While on holidays I was not without my poultry, though I did miss my own, I had a few more. I do look forward to seeing the turkeys every time we go to Port Macquarie for holidays. They are very friendly! I took Ann out to see them and we fed them bread or pasta.

There are six or so Brush Turkeys that live along the creek at the bottom of the land of the flat we stay in. Many years ago there were tens of them, possibly there still would be if the "Turkey Lady" had not moved away. She lived just on the other side of the creek and of an evening would feed the turkeys grain and they would come flocking into her yard from all around. I used to stand on the bridge over the creek and watch. But one year when we came someone else lived there who I named the "Cat Man" as there were now five or more cats always hanging around his yard.

Interestingly the Australian Brush Turkey does not incubate its own eggs but builds a huge mound of organic matter to cover the eggs and the heat from that incubates them. But the male stays near the nest and occasionally digs into the mound to check the temperature. He either pulls off some of the matter or adds more depending on the temperature!

When they do hatch though they are left to fend for themselves but in a very short time (a few hours) can fly just like the adults can. 

But these six would come quite close and I convinced one to eat of my hand.... but decided not to try that again after finding out how sharp their beaks are. The turkey got my fingers more often than the food. Later while I sat on the grass photographing another turkey.... the first one decided my toes were juicy..... 

Which also happens to hurt a little. 

But I like the Brush Turkeys, even if they are a little ugly..... They are poultry after all.

Do you like any sorts of poultry?

Have you ever seen a Brush Turkey?

and yes next post shall have beach photos on it!

My new pets arrived yesterday morning. 

Our neighbor a few houses away is moving so they needed to leave a few of their poultry behind. The two I now have arrived, one in a cage in the back of the ute and the other sitting on the passenger seat. In the back of the car stood a male duck, a huge Muscovy duck. I didn't realize they could be so big. I had thought my two girls were big! 


In the passenger seat sat a male bronze wing turkey! They are both pets and not for eating.... despite what others think.

My chooks were all terrified of Mr Turkey and still are rather wary of him. As could be guessed from his arriving in the ute's passenger seat, he is friendly. 

Annoyingly the sun only came out after I had loaded the photos onto he computer, (and the camera battery died in the middle of the first time of loading them on) so they are not taken in the best light.

He is also very heavy! Once I (with the help of my sister Jane) finally got the chooks and ducks into their pen where I lock them at night, I tried to shoo him in too. I failed. Then I tried to catch him and finally cornered him in about the most difficult place in the chook (or should I say poultry) yard, to carry a kicking turkey out of. I didn't drop him though and I got him into the cage. Though I came out rather the worse for it, he must have been walking around in mud and the other stuff that is found in poultry yards, now that had all be transferred onto me and my clothes.... Still he is pretty cool!

Yesterday the boys (my brothers) would both back away from the fence as the turkey came closer, but this morning after breakfast Samuel went outside and gobbled at the turkey which gobbled back. They gobbled at each other for a while but then I think the turkey got sick of it and wandered off. 

Now my new pets need names, but I am not yet sure what those will be. I think I want names from J.R.Tolkien's books, to go with Aragorn my rooster. So it you think of any that would go with either one of them let me know!