Spring is always so welcome here in Montana.  Today we have a coating of the fresh, white stuff, AGAIN!  It's been snowing off and on since last night.  I am due to start lambing today, but few look close.  Often a storm or low pressure system will bring on the birthing process.  Nothing yet.

It was fun to do the chores this morning with a fresh blanket of snow.  You can always tell a lot more about what's going on outside by the tracks in the snow.  After milking I followed a chicken's foot prints in the snow all the way outside of the fence and over past the shop to the large 5 acre garden spot.  It stopped at the fence.  There were bunny tracks mixed in and all jumbled together, so I have to wonder what went on before I even dressed for chores this morning.

I could hear the Sandhill Cranes in the swamp, the song birds were chirping and the Canadian Geese were honking.  As I looked back over my shoulder to see what the crows were causing a ruckus over, a Bald Eagle was circling just above them to see what they were dining on.  I really had to stop for a moment and just listen and watch and drink it all in.

The reason I was on a hunt was because I was looking for turkey eggs!  I got home last evening and walked up the back steps only to notice 4 "dirty" eggs under the steps.  I thought it was odd that 4 dirty eggs were left there.  As I looked closer I realized they weren't dirty, they were spotted and must be turkey eggs!  I have never before seen a turkey egg.  I gathered them up and took them inside rather than leave them for a magpie feast.  I placed 2 wooden eggs in their place as "decoys" so the hen wouldn't quit laying there.  I am hoping for more!

Let's go back to the beginning, the beginning of turkeys.  I didn't realize it until I read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle that most breeds of turkeys do not know how to reproduce anymore.  It has been completely bred out of them.  They are artificially inseminated and then the eggs are taken away to be incubated by machine.  When they are hatched out, they are not reared by their mothers.  It's sad that their cycle has been broken.  

I have thought for a while now that it might be fun to raise turkeys.  I've never even attempted to even raise purchased baby turkeys, so what am I thinking?  I've heard the stories and seen first hand the losses that friends and family have endured due to the stupidity of the little birds.  That's part of the intrigue to me.  That and the fact that my Dad and my Father In-law both raised them in their younger days.  My FIL grew up with turkeys and recently admitted to getting into a lot of trouble for teasing them.  Maybe that's why our Tom doesn't like him!    Years ago, my FIL's family was the only family around who raised turkeys.  This was the place to come for your Thanksgiving bird.  They would nest naturally and raise them naturally.  He's 86, so you can see what havoc man has done in the past 80 years or so.

During my Dad's recent visit he told me the 2 hens I have should be starting to lay anytime now.  He said I need to watch and see where they sneak off to and I will then know where their nest is.  Lucky for me, one of them was literally laying them at my feet.  I have yet to find the other nest.  I have spent most of the day keeping an eye on the turkeys every hour or so.  It's currently 5:30 and still no egg under the steps.  

Here are the 4 eggs I found yesterday.

My Dad instructed me on what to do with them.  He said mark an X on the wide end.  Then mark an X on every other day on your calendar.  They need to be turned every other day, so when there's an X on the calendar, the X should be up on the egg.

I am hoping the turkey hens will lay a full cycle.  This could be 30 + eggs each!  She will gradually lay later and later each day and then stop for 2 -3 days.  He said I might think she's quit laying, but she will start up again and lay about 12 more.  If I want to, I can let her have the last batch and see if she will raise them by herself.  The others I can put under a brood hen (if I have one by then) or put them in an incubator.  A brood hen is one that gets "clucky".  She's wanting to sit on a nest.  She won't be able to sit on as many turkey eggs as she would chicken eggs, because they are bigger and the outside eggs won't stay warm.

I will keep you posted on the turkey egg numbers!

Here's a close up of one!