We've got Turkeys
It all began so innocently...well, no it didn't.
I was getting dog food prepped and was thinking since I sprained my knee and have not been doing anything fun with Rei and Sage, we'd do Find It supper, in which I stuff their dinner into various rubber puzzle balls, wrap them in paper bags and hide them in the yard them go out and encourage them to sniff them out, rip the bags and dine. The dogs came into the kitchen and were WAAAAAY interested in something down in the back of the fenced yard by the stone wall. Knowing better than to just release the hounds, I looked and saw these:
I went out and took pictures, and a movie, but I am not yet experienced enough in the way of movies to size them properly and post.
This was all cute and adorable, but puzzling- we figured out that the chicks (poults) can get through the wildlife fence just fine, but mom can't understand the fence well. We watched the chicks pass out into the woods and mom just kept pacing across the fence, unable to figure out why she can't get by. Jeff decided he should probably encourage mom to fly up and over, and she did before he could even wave his arms.
Awesome! Mom and babies all together on the forest side of the fence! High five.
Well...the flight of mom turkey was SO exciting that Sage managed to open the heavy sliding glass door that everyone in my family insists they closed firmly. He came rocketing out, followed by Reilly. Mom turkey did not go off straight into the woods, no. She flapped and ran around the perimeter, making squawking sounds and freaking out in her clumsy turkey way, drawing the dogs alongside roaring and leaping and away from the chicks. Reilly was wearing a collar and I quickly caught her and hauled her back inside. She hunts pretty quietly but intensely.
Sage was barking his head off- he has loved flushing turkeys in the past on hikes along the powerlines. He was in flushing mode, delighting in every flap and leap of the turkey. He was not wearing his collar, but he has a ton of loose nape skin so Jeff grabbed Sage's mane and held him still back by the chicks. (ALL common sense had vanished from any of us- turkeys every one of us.) My daughter ran inside and got a collar for Sage all the while crying and screaming "I closed it! REALLY, Mama! I closed it! NO! SAAAAA-GEEEEEEEY!!!!" with her piercing ten year old girl pipes.
I am sure I set back my sprained knee as I wrangled Sage back into the house, horrified that mom turkey's family outing was thusly disturbed and that JUST before the hounds were sprung my neighbor came out onto her deck. My neighbor is the Bird-Watchin'-est person I know- she is all Audubon Society, Land Trust, etc. and participates in annual Bird-a-thons. she was probably going to tell us to leave mom alone and not frighten her over the fence.
If she wasn't watching, I still would have caught my dogs and put them back in, but if they had caught a turkey chick, I could have justified it. Hard to do in front of Mrs Johnson.
We all went back inside and let ma turkey collect her scattered young. I dont think there were any casualties, the dogs were focused on mom (entree), and didn't see the chickies (appetizers) (Can you? there are two in one picture and 6 I think in the other)
Once inside, I gave the dogs a can of rabbit between them and Reilly distracted nicely. Sage took more convincing, but he gulped his rabbit too. He still wants back out as I type this, and is panting behind me as he holds the downstay I put him in. Good boy.
I dont know if somehow Sage opened the door, its a heavy glass Anderson slider. Seems unlikely he could open it unless there was space enough for him to get his nose beside it and push it aside. But Raye says she closed it and I know she cares about wildlife and was aware of the danger should the dogs escape. He was very motivated to get out there- and if i figure out how to appropriately size my video you'll hear him barking away- but open a slider? I dont know...
I was getting dog food prepped and was thinking since I sprained my knee and have not been doing anything fun with Rei and Sage, we'd do Find It supper, in which I stuff their dinner into various rubber puzzle balls, wrap them in paper bags and hide them in the yard them go out and encourage them to sniff them out, rip the bags and dine. The dogs came into the kitchen and were WAAAAAY interested in something down in the back of the fenced yard by the stone wall. Knowing better than to just release the hounds, I looked and saw these:
I went out and took pictures, and a movie, but I am not yet experienced enough in the way of movies to size them properly and post.
This was all cute and adorable, but puzzling- we figured out that the chicks (poults) can get through the wildlife fence just fine, but mom can't understand the fence well. We watched the chicks pass out into the woods and mom just kept pacing across the fence, unable to figure out why she can't get by. Jeff decided he should probably encourage mom to fly up and over, and she did before he could even wave his arms.
Awesome! Mom and babies all together on the forest side of the fence! High five.
Well...the flight of mom turkey was SO exciting that Sage managed to open the heavy sliding glass door that everyone in my family insists they closed firmly. He came rocketing out, followed by Reilly. Mom turkey did not go off straight into the woods, no. She flapped and ran around the perimeter, making squawking sounds and freaking out in her clumsy turkey way, drawing the dogs alongside roaring and leaping and away from the chicks. Reilly was wearing a collar and I quickly caught her and hauled her back inside. She hunts pretty quietly but intensely.
Sage was barking his head off- he has loved flushing turkeys in the past on hikes along the powerlines. He was in flushing mode, delighting in every flap and leap of the turkey. He was not wearing his collar, but he has a ton of loose nape skin so Jeff grabbed Sage's mane and held him still back by the chicks. (ALL common sense had vanished from any of us- turkeys every one of us.) My daughter ran inside and got a collar for Sage all the while crying and screaming "I closed it! REALLY, Mama! I closed it! NO! SAAAAA-GEEEEEEEY!!!!" with her piercing ten year old girl pipes.
I am sure I set back my sprained knee as I wrangled Sage back into the house, horrified that mom turkey's family outing was thusly disturbed and that JUST before the hounds were sprung my neighbor came out onto her deck. My neighbor is the Bird-Watchin'-est person I know- she is all Audubon Society, Land Trust, etc. and participates in annual Bird-a-thons. she was probably going to tell us to leave mom alone and not frighten her over the fence.
If she wasn't watching, I still would have caught my dogs and put them back in, but if they had caught a turkey chick, I could have justified it. Hard to do in front of Mrs Johnson.
We all went back inside and let ma turkey collect her scattered young. I dont think there were any casualties, the dogs were focused on mom (entree), and didn't see the chickies (appetizers) (Can you? there are two in one picture and 6 I think in the other)
Once inside, I gave the dogs a can of rabbit between them and Reilly distracted nicely. Sage took more convincing, but he gulped his rabbit too. He still wants back out as I type this, and is panting behind me as he holds the downstay I put him in. Good boy.
I dont know if somehow Sage opened the door, its a heavy glass Anderson slider. Seems unlikely he could open it unless there was space enough for him to get his nose beside it and push it aside. But Raye says she closed it and I know she cares about wildlife and was aware of the danger should the dogs escape. He was very motivated to get out there- and if i figure out how to appropriately size my video you'll hear him barking away- but open a slider? I dont know...
Comments
hmmm sliding glass door huh? I heard Kai's often use their front paws like arms, but that's a heavy one. You'll have to get a game cam and entice Sage. he he
Sage is a big, strong boy- 65 burly pounds from his Dad's side- but I didn't think he could figure out a slider. I will have to watch him, once fabulously reinforced with Turkey mayhem, likely to be re-attempted given sufficient temptation...
Glad you were able to rangle the dogs before any birds were dinner!