"Do you want a turkey?" Sierra texted me. Obviously, my gut reaction was to say yes. I wanted every single animal in the world to live on our small, 7-acre farm. But birds? Absolutely yes. I love looking out our back doors and seeing a menagerie of different birds wandering around, pooping everywhere. It was one of those moments, however, that I remembered I have to share decisions with another human. Dang it. "Let me talk to Doug," I responded.
Our friends Sierra and John, who had bonded with us over animal rescues and veterinary information, were moving and had to get rid of most of their animals. That included a turkey named Tammy, who was apparently a favorite. I pleaded my case to Doug, who eyed me with suspicion. He always looks at me like that when I'm interested in the next adoptee. "She's friendly!" I gushed. "She'll let you pet her. And she's lived with ducks and chickens so she's used to them already." I used my best begging face. He sighed. I had most definitely won.
A week later, they drove Tammy over. She was in the trunk in a big dog crate, staring at us with her wide, black eyes. The first thing that I noticed was that she was very calm. We carried her into the coop and introduced her to the rest of the flock, comprised of six ducks and Tina, the renegade chicken. By then, the ducks were just sick of finding a new arrival every time they entered the coop! Tina and now THIS massive bird? Ugh. Even worse was when Tammy made it clear within the span of a few minutes that she was the absolute dominant creature in that coop. Tina put up a fuss that lasted all of two seconds. It ended with Tammy chasing her around, making damn sure she knew who was the boss.
A few days later, we let Tammy out with the rest of the birds to free range as they do normally during the day. We were a bit concerned that she might just say "heck with these crazies" and take off, but she didn't. In fact, she decided that she liked our back porch, specifically when we were on it. And we didn't mind. We drank coffee and ate our breakfasts out there with her, Tina the chicken following her around.
By then, those two had become fast friends. Tina and Tammy. Tammy and Tina. I suspect Tina looks at her like a giant chicken. They have the same type of body and legs, just in different proportions. The two of them walk around like some type of avian gang, following us for food, Tammy chirping and cooing the whole time.
Tammy has provided us with some hilarious video footage already. She has a thing for Doug... specifically a thing that looks eerily similar to a plotting serial killer. The way she watches him... we caught that look in a couple of short videos.
Tammy has brought laughter to Snoot Farms. Not that it was devoid of it before her, but she has only added to it. Visitors love her. People like to watch her peck the burrs off my sweatpants. We like when she flies onto the roof of the house, surveying her land with puffed up feathers. We like it when she runs after us to Hogwarts (the pig pen), wondering why they get so many more snacks than she does. It's fun to watch her settle in on the roost we built her, across from Tina on her own perch. I laugh hysterically when I arrive home to find Tammy standing stock still in a kiddie pool by herself like a weirdo. Tammy is fun, a great addition to our wild family. And she arrived right in time, before Thanksgiving, during which she will the be the guest of honor.
All hail Queen Tammy Faye Beaker!
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