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So.Much.Cuteness

August 10th, 2016

There’s so much cuteness in the bird yard. The turkey cutlets are growing up, but a second brood hatched while I was in Vermont last week. I only let the hen sit on two eggs since I don’t want to be overrun by turkeys this fall! The first clutch of turkeys are starting to become more independent, though they still roost with mom on chilly evenings.
turkey poult
Turkey mama
Mama duck also hatched a dozen littles on Monday. They’re already out and about in the bird yard, catching bugs and eating grass. Ducklings are probably my favorite of all the babies we have here on the farm.
muscovy ducklings (1)
There’s always lots of excitement when little birds hatch out, but it also means that it’s time to think about which of the adult birds need to go. The ducklings will be raised up and sold as adults next spring. The turkeys will be slaughtered this fall for winter eating. The older layers will be slaughtered and will make wonderful stock and soup.

What’s your favorite baby animal?

6 Comments to “So.Much.Cuteness”
  1. Bettina on August 10, 2016 at 7:50 am

    Baby animals… well, actually I love them all, they are all so cute. But regarding food type animals, well, have you ever thought of rabbits? And I am not talking about the normal sized ones. Try German Giants. They end up at 9kg roughly, so they make a very decent sized meal. And you certainly would have the space. Hey, you could even freeze the pelts and then have them cured once you have enough for something, like a nice blanket. That way you’d end up using all of the animal.

    And let’s face it, bunny babies are cute as kittens!

    Reply to Bettina's comment

    • Susy on August 10, 2016 at 8:36 am

      We have considered rabbits, but decided not to do them until some time in the future. We like how low maintenance the birds are when you let them brood and raise their own in the flock.

      Reply to Susy's comment

  2. Nebraska Dave on August 10, 2016 at 9:03 am

    Susy, I’m with Bettina. All baby animals are cute. I think if I had to pick one it would be a Jersey calf. Big brown eyes and soft brown hair. They even keep their cuteness as an adult.

    I hope you are getting settled back in from your vacation. We haven’t heard much about Tara this year. I hope she’s still doing well and guarding the property like she was bred to do.

    Have a great Maine day in the garden.

    Reply to Nebraska Dave's comment

  3. Rachel on August 10, 2016 at 9:43 am

    The picture of the mama turkey with babies under wing is really, really cute.

    Reply to Rachel's comment

  4. Jennifer Fisk on August 15, 2016 at 1:18 pm

    I love the way turkey hens fuss over the little ones. I have two Bourbon gals whose mate was used as a squeaky toy before he could pass on his genes. I’ve been eating turkey eggs all summer. I have 6 that were supposed to be Standard Bronze but I think they are Narragansett or a barnyard mix. They are eating voraciously and gaining nicely.
    Will you be overwintering all of your Bourbon poults or are you going to sell some?

    Reply to Jennifer Fisk's comment

  5. Whit on August 17, 2016 at 9:43 am

    Ooh, choosing one is hard, but ever since getting Katahdins, I’d have to say lambs are my favourite. They’re so sweet and sproingy.

    Reply to Whit's comment

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This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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