TURKEYS LOOK FORWARD TO CHRISTMAS

..But not so excited about Easter

HAPPY WANDERERS: Ant, Dec & Little Boots

 CHRISTMAS is not, traditionally, a happy time for turkeys but the 'Season of Goodwill' holds no trepidation for my birds ... especially Ant, Dec and Little Boots the Bourbon Reds who strut their stuff freely around my farm in the Scottish Borders.
 It's not because I'm a Muslim; in fact like many converts to Islam I still go to the family Christmas lunch but can't eat the turkey because it's not halal.
 Ant, Dec and LB, pictured right, know they're quite safe because they've managed to wangle their way into my heart with their personalities.
 As visitors to the farm know, if an animal has a name it's usually safe and while some stock may have been originally been destined for the pot their journey to the kitchen has been diverted because relationships are forged and then before you know it a pet status and reprieve follows.
 This has not been lost on hubby who started to complain that we're probably running an animal sanctuary and not a working farm. Thankfully the Scots Dumpys did earn their keep recently after being 'spotted' by an animal talent scout who needed some of the rare breed hens to feature in a TV film production (more of that later). They earned a four figured sum and have more than earned their keep so far. So now I've decided to keep turkeys for the table and recently bought nine Norfolk Bronze poults, pictured below left, from a vet in Northumberland. They'll not fatten up in time for Christmas so now I'm going to focus on Easter and resist forging any relationships with the cute little things.

NORFOLK BRONZE POULTS: Six weeks old arriving

in their new home

 I can't guarantee that they will be organic turkeys because I've no idea what they will be feeding on at times since they will be free range but I imagine they'll turn out to be really tasty birds. They are being fed on mash, corn, pure olive oil, sunflower seeds and a variety of other seeds and oats in a rich mixed feed I've developed myself.
 And, if we are what we eat, then when the time comes my birds should be delicious. I chose to start off with Norfolk Bronze turkeys because the meat is succulent, high in protein and low in fat ... healthier in many ways than beef or lamb. The turkeys will be slaughtered halal so should appeal to Muslims as well as anyone else who wants to eat a nice plump bird around April 2014 and I will be taking orders and even offering a delivery service to the door.   If this all works well I will keep the programme rolling and then next Christmas converts to Islam, like myself, should be able to provide their non-Muslim families with a bird for the table and be able to tuck into turkey because my birds will be halal.

ADULT Norfolk turkeys nearly ready

for the table

 And of course there's nothing to stop Muslims from buying halal birds as a gift for their neighbours regardless of faith or beliefs.

 It should all be very straight forward ... as long as I avoid giving any of them names!

RATS ... HERE COME THE CATS

... And a case of different strokes!

 WE HAVE some new additions to the farm and, as with everything else, the arrivals have already made an impact forcing others to pack their bags and go!

 I'm happy because the newbies have seen off some of the farm's original, more undesirable residents who were making a nuisance of themselves ... 

rodents of all kinds and lots of them.

 The patter of their tiny feet kept me awake on a night time as they ran riot in the attic room above my bedroom.

CAT SNAPPED: A rare photograph of one of our feral cats

 While I accepted that the nearby river would always ensure the presence of the odd water rat, some of the four-legged freeloaders were quite frankly getting beyond a joke in terms of numbers and sheer brazened behaviour when it came to nicking the chicken feed.
Hubby said he would sort it out with traps but that idea didn't float when I pointed out the free range nature of our hens, turkeys, geese and wild birds. He then sought the advice of the local gamekeeper and went off into his workshop developing some home made devices which would lure in rats. I was quite impressed with his ingenuity and positioning of his pipe traps but we both underestimated the intelligence of our foe who became wise as soon as one of their number took poisoned bait.

 The answer was, of course, cats but not just any sort of cat would do. I needed a good ratter and went on to various animal rescue website in search of an independently minded outdoor cat that would take on the task. It's not as easy as it sounds as many adult cat are already quite settled but in the end a solution was provided by the RSPCA over the border who pointed me in the direction of some volunteers from the Cats Protection Charity Shop on Tyneside*.

 They had, by chance, three Geordie moggies, half feral, and in need of a good home which would understand their anti-social nature and nocturnal needs. It was a match made in heaven - their old derelict home had been demolished and they needed somewhere else to live which would give them the freedom to come and go as they pleased.

 They duly arrived back in June and after several weeks settling in, I released the two queens and a tom from a stable to wander freely. I wasn't sure if they would still buzz off and head south but within days, while still leaving out food they returned the compliment by leaving me dead rats, mice and other four-legged furry things like voles and moles. However, just the other day - the only white feral I've managed to give a name to - hung around long enough for me to snatch this photograph above. I still can't get anywhere near her and her other two companions are even more elusive - but they've done a cracking job. The rat population has vanished.

 I named the cat in the photograph Tia although when I shout it out I think the other two respond just as enthusiastically knowing there's food around. 

 And just as pleasing, despite the absence of ready prey, the cats seem disinterested by the local wild bird population, my white doves or the red squirrels. It has been a perfect working relationship in many ways but the sad thing for me, being a cat lover, I wasn't able to show my gratitude with cuddles and strokes because as soon as any of them saw me they would sprint away or vanish up a tree.

ZENOBIA: Settling in to her new home

SHEBA: Queen of all she surveys indoors

 Despite this I know they're around because I continue to get little gifts of dead animals and the food I leave out is gone overnight.  However, as a cat lover, I still began to yearn having a feline wrap itself around my ankles and so I went in search of more rescue cats that would hang around the home. I came across this website: http://www.ragdoll-rescue.co.uk/ and before I knew it I was being interviewed as a candidate to foster a pair of Rag Doll cats.
 They were actually from a loving home but the arrival of an overly curious baby had raised concerns and so volunteers from the Rag Dolls Rescue centre set about finding a suitable person to adopt them. He-who-should-be-obeyed-but-rarely-is was quite bemused by the rigorous interview - such things don't happen in his native Algeria, although he did comment that if people took as much care looking after the welfare of children in Britain as the Rag Doll Rescue volunteers do their cats then cases like Baby P might not arise.  

 The upshot was earlier this month I took possession of Sheba and Zenobia with strict instructions to keep them in a child free and dog free home and not to let them outside under any circumstances. The Rag Dolls you see have no fear and just as you'd not let a child wander outside unsupervised for a stroll around the M25 you can't let these cuties wander around willy nilly!

 Unlike Tia and her crew, Sheba and Zenobia don't appear to have any hunting instincts although they do watch the wild birds and doves with some mild disdain while looking on quite horrified when the turkeys and geese get too close to the lounge windows.

 However the girls are incredibly affectionate and love being groomed and tickled. I can't imagine they'd want to swap places with Tia but at the same time I imagine Tia couldn't think of anything worse than being kept indoors and pampered. 

  * I can't praise the work of the Cats Protection Charity Shop enough and have already made a small donation. Please feel free to do the same, the details are below.

Cats Protection Charity Shop
162-166 HIGH STREET
WALLSEND
NEWCASTLE
NE28 7RP