough the lettuces, all while abiding by
their secret ancient turkey philosophy. Whatare you going to do? Man,
what are you gonna do? Blistout at every turn these birds. Oh.
In regarding the inevitable seasonal processing turkeysundergo on most homesteads, I find
(03:30):
their spiritual equanimity somehow eases the difficultyof that November occasion. You can just
sense these iconic fowl peacefully accept thenatural cycles of thanksgiving and rebirth, as
if they intuitively understand their very presenceas guests on our plates serves to nourish
and strengthen the enduring human turkey allegiance. Nick. After all, domestic turkeys
(03:51):
have been right there alongside indigenous NorthAmericans and Europeans preserving our cultures over the
centuries, comically jangling and flicking debrisaround our cooking throughout history's hardest epics.
It's like they know their higher callingencompasses sustaining us as a bedrock of endurance
food. While their dazzling feathers andcharming hatchling antics feed the human soul's need
(04:12):
for natural wonderment on a practical,get your hands dirty homesteading level. The
humble domestic turkey can't help but stealyour heart either. Each spring, few
experiences top the utter delight of poultposses trailing in your shadow, peeping and
pattering at your boots with those riotousmini cone heads and popcorn ball bodies.
Aquiver, I'll take a regiment ofdarting, chaotic hen and chick duty maneuvers
(04:35):
over any hyped artificial stress test.As the weeks progress, in fluffy shimmers
of iridescent feather coverage in robes yoursummertime polts, their distinct personalities begin to
shine too. You'll find each juvenileturkey indelibly stamping their unique spirit onto daily
paddock life. Their little wattle nubsand sprouting top knots, seeming to convey
(04:55):
subtle moods and dimensions of attitude thatreveal their complex cognition. Simply spending a
lazy afternoon observing Turkey flockmates interacting swirlingabout in choreography only they comprehend slowly reveals
their individual transcendental quirks. Witness goofyYoung Belinda perpetually squashing herself into any crevice
or nook, apparently believing her plumpwattles equate to Turkey transcendents through perpetual squatting.
(05:20):
Meanwhile, Young Thunderbottom struts about spasmodicallyslapping at his wing nubs while making
pretend chest puffing gulping sounds clearly rehearsinga sultry fantasy of full virile tango mailing,
and who could forget Prankster drumstickly revelingin his self assigned role as homestead
instigator, care free as he giddilysneaks up behind fellow flock members, only
(05:41):
to launch an abrupt feather explosions ofwing blasted hutspa let. Turkey skeptics see
these silly side show shenanigans unfold andI defy them not to feel their anxiety
temporarily dissolved in contagious spates of purelaughter. Speaking of merriment, just wait
until you join your feathered cronies atthe powder hole during dust bathing rituals.
There are few cometic spectacles quite asdelightfully absurd as a dozen plus over enthusiastic
(06:06):
turkeys frantically flapping themselves into oblivion,whipping up billowing tornadoes of powdery earth and
debris whenever the mood strikes and thecrisscrossing panicked bolt escapes whenever a sudden flock
sneeze breaks the reverie, only tohave the whole troop immediately resettle back into
serene dust wallowing mere moments later.Its little surprise. Recent scientific studies have
(06:30):
shown domestic turkeys seeming to possess aself awareness of mortality, exhibiting behaviors suggestive
of an intuitive grasp upon the cyclesof death rebirth that underscore their roles as
icons of harvest celebrations worldwide. Maybethis grounding sense of metaphysical equanimity, derived
from human stewarding them represents the profoundroot of their charming yet profound flock antics.
(06:53):
For our sake. They've joyfully upliftedthe daily husbandry grind through their whimsical
gobbledygook gobbling merrily stresses through the relentlesssiren songs of gobble gobble gobbles, serenading
our morning wake up calls, allwhile ingratiating themselves as faithful co architects on
homestead garden, soil enrichment and fortification, merriment, wisdom, nourishment. What
(07:15):
more could one ask of a homesteadcompanion. Sure, you may find yourself
unexpectedly moved to gobble tears at theoccasional glimpse of a slipping through the fenced
turkey rump wobbling a defiant salute yourway, before waddling off over yet another
self imposed rebellious escape into the backfield, or spying haughty senior turkeys, gossiping
and incessant whispery purr pearls and conspiratoriallow chuckles as they cast what appear to
(07:41):
be disdainfully skeptical side eyes whenever ourown clucking human antics seemingly fail their jaundyanced
comic standard. But I guarantee youonce besided by their rascally gobbling laughter and
unshakably positive spirits, radiating pure joyand simply living each day. You'll soon
find yourself reciprocating their infectious goods gobbledagook shtick every chance you're graced with their
(08:01):
feathered eminence's strut pronking presence. SoI heartily encourage each and every one of
you to take the leap and invitea flock of feather brain hooligans into your
homestead's life. I promise you there'ssimply no better elixir for the weary soul
than coming home to a turkey stampede, vibrating with energy as your feathered pals
woo woo, gobble gobble their greetingsand immediately sweep you into their happy reality,
(08:26):
a reality where all is right intheir pulsating, trilling world, and
maybe we discover all could be morerightly exuberantly turkey fied in ours as well.
But because at the end of eachsun bronzed homestead day, aren't those
grinning moments amidst our, goofy turkeyflock mates the most timeless, priceless,
all too human instance of authenticity.We all secretly crave those heart nourishing oases
(08:46):
where our own frenzied interior dialogues brieflyhush, And all that remains is this
eternal, ridiculous present, tranquility,clucking and gobbling back at us. So
keep on gobble gobbling, you magnificentfeathered clowns, and space at muppets.
We'll keep on celebrating and stewarding yourpresence amongst us for as long as your
loopy jois de vive continues. Blessingour humble, interdependent earthwalks. Deal Gobble,
(09:09):
gobble, gobble,
The feathered delights of raising your ownturkeys. Howdy, friends, pull up
an old chicken coop stool and letme regale you with the feathery, gobble
filled joys of keeping a flock ofturkeys amidst your homestead menagerie. Sure everybody
gets starr eyed for those beguiling chokies, those ridiculously charming backyard chickens clucking about.
But let me ask you. Haveyou ever experienced the pure, unbridled
(00:21):
delight of a turkey welcoming committee.Well, let me tell you there are
few sweeter homestead greetings than being happilymobbed by a trotting, purring pack of
feathered hooligans. Whenever you enter thepaddock area. You haven't lived until you've
felt the soft buffeting of fantail feathersand pronking turkey haunches waffing against your overalls,
and the ecstatic chur churring vocals showeringyou like the most riotous jazz scat
(00:44):
singers ever to grace the Avian amphitheater. That's the true allure of turkey husbandry,
my friends, the total immersion intoa wacky realm of unbridled foul enthusiasm
and personality. These remarkable birds possessa zest for life and showmanship that'll have
you grinning from ear to ear eachmorning as you make your feeding rounds Now,
I know what you're thinking, Tom, turkeys seem so comically ill tempered
(01:06):
and stand offish, raring for ascrap every time you lock eyes through the
fence. And sure, while theymay strut about with considerable bluster and those
arresting cobra like iridescent plumes fully flaredat the slightest provocation, the truth is
domesticated turkeys quickly become as docile andbonded with their caretakers as any dog,
once introduced properly. Why I'll neverforget sweet old thunder ridge Maximus, who'd
(01:30):
come loping across the homestead the secondhe caught my scent, leaping in wings
a quiver, just to station himselfbeside me like an adoring royal guard for
the entirety of my morning chores.So long as you thoughtfully establish boundaries and
safe spaces, domestic turkeys will cementthemselves as the goofy, feather dangling sidekicks.
You never knew your homestead days weremissing. And what unabashed gourmets and
(01:52):
unapologetic treats goblins. These gobblers make, let me tell you. While chickens
often retain a somewhat fussy, pickydisposition when it come to their feed,
domestic turkeys are game to try absolutelyanything, and I do mean anything.
My Jennies and Tom's routinely frolic aboutlike popcorn kernels, joyfully gobbling down stray
veggies, melon rines, apple cores, literally any vegetable scraps or chicken scratch
(02:16):
the earth has to offer. Onelook at those irresistible, spiral twist turkey
necks bobbing and snaking about mowing downon a fresh bounty of backyard goodies reaffirms
why these feathered vacuum cleaners deserve atreasured spot right alongside your compost heap and
workhorse gardening staff. Now, I'lladmit the early days of introducing turkeys to
an established homestead can feel a tadwell chaotic their boisterous nature and endearingly spastic
(02:40):
movements as they joyously ricochet about inspectingslash devouring slash perch mounting every new dangling
curiosity on your slice of Guya's goodgreen Earth definitely takes some acclamation. Gardens
and water features in their path mayneed some tender reinforcing for those first few
months. However, I promise,once everybody on the homestead comes to understand
one another's boundaries, turkeys swiftly revealthemselves as the zen masters of your motley
(03:06):
animal crew. You'll catch them serenelydigging dust baths in the strawberry patches,
languidly wing flapping meditation sessions between zuomiesthrough the lettuces, all while abiding by
their secret ancient turkey philosophy. Whatare you going to do? Man,
what are you gonna do? Blistout at every turn these birds. Oh.
In regarding the inevitable seasonal processing turkeysundergo on most homesteads, I find
(03:30):
their spiritual equanimity somehow eases the difficultyof that November occasion. You can just
sense these iconic fowl peacefully accept thenatural cycles of thanksgiving and rebirth, as
if they intuitively understand their very presenceas guests on our plates serves to nourish
and strengthen the enduring human turkey allegiance. Nick. After all, domestic turkeys
(03:51):
have been right there alongside indigenous NorthAmericans and Europeans preserving our cultures over the
centuries, comically jangling and flicking debrisaround our cooking throughout history's hardest epics.
It's like they know their higher callingencompasses sustaining us as a bedrock of endurance
food. While their dazzling feathers andcharming hatchling antics feed the human soul's need
(04:12):
for natural wonderment on a practical,get your hands dirty homesteading level. The
humble domestic turkey can't help but stealyour heart either. Each spring, few
experiences top the utter delight of poultposses trailing in your shadow, peeping and
pattering at your boots with those riotousmini cone heads and popcorn ball bodies.
Aquiver, I'll take a regiment ofdarting, chaotic hen and chick duty maneuvers
(04:35):
over any hyped artificial stress test.As the weeks progress, in fluffy shimmers
of iridescent feather coverage in robes yoursummertime polts, their distinct personalities begin to
shine too. You'll find each juvenileturkey indelibly stamping their unique spirit onto daily
paddock life. Their little wattle nubsand sprouting top knots, seeming to convey
(04:55):
subtle moods and dimensions of attitude thatreveal their complex cognition. Simply spending a
lazy afternoon observing Turkey flockmates interacting swirlingabout in choreography only they comprehend slowly reveals
their individual transcendental quirks. Witness goofyYoung Belinda perpetually squashing herself into any crevice
or nook, apparently believing her plumpwattles equate to Turkey transcendents through perpetual squatting.
(05:20):
Meanwhile, Young Thunderbottom struts about spasmodicallyslapping at his wing nubs while making
pretend chest puffing gulping sounds clearly rehearsinga sultry fantasy of full virile tango mailing,
and who could forget Prankster drumstickly revelingin his self assigned role as homestead
instigator, care free as he giddilysneaks up behind fellow flock members, only
(05:41):
to launch an abrupt feather explosions ofwing blasted hutspa let. Turkey skeptics see
these silly side show shenanigans unfold andI defy them not to feel their anxiety
temporarily dissolved in contagious spates of purelaughter. Speaking of merriment, just wait
until you join your feathered cronies atthe powder hole during dust bathing rituals.
There are few cometic spectacles quite asdelightfully absurd as a dozen plus over enthusiastic
(06:06):
turkeys frantically flapping themselves into oblivion,whipping up billowing tornadoes of powdery earth and
debris whenever the mood strikes and thecrisscrossing panicked bolt escapes whenever a sudden flock
sneeze breaks the reverie, only tohave the whole troop immediately resettle back into
serene dust wallowing mere moments later.Its little surprise. Recent scientific studies have
(06:30):
shown domestic turkeys seeming to possess aself awareness of mortality, exhibiting behaviors suggestive
of an intuitive grasp upon the cyclesof death rebirth that underscore their roles as
icons of harvest celebrations worldwide. Maybethis grounding sense of metaphysical equanimity, derived
from human stewarding them represents the profoundroot of their charming yet profound flock antics.
(06:53):
For our sake. They've joyfully upliftedthe daily husbandry grind through their whimsical
gobbledygook gobbling merrily stresses through the relentlesssiren songs of gobble gobble gobbles, serenading
our morning wake up calls, allwhile ingratiating themselves as faithful co architects on
homestead garden, soil enrichment and fortification, merriment, wisdom, nourishment. What
(07:15):
more could one ask of a homesteadcompanion. Sure, you may find yourself
unexpectedly moved to gobble tears at theoccasional glimpse of a slipping through the fenced
turkey rump wobbling a defiant salute yourway, before waddling off over yet another
self imposed rebellious escape into the backfield, or spying haughty senior turkeys, gossiping
and incessant whispery purr pearls and conspiratoriallow chuckles as they cast what appear to
(07:41):
be disdainfully skeptical side eyes whenever ourown clucking human antics seemingly fail their jaundyanced
comic standard. But I guarantee youonce besided by their rascally gobbling laughter and
unshakably positive spirits, radiating pure joyand simply living each day. You'll soon
find yourself reciprocating their infectious goods gobbledagook shtick every chance you're graced with their
(08:01):
feathered eminence's strut pronking presence. SoI heartily encourage each and every one of
you to take the leap and invitea flock of feather brain hooligans into your
homestead's life. I promise you there'ssimply no better elixir for the weary soul
than coming home to a turkey stampede, vibrating with energy as your feathered pals
woo woo, gobble gobble their greetingsand immediately sweep you into their happy reality,
(08:26):
a reality where all is right intheir pulsating, trilling world, and
maybe we discover all could be morerightly exuberantly turkey fied in ours as well.
But because at the end of eachsun bronzed homestead day, aren't those
grinning moments amidst our, goofy turkeyflock mates the most timeless, priceless,
all too human instance of authenticity.We all secretly crave those heart nourishing oases
(08:46):
where our own frenzied interior dialogues brieflyhush, And all that remains is this
eternal, ridiculous present, tranquility,clucking and gobbling back at us. So
keep on gobble gobbling, you magnificentfeathered clowns, and space at muppets.
We'll keep on celebrating and stewarding yourpresence amongst us for as long as your
loopy jois de vive continues. Blessingour humble, interdependent earthwalks. Deal Gobble,
(09:09):
gobble, gobble,
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