Days 57 and 58

Monday morning I checked on Bexley and she was still just sitting in her nest, but she did not hiss at me as she usually does.  About an hour later, Heather and I both went to see her and there were pieces of egg shell scattered in front of her in the nest.  Heather reached in and felt under her and brought out a newborn baby turkey.

And a couple of hours later we went out again and there were two more.  She was sitting on only 3 fertilized eggs and they all hatched!  We wanted to make sure that these three survived so we decided to confine Bexley and her poults in the chicken run that was purchased earlier this spring.


We covered the run with metal sheeting so they would be kept dry if it rains and we placed food and water containers in the run.  

By confining the turkeys in the run, Bexley will be forced to eat the food we give her and in doing so, teach the babies to eat and drink from the containers we give them.  Also Bexley won't be able to take the chicks all over the yard through wet grass and clover to forage for bugs and greens instead of eating the food they need when they are so young.  When they are older and stronger they will be allowed to free range.


Tuesday morning Bexley and her babies had made themselves at home in the run.  

Following their mother's example, they were eating the food and drinking the water.  Actually, they really enjoyed jumping and playing in the water too.

With the turkeys safe and settled, I went into the house to finish up some patching in the laundry room and prime the doors throughout the house.  After a while Heather called me out to the yard to show me an eggshell she had found in Brighton's nest.  By the end of the day, we had six more little turkeys!

Tuesday evening we picked Mike up from work and went to have dinner with Fran and her parents, Nicky and Pat, who currently live in Dallington.  Their area has been red zoned, meaning that the land is so damaged that they will not be allowed to rebuild there.  They have purchased land not far from Heather and Mike and are having another house built.  Fran and her partner Neil also lost their house to the earthquakes, but they are still waiting for the Earthquake Commission to determine whether or not they will be allowed to rebuild.  Neil and Fran can't live in their house so they are renting an apartment.  Anyway, we had a wonderful dinner with them and Nicky showed us her fabulous garden.  She is digging up and potting many of her plants to take with her to the new house, but many of the older and larger ones will have to be left and will be bulldozed when the house is taken down, including a number of Japanese maples that are just exquisite - so sad.