The End of an Era

It's been a rough few weeks on the farm. My tom turkey Ringo, the flock patriarch and the one who started my life with turkeys, passed away less than two days after being dethroned by his son, Junior. He was 10-years old which is a long life for a turkey, and he certainly lived his life to the fullest. A few weeks ago he started to slow down. He was barely eating, yet he stayed strong and held his place in the flock until he just couldn’t any longer. He spent his last two days resting peacefully away from the flock before passing in the night and taking a huge part of my heart with him. I had tried to prepare myself for the day he would no longer be here and to get in as much quality time as I could with him in his last days. But nothing can truly prepare you for the emptiness that you feel when such a big part of your life suddenly isn’t there anymore. Of course I knew how much I would miss him, but every time I look out the front window down to the turkey yard or go visit the turkeys and Ringo is not there strutting for all he's worth from the first moment that he sees me, it’s a huge reminder of what a special soul that I’ve lost. It’s been less than two months since I had to say goodbye to one of my favorite turkey hens, 9-year old Miss Pumpkin Pie, and the two losses so close together have left my heart hurting in a way it hasn’t hurt in years.

Shortly after Ringo’s loss, we had a hawk attack in the turkey yard. Ringo was always so alert and sounded a warning gobble at the slightest hint of danger or a distant predator in the sky. I believe if Ringo was still here this attack wouldn’t have happened on his watch. It was the turkey hens that I heard alarm calling as I was doing morning rounds at the furthest chicken coop from the turkey yard. I rushed down as fast as I could, but by the time I arrived it was all over. One of my Buff Orpington hens had a gash under her wing and a puncture wound, and she succumbed to her injuries in less than a day. My beloved little white silkie rooster, Reiki, lay dying amidst the piles of feathers left as evidence of his valiant fight to save his lady. I held him as he took his last breaths telling him what a brave little man he was and that he did his job so well. He let out one last melodic little crow as he left this world. I had to retrieve Junior from outside the fence where he had fled rather than stay and fight to protect his flock as Reiki had, and it drove home a cruel reminder of Ringo’s loss.

I want to thank everyone that has reached out and offered words of comfort to me over Ringo’s passing and also to share a few of those words that especially resonated with me. For the people out there that don’t keep chickens or turkeys, you might think that after all the losses over the years one would stop feeling each loss so deeply. But birds are truly individuals, they have their own personalities and little things that make you love them just as much as any other type of pet, or dare I say, even a person. Our most beloved birds are completely unique and no one is ever able to fill the void that they leave. We know this, which is why we grieve so deeply. The loss is truly the hardest part of sharing our lives with them. But knowing that our time together is often too short, they remind us every day to be thankful for every moment. In the end, they are only at fault for one thing, and that’s simply not living long enough.

I find some comfort in knowing that Ringo leaves behind a legacy as large as his personality. He has changed the hearts and minds of people around the world, giving them a reason to think about turkeys differently and to respect them as so much more than a Thanksgiving meal, but as worthy companions deserving of a full and meaningful life. Ringo has inspired many people to start turkey flocks of their own, and I hope to continue encouraging and educating people about raising these big, beautiful, charismatic birds through my book and also sharing about them through as many platforms and in as many ways as I possibly can. I owe it to Ringo for all the joy he has given me and for everything he has taught me about raising heritage turkeys over the years, and I hope I can do him proud.