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Now that Thanksgiving has passed, it seems safe to talk turkey! As you may know, about 8 weeks ago we were gifted a beautiful female turkey named Jenny, a hybrid of rare breeds.

For the first several weeks, she was confined to the turkey coop with Franklin.  While it may seem terribly unfair for two big birds to be “cooped” up this way, it was important that she and Franklin bond and that she imprint on her new space, making it less likely she would fly away. (Yes, turkeys can fly, and they fly fast!)

Jenny is a great addition to the Springmont barnyard. She definitely has her own opinions, especially about the chickens and chipmunks whom she likes to chase. She has visited the inside of the chicken coop a few times, much to the dismay of the chickens!  She likes to watch the sheep in particular and seems very interested in people but is still a little wary.

Several students have asked about turkey eggs - whether we can eat them and whether we will have baby turkeys.  As to the latter, that’s up to the turkeys, but if Jenny chooses to sit on some eggs, I won’t stop her!  The former question made me wonder why we don’t eat the pretty speckled, cream-colored turkey eggs when we eat duck, quail and goose eggs?  The answer is likely quite simple - turkeys don’t lay eggs at the same rate that chickens do (maybe only two a week), they don’t start to lay until they are older, and turkeys are expensive to keep because they require larger spaces and eat more.  This means the price of a single turkey egg could be as much as $3!  This is probably why eating turkey eggs is a rarity.

Please be sure to stop by and see our beautiful gray girl and the handsome, forever pardoned, Franklin!