![]() ![]() I know, I know-all baby animals are cute. Piglets are among the cutest of all baby animals. The best I can tell you about male turkeys is that they’re made of meat, so after the fun of making them gobble when you make a loud noise or watching them puff up and strut to impress the ladies, you can-when the fun and games turn to terror and tears-eat them. Then we had male turkeys, and inevitably every male turkey we ever owned reached a point where they began to attack us. She was like a feathered puppy-the absolute best. ![]() She would follow us on chores, ask to be pet, and even let kids pick her up and hold her on tours. We had a female turkey who successfully raised her own 10-poult hatch, and after they were raised and gone, she remained a loyal pet. We have never successfully raised an entire order of poults without some deaths-and that isn’t fun-but once they get bigger, they’re a hoot. You have to always stay a few steps ahead of their pea brains to avoid them getting into trouble. You can’t leave open water for them to drink, or they could lean forward when they’re done, fall in and drown. If you have chickens around, they can usually do the job, but I have-more than once-spent time showing poults how to peck by stabbing bits of feed with a pencil. Baby turkeys being raised without their mom often need to be taught how to eat. Turkeys have a reputation for being dumb, and I shall do nothing to dispel the rumor. And baby turkeys purchased mail order or at a feed store often are not fun either. Female turkeys are fun male turkeys, particularly after they reach sexual maturity, are absolutely not. The very best part of my job is just hanging out with our herd, watching them be goats and giving in to their demands to be pet and loved. They thrive on routine, love treats and head scratches, enjoy snuggling with their friends, and want to eat whatever you’re eating. In all other respects, they are like big dogs. In this respect, they are like big, vastly more social cats. They know their names, but only periodically answer to them. Goats are incredibly intelligent, yet not particularly inclined to do things to please you. As they get older and more sedentary, that behavior is thankfully somewhat curbed, but still, don’t ever park your car in their space-ask how I know. Babies will jump on anything and everything, including other goats, dogs, people, housing, tires, file cabinets-whatever you purposely or mistakenly leave lying around. But you don’t have to be a professional to enjoy the ridiculousness of goats of all ages.įrom about 3 days old, goats are the clowns of the barnyard. ![]() I’m a goat farmer, so of course I am going to say goats. If you’re looking to add a new one to your menagerie, perhaps you’ll consider keeping them, as well. Here are five animals we’ve had a blast keeping on our farm. Although animals can offer your farm sustenance in the form of meat or milk, as well as various services, including guardianship, waste removal and manure, finding farm animals that bring a smile to your face will make their extra care and upkeep worth it. The fun thing about keeping a small farm-particularly if you aren’t out to start a farm business-is that you can keep a variety of animals for the mere pleasure of having them around. ![]()
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