Mamma Turkey

Working closely with animals, one soon realizes that they have emotions and feelings just the same as people. Mamma Turkey hatched one chick and 4 turkey babies a couple of weeks ago. The baby chick hatched about a whole week before the turkeys, but she diligently continued her sacrifice and hatched the rest of the little ones. One turkey got stuck in a place he could not figure how to get out of and got cold and died. Turkeys, particularly require the high heat of the mother's breast warmth for longer periods than do chicks and ducklings. The chick died at two weeks, when it drowned in a pan of water. Another turkey baby drowned as well. The water is for the adult birds and is not deep, but baby chicks and turkeys are not good in water and succumb very quickly, even if they can get out with some effort. I don't know what happened to the other babies, but yesterday she had none left. She knew. She was sad and sat on the ground with her head and wings down, not moving. I am sure she was grieving. All those days she sat on the nest, giving of herself unselfishly because she only came of the nest once or twice a day to drink and eat. He own body weight dropped, but she held her vigil and then the babies were gone. Poor Mamma Turkey. I picked her up and put her in the brooder coop where there are 6 turkey poults a month old, thinking she might bond to them, but she just flew the coop. If she could not have her babies, no others interested her. 

So, today, she sat there, again with her wings and head down, unmoving and not talking as she so proudly did when she had her babies. She is in mourning, I am quite sure. The turkey tom died, so there is none to breed her again. The stance she is holding is a breeding position, waiting for the daddy, who will not come. 
Mamma Turkey is crying inside. 

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