Turkey Tales

Our sister, along with her hubby and daughter, lives in the country. They have a beautiful colonial home that they have completely gutted and are in the process of renovating. They raise chickens and turkeys. At ten years of age, my niece has her own fresh egg business. We have affectionately nicknamed her “The Chicken Whisperer”. Once she steps into the yard, they follow her around like the pied piper. She feels that all these critters need names. So the male turkey is named Fernando. The females are: Lucy, Angel, Florence, Peach, Snow Angel, and Peace. These females “donated” eggs to the incubator this spring. So now there are ten baby turkeys flapping around in their designated area of the barn. They are four weeks old.

About a week ago, Peace disappeared. They were pretty sure she had a nest hidden away somewhere in the tall grasses, but were unable to find Peace, or her nest. On the weekend, my brother-in-law finally found her. She was standing in the middle of the brook. Most of her lower back and tail feathers were gone, she had many bad scratches, and she was soaked. She had done battle with something, and survived. It was certain her nest would have been lost in the skirmish. He picked her up and carried her home. Now, “home” to Peace had always been wherever she wanted to wander in the yard. However, my brother-in-law was not certain she was even going to survive, so he tucked her in with the four week old babies, so he could keep an eye on her.

The next day as he checked on her, he was surprised to find her nestled in a corner, with all ten babies snuggled in under her. God given instinct, to me, is nothing short of miraculous. You have to remember, that those ten babies were born in an incubator, and have never had the assistance of a mama. Mama Peace has never had a brood. This was a new experience for all involved, but they instinctively knew God’s design for a mama turkey with no babies, and ten baby turkeys with no mama. Isn’t our creator so amazing!

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you. Psalm 32:8

He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge. Psalm 91:4