# Juvenile Birds...



## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

Sorry about the poor quality of the pic, it's in the dark about 10 p.m. last night. These are five species of juveniles all hatched this Summer. They are all crowded onto one roost in an unfinished portion of the new coop where there are six roosts available. They are Eastern Wild Turkeys, Pioneer Red Gingers, Gold Phoenix, Silver Phoenix, and Earl of Derbys. One advantage of being handled a lot and being raised together is there is no fighting (yet). So they can run together until there are issues, which will be next Spring. It wouldn't surprise me if this group kind of hangs out together throughout the Winter until they are more integrated with the older birds.


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## Overmountain1 (Jun 5, 2020)

Awwww love them! The grey-ish ones, kind of toward the middle but to the left just a bit- what are they? Are those the silver Phoenix? They're really beautiful birds from what I can see. They all are, of course but they caught my eye in particular. 
Does it require a special permit of any sort to raise the wild turkeys? And you thought you'd just get to share the picture! *evil laughter in the background there...


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

LOL They're all looking like "what are you doing, we were sleeping!" 

When you think about it it's good that they're all hunkering together for when Winter hits you up that way.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

I did wake them up with the flash on the camera. The middle ones are indeed Phoenix, there are four of them, (the others are off to the right of the pic), and they are the first ones of those breeds I've hatched. We are an Ohio licensed animal sanctuary so we have some licenses for this and that, vector species, wildlife rehabilitator etc. I have had Eastern Wild Turkeys and Black Spanish in the past and they do not require permitting. Since they are part of a NPIP flock, they are categorized under livestock in Ohio. If you raise them by hand, they can be very tame. As juveniles, they are loud like Peafowl, (and very entertaining). They are generally a little more shy than chickens.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

You've just described Guineas when talking about the turkeys. My flock will follow me to the mailbox but let anyone show up and they're either telling them to go away or running back to the safety of their pen. 

Black Spanish? I guess I need to look those up. Oh wow, they're stunning! LOL Here I was thinking it's another breed of bantam.


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## Overmountain1 (Jun 5, 2020)

Very cool! That is something I guess I had never considered seriously- the turkeys that is- but I think it's really cool! I know you have the sanctuary (which is awesome on so many levels!) and that is something we would be very interested in doing in our retirement years.

We live too close to people for our tastes, but this is my husbands childhood home as well, so it makes us hesitant to sell. Well, him, and I won't push til he's ready. Point being, he was always a huge outdoorsman and wildlife enthusiast, hunter and Eagle Scout etc, and grew up to be a cop, and I'm fortunate to be one of the people animals usually cooperate with. Him even more so. It'll be a mini farm or a sanctuary one, just wait!  Hey maybe even both! 
I'm going to go read more about the Phoenix, too, I just love their look! All of them, but in particular those silvers. Adorable children you have there. 

Oh! I meant to say, there is a flock of wild Guineas that live just outside of town behind a warehouse. My husband says he visits them and they've become tolerant of that with some treats, and one likes to perch on the light bar on his car! I guess the ? Here is whether they can thrive as wild birds in my climate here in SW VA. You are the best ppl to ask! And no, they do not belong to any surrounding ppl- he has asked. Mainly curious I suppose!


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Chances are someone bought themselves a flock and instead of closing them in for them to learn where home is turned them out right away. Guineas will travel miles before they settle somewhere as home territory.

I had one show up at my place one day. It joined my flock like it's always been there but I knew where it had come from, several miles from my place was a feral flock. It lived with my flock for a couple of weeks then one day, outside of the gate was the other flock. They came to collect their flock member. They didn't stay, I don't know where they traveled to because I never saw any of them again. 

If hubs introduces them to millet they just might follow him home. Just kidding but they love millet and if he ever got it in his head he wanted to bring them home it would be possible using that.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

These Guinea stories are bringing back past trauma, nah just kidding, I was never a successful Guinea whisperer like Robin is. They do somewhat behave and roost like the turkeys. My first flock survived fine free range as far as foraging but they sure were targeted by hawks when they were in the open in the horse pastures.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Mine were too but most of the time the hawks were unsuccessful because my birds were bigger and stronger than the hawk after them.


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