I just had the neatest experience.....

My husband and i were out on the 4-wheeler looking for blackberries and we scared up this hen turkey. But she didn't go runing or flying off, so my husband said "oh no, i hope we didn't run over her nest." So we got off and started looking around and there's these baby chicks in the tall grass and i managed to catch one of them. It had mostly fluff, but had little feathers on its wings and tail. No bigger than a baseball. I wanted to take it home, but my husband said it would be mean to take it from its mother. She, by the way, wasn't too happy and looked like she was about to come after me. So, i went down to the edge of the bank tossed the chick toward her. My husband and i just stood there in amazement, because that baby turkey flew right out of my hands and out through the limbs like a mature bird! Another of the babies took off and went flying after it.

And i posted a few months ago asking if turkeys were poor flyers! Now i know, they're born flyers!


plinker

Wild turkeys and the domistic kind are two birds of a different feather. OOPS!

We have a roving band on our property and they make the most hellish sound when taking off. They will travel fron neighboring field to field and during part of some days roost in my Doug Firs really high up. they are a giggle sometimes to watch while they brouse. The other day part of the group were walking along and came to the fence. The girls, one by one flew over no problem but the Tom was puzzled by it all. Kept bumping into the fence and pacing back and forth really getting agitated watching his girls walking away.
He finally did figure it out but had to hustle to catch up.

Don

I used to have a Broad Breasted Bronze tom. If he was in the pen during the day in the evening he roost on the top of the fence. The next morning he'd jump down outside the fence. That evening he'd roost on the fence again then in the morning he'd jump down inside the fence. So 1 day he'd be in the pen the next day out. This would go on and on. The days he was out side his pen he'd pace back and forth trying to get back in where the hens were. He never did figure out he could jump over the fence anytime he wanted! Everything you here about domestic turkeys being stupid is true.