By the end of the month, we will receive a new batch of birds, chickens and turkeys. As we’ve done before, we’re getting a mixture of heritage chickens, but we decided to buy Slate Blue turkeys.

The Blue Slate is listed as “Watch” on The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy‘s watch list. The turkeys we had last year were White Hollands, which are “Threatened.” We still have three hens but decided to try a new breed to see how we like them and to add a little color to our flock.

This weekend, our friend, Jennie, came to help on the farm. She commented on the calls of the turkey hens, and it reminded me how much the toms’ calls defined the sounds of summer and fall. In January, when we lost our last tom, it changed the landscape of the poultry house. The girls miss him and still seem a little lost without their protector and leader. I can’t wait to see this new batch grow and take over the farm with their characteristic strut, wing display and chorus of calls.

-Brian