Recently my mother made her nightly coop check to be certain all the chickens 
and turkeys were in their house. The chickens were accounted for, but a hen turkey was missing. We were all ‘encouraged’ to run outside in the dark, to search for the hen. We never found her. Eventually we gave up and went back inside. First thing the next morning all three turkeys were present. Instant relief for mom who knew something might have gotten her.
That same day I came home for lunch. Something was missing. You guessed it, that same hen turkey was missing. I didn’t have the time to look everywhere for her this time, so I 
just finished my business at the house and went back to work. When I got off work I looked for they turkey in the day light. Once again, she not to be found. Once Mom returned home I updated her and she said, ”She’s alive which is good so that all that matters”. We continued our evening watching TV as a family.
Next morning, the hen turkey was back again. Mom and I began to suspect she was sitting on a nest, leaving and coming back to get food. This cat-and-mouse routine continued until we decided to catch her up. Mom turned her loose and followed her at a safe distance. The hen walked straight for the road. There were some tense moments when it looked like the turkey might try to cross. However, she didn’t. She stopped and disappeared just about 5 feet shy of the highway. Mom crossed the highway and snuck up on her nest. Mom gathered the eggs, and the turkey. We set her up in a big box in the outside chicken kennel where she is safe from harm.
Her camouflage among the tall grass kept her well hidden. We will never know if a predictor came close to finding her. We must have walked past her multiple times during our rescue missions. In the end, she won, we got some exercise, and our hen is safe from harm and that’s what matters.
Story and Photos by Molly Clegg, HS Intern
