Turkeys

Dear Lilliputian ,

I just heard that my nephew has seen Turkeys out one of his windows . I wonder if the Turkeys he saw were girl or boy Turkeys ? I think you all know that the boy Turkey , called a Tom , has a colorful head . . . like the one in the photo above . And depending on whether he is excited , or mad his head will change color . Blue is the color his head would be if he was excited , and red if he was mad . . . and sometimes it is pink and others times white . How do you think the Turkey up above is feeling . . . happy , excited , or mad ? The Tom Turkey also has a beard , but not like my nephew's father's beard . The Tom Turkey's beard is that long feather looking thing hanging out of the middle of his chest . The girl Turkey is not as dark as the boy Turkey . . . she is more of a brown and soft grey color . Like in the photo below .

She is called a Hen . 

When a Turkey is a baby Turkey it is called a Poult . When Turkeys are no longer considered to be a baby Turkey (a Poult) , but they aren't an adult Turkey either . . . the young boy Turkey is called Jake and the girl Turkey is called Jennie . Did you know they had so many names ?

There is one more way you can tell if the Turkey is a girl or a boy Turkey . . . but it is kind of gross .
When the Tom Turkey poops on the ground it is in the shape of a "J" and when the Hen Turkey poops it is shaped more like a swirl like soft serve ice-cream . So if you see the Turkeys go through your yard , go out after they have left and see if they pooped in your yard and if they did see if it is a "J" or a swirl .

June is National Turkey Lovers Month . That is why I am writing these few things about Turkeys . At the end of June and through July you may see very young Turkeys out your window . . . they are very cute . 

Here is a video of what you might see this Summer . It is of some Turkey Hens going through my yard with a posse of Poults . 

The book I am going to recommend this time is called  The Bravest Dog Ever: The True Story of Balto by Natalie Standiford .

Until next time ,
Wildbee