The World According to Jake

Here we are with the latest installment of our Throwback Thursday series!  This time we took a post from October 29, 2013.  We added a few comments at the top and bottom, made some necessary edits to the original content and then we share!  

I feel as if our blog has a fair amount of entertaining and informative material throughout.   However, I am also fully aware that very few people are ever going to dig through all of this to find some of the "better posts" on their own.  These "Look Back" posts are an effort to share some things that I think you all might enjoy reading or, in some rare cases, re-reading.

Good enough - let's see what we have this time!

=========== Look Back to October 2013 ============

editor's note: Male turkeys are known as "Jakes," with the dominant male of the flock being known as the "Tom."  Females are "Jennies."  On our farm, there are also turkeys we have named "Ima", "Muck" and "Myra."  All turkeys on our farm are also called "Knuckleheads."  This last is especially true when they get out of their pasture and explore areas we'd rather not have them go.  A week before their trip to the "Park," we asked Jake (one of them) to give you a look at the farm from his point of view.

Jake Speaks:

Before I get started, I want to make one thing clear.  I do not give interviews unless I get tomatoes.
Or cucumbers.
Since the big turkey with the red hat gave me tomatoes AND cucumbers this morning, I might be willing to tell you a thing or two about the farm.

Jake and friends in their room.  Jake is in front.  Yes, that one THERE is Jake.

My first memories are of life in our room.  The big turkeys (ed note: Jake refers to Rob and Tammy as the big turkeys) would come and give us food and fresh water.  They spread dead grassy stuff on the floor.  The grassy stuff was fun to kick around and look at.  One day, a flying thing was in the room.  It was smaller than us ,but it was very fast.  After we watched it for a while,  Muck suggested that we should try to catch it so we could look at it.  Everyone joined in.  We ran around, jumped and tried to catch the flying thing.  One of the big turkeys saw this and made strange noises that sounded a bit like "ha ha ha."  We don't know what that was about.

Muck and Myra

Have I mentioned that I don't give interviews without tomatoes?
Or maybe some cucumbers.

Like these:

Tomatoes too good for turkey food.

Hey!  Ignore the caption.  Aren't you surprised I know what a caption is?  If it has anything to do with yummy tomatoes or cucumbers, I know it.  Even if I might forget that I know it later. 

(ed note: at this point, Jake ran out to check for more tomatoes and cucumbers and forgot to come back - we had to go get him.)

Oh, hi.  What do you want?  Tell you about the farm?  Ok.  Do you have tomatoes or cucumbers?  Later?  Ok.

Our noisy neighbors - "Almosta Turkeys"

We have noisy neighbors.  They're kind of weird, "Almosta" Turkeys.  But, they make lots of squawky, irritating noises.  They really think they're something.  But, we show them.  Whenever one of them makes their pitiful little noises we give them one of our excellent 'crowd gobbles!'  Thing is, they're all so stupid...they just don't get it.  They keep squeeking and squawking along.  But, one of these days we'll get them to listen.

Preparing for a "Crowd Gobble"

One day, we had a visit from a bunch of little, bald turkeys.  Well, they weren't entirely bald.  They had these wispy feathers on the tops of their heads.  We thought they were pretty interesting.  And, they seemed to think we were pretty cool too.

The visit of the little 'bald' turkeys

They brought us some lovely cucumbers and threw them to us.  We decided they were really neat friends.  We like anyone who brings us these:

A good way to be a turkey's friend.

We were sad when they decided to leave.  So, we gathered and gave them one last "crowd gobble."

Gift accepted, crowd gobble of appreciation returned to the giver.

There are some other odd creatures on the farm.  One of them who visits often by walking along the edge of our room on... get this - this is really funny... FOUR LEGS!  Can you believe it?  It makes these silly "mewing" noises.  But, we know what to do.

Funny thing that walks on four legs (not currently walking)

We give them the 18 feather salute!  This usually shows other turkeys or Almosta turkeys or anything else how incredibly wonderful we are.  Usually, they have to stop what they're doing and admit we are the best.

(ed note: Yes, it is true, turkeys typically DO have 18 large quill feathers that make up the fan.  We were just surprised Jake could count that high.) 

The 18-Feather Salute

So, about those cucumbers and tomatoes?  Now?

Jake (at right) and his buddies

 

 

===============Back to the Present  =================

Some years we have a fair amount of competition for who will be "Tom," but this year (2020), there has not been much discussion amongst the flock as to who is dominant.  There was a very definite Tom who actually had two "Henchmen" that formed a wedge behind him as they left the building looking for threats first thing in the morning.  Apparently there is a female who has insinuated herself into the pecking order as she follows just inside that wedge - walking as if she is really the one who is in charge.  Given how smooth this flock operated this year, it is entirely possible that this was the case.  Well done Queen Jenny!

We did have one bird that was a bit of a bully (not Tom, not Jake, not the Henchmen) and considered moving him out of the flock.  But, he seemed to contain himself pretty well during the day when Tom and the Henchmen were fully alert.

Each flock is different and there is always something to learn each time we raise turkeys.  I wonder what 2021 will bring?