Exactly what do you know about turkeys?

Exactly what do you know about turkeys?  I know that I love to watch them waddle in families around my house.  I know they are what we feast on during our Thanksgiving meal.  I know they have bony spikes on the back of each of the turkey’s lower legs called spurs and the male will use his spurs to spar with other males. They also have a wattle (a flap of skin under the turkey’s chin), Caruncles (Fleshy bumps that grow on the turkey’s head and throat) and a snood (a fleshy flap that hangs from the beak).

While both the male and female have spurs, wattles, caruncles, and snoods, they are far smaller and less distinctive on the female. And…I know to respect their territory.  My mother told me of her experience when she was a little girl and her father raised turkeys.  She said they were mean and would chase you, much like the goose. They were never able to make pets out of them and generally stayed away from their pens. Some years ago a friend came to the same conclusion. Here are two turkey tales I thought you might enjoy.

My friend is much the hunter. But, on one particular hunting trip a few years ago, he almost became the turkey’s trophy.  It seems he was hunting deer, with a bow and arrow, when two beautiful tom turkeys strolled near his stand.  Not hunting turkey, he restrained himself from his hunter instinct.  But, as hard as he tried, the instinct was too strong, and the arrow flew through the air, into the targeted bird. He quickly left the stand, to see the downed bird.

This turned out to be a mistake, as the bird got up and viciously attacked the hunter.  And, if that was not enough his turkey friend joined the fight.  Spurs dug into the hunter as the turkeys jumped, pecked and kicked at the body of my friend.  Even though a strong man, his hands were not enough to ward them off, and his bow and arrow were useless, while being flogged.  Finding a nearby rock, he was able to knock them out, to win the fight.  Never again will he mistake the turkey as being a docile bird.

Oh yes, my friend learned a lesson, as did this parrot.  It seems a young man named Sam received a parrot as a gift.  The parrot had a bad attitude and even worse vocabulary.  Every word out of the parrot’s mouth was rude, obnoxious and laced with profanity.  Sam tried to change the parrot’s attitude by modeling polite words, playing soft music and anything he could think of to change the parrot’s vocalizations.

Finally, he became so fed up with the parrot, that he yelled at him, but the parrot only yelled back in hi usual rude manner.  With this. Sam threw up his hands, grabbed the parrot and threw him into the walk-in freezer.  For a few minuets the parrot squawked his profanity, kicked and screamed.  Then suddenly there was total silence, with not a peep heard for over a minute.

Fearing he had hurt the parrot, Sam quickly opened the door to the freezer.  The parrot calmly stepped out onto Sam’s outstretched arm and said, “I believe I may have offended you with my rude language and actions.  I’m sincerely remorseful for my inappropriate transgressions, and I fully intend to do everything I can, to correct my rude and unforgivable behavior.”

Sam was stunned at the change in the parrot’s attitude.  He was about to ask the parrot what had made such a dramatic change in his behavior when the parrot continued, “May I ask what the turkey did?”

Hope you enjoyed!