A Funny Sight to Behold 🦃

Good morning!

What happened on Thursday had people holding up traffic to take a second look.

But I must start back at Monday, when we moved this year's turkeys for the last time.

It's always a bittersweet day.

Turkeys are one of my favorite farm animals. I love watching a flock of turkeys move across the pasture. They are very curious and social creatures so they aren't afraid to walk up to you and say hi. And moving them is a fun task when done with a team. 

But each year, the last turkey move signals the end of our pastured poultry season and the beginning of our winter slow-down.

So while it's sad to see the turkeys go, we get to look forward to a lighter workload and a chance to catch our breaths.

My 1-year-old son, Bo, loved the turkeys as well. Next summer he'll be big enough to help me herd them!

Wednesday morning is when the fun began...

We had to load the turkeys that night to haul to the butcher first-thing Thursday morning. I picked up our hauling truck from the Cox's property so I could get the trailer hooked-up and ready.

But the truck wasn't working right. I pulled it into the shop right away to assess the issue. "Oh, should be a quick and easy fix" is what I told myself.

I worked on the truck all afternoon, stopping now and then to attend to various chores. No luck. But it was time to load turkeys.

Thankfully, I was able to put the trailer on our cargo van and we got the turkeys loaded. But then we had a new problem: they wouldn't all fit in the trailer!

We needed a plan B.

That night I was finally able to get the truck working (it was an easy fix, just not quick) and the next morning we were able to put the trailer on it and load the remaining turkeys before we had to leave.

But what did we do with the turkeys that wouldn't fit on the trailer???

Something I try not to do very often...

Now before you call PETA, please know that I would not have done this unless I knew it was safe for the turkeys. I have worked with turkeys long enough to know that they will not jump while in a moving vehicle.

However, they are tempted to jump out while the truck is parked, which makes fuel stops a little risky. 🤪 But while we're moving they just sit tight and enjoy the breeze, much like a dog would.

And oh boy is it a sight to see! Imagine cruising down the road on your way to work and seeing 25 turkeys giving you the side-eye. 

People were slowing down for a double-take and someone even pulled off the road to get a picture. Apparently no one has seen turkeys riding in a truck bed before. 🤷

All the turkeys made it safely to the butcher on time, in spite of our last-minute hiccup. The 2024 Thanksgiving Turkey harvest is over and they are available to order here: ORDER MY TURKEY

Thanks for reading! 

Until next time,

Your farmer,
Remi Kesten