The turkeys have gotten pretty large (chicken for scale) and we have decided not to eat them this year. We can’t be hosting big holiday gatherings while the Plague continues, and we have a male and a female, so we’re going to let them raise next year’s dinners.

We're going to sell a few of the teenaged chickens. Really we have more than we needed anyway, but the three we've set aside were selected for their annoying tendency to roost up a tree with the turkeys.

The Dominique is looking like he's probably a rooster. We do not need two roosters, but he's gonna be SO pretty. We may sell him later, but we're putting off the decision.

Loaded question, eh? Like when somebody very formally asked my dairy boss what she did with the male calves. They're expecting a bad answer, and planning to be mad at you about it if you aren't sufficiently virtuous, by their standards. Or maybe they're just curious how it works - possibly.

I told him I definitely have a few older ladies (heck, they've got to be about 4 now? Old by production hen standards) who have a place here as pets for as long as they're living well, but that I'm less sentimental about the younger ones, and I won't promise I'll never put one in the stew pot.

But then, "get rid of them" - is he worried about what might happen after that? So I also reassured him that, if I ever do decide I can't afford to feed an unproductive bird, or have any that aren't enjoying a good quality of life due to age or illness, they would never end up abandoned or neglected or taking up resources as a rescue. Because I will put them down myself if that ever happens. That's the most responsible thing.

They have a dry pen, with a nice roosting bar! It’s out of the wind, and has a roof! But no. So I grabbed one under each arm and took them home, shut them in. As soon as I picked them up, all three started making “oh no! where are you? we are separated!” noises. As I went back for the third one, it hopped down off the fence and started wandering around, looking for its friends in entirely the wrong places, not remotely where their sounds were coming from. It also kept making sad searching noises, and I worried about catching it. Probably should have done this later, when they were more asleep.

But Omie to the rescue! She was with me, being good & not chasing any birds (too distracted by that new rabbit, perhaps). As the lost turkey circled the small coop, looking for chicken friends, I was able to send Omie around the opposite way I went, and we got the turkey in the alley between the coop and the fence. Then she calmly moved it down towards me, and I just picked it up!