Early Morning Theives

Early Morning Theives

 

The other evening, Mom and I were walking and she suggested that I let my turkeys out to free range with all the other birds. I told her I'd think about it. The next morning I got up at 6:00 AM and got the guys off to work. By that time it was about 7:15 AM, the sun had been up about 20 minutes or so, as soon as the guys left I headed outside to let all the birds out. After I'd watered everyone, I decided to let the turkeys out. I stood out there and watched them for several minutes, they were having SO much fun! The geese walked past them on their way to the pasture and all the toms ran up to them, with their tails out struttin' and started making this strange noise (I'm guessing they were trying to intimidate the geese...who are like 4 times bigger than them...), then they tried to attack the geese, but that didn't end well. But, from what I could tell the turkeys didn't seem to be straying too far away from their pen, so I headed back inside. I wasn't feeling too great that morning, so I went and laid back down for awhile. About 9:00 AM, I went back out to check on everyone, and found that three turkeys were missing. Instead of eight, I had 5. I still wasn't feeling that great, it was scorching outside (we've been in in the 100F+ this week) and I was in a icky mood because three of Momma's babies were missing!!! 

I started searching frantically all around my pens, in the backyard, all around dad's shop, up in the trees, on the flat, and found nothing. So I thought, well maybe they wandered off into the brush somewhere, so I searched the front half of the horse pasture, which is just across the fence from the turkey pen. I found nothing except a couple piles of duck feathers..who had been freshly killed...but more on that in a bit. I came back to the house feeling very discouraged and hot. After hydrating myself, Mom volunteered her services. We ganged up and searched the back half of the horse pasture, where I hadn't been yet. Not too far into our search, down in a valley, we found a pile of turkey feathers and a gizzard. O joy. 

OK, so we'd found one, but there still could be 2 more still alive out there somewhere. We kept searching, and up over the next hill I found another pile of turkey feathers and a foot. O double joy. 

We kept searching, but couldn't find anything else, and by that time it was getting around midday and Carolina was going to spend the day with some friends, and then Stockton had a friend coming out to play with him, so they had to leave for town, so the search ended. *sigh*

I shall mention briefly, that as soon as I found that three turkeys were missing, I locked up the remaining 5. 

Fast forward to that evening, I was in the process of locking everyone up and I was doing a quick headcount while they were all waddling along, and I found I was missing two of my female ducks. Dottie (Inky's girl) and FieFie (a sweet little crested girl). Oh snap! Reflecting back to that morning, I remembered the two piles of feathers I'd found in the front half of the horse pasture. One of those was Dottie and the other FieFie. This is one upset Momma, who wants to strangle her some coyotes! *breathes fire*

We're pretty certain that the thieves, were in-fact coyotes, as we know we have one bold coyote that lives in the horse pasture (which conveniently for him is situated right by my poultry pens...), and that bold coyote probably has buddies who are equally fond of turkey dinners. 
My assumption of what happened is: as soon as I went back inside, they came out of the bushes where they'd been watching me let all the birds out, snuck up and grabbed a couple turkeys and ran off into the pasture with them. 
It sure is nice to know that I have stalkers watching me do my chores.

From now on, if any of the birds are ever allowed to free range again, I will stand and watch...with a gun slung over my shoulder, ready to kill anything that attempts to hurt them. BEWARE COYOTES! You come near my birds...and BOOM!  

After the turkey episode, I put the ranch on "predator alarm" and all the birds are being kept under lock and key..another words their pens are being turned into "Fort Knox". I've hired two body guards (a.k.a my brothers) to protect my precious animals at all costs, and to take out the vermin who perpetrated this treacherous crime. They shall answer for it with their lives. I'm afraid I'm NOT a merciful judge when it comes to critters killing and eating my feathered children, no sir! 

Meanwhile our amazing guard-dog, Rusty, was sound asleep inside the house. Thanks Rusty, we really appreciate your effort to protect the livestock. :) 

YOUR  F I R E D!!

 So there you have it, a sad narrative, that I have just related to you. 

If you see any coyotes, shoot them for me, will you? 

Blessings - 

~ Mad Momma Bird