A week has passed since I planned to move the turkeys and we finally got it done yesterday.  I decided to move the Red Bourbon turkeys to the larger pen instead of the Royal Palms.  The reason for that is that I would like to sell the Royal Palms and they will be easier to catch in the smaller pen.  We also moved my little wild hen.  My old little white bantam hen escaped from the big pen on Friday.  Buddy tried to keep her from escaping the yard altogether and he ended up killing her.  I could have prevented that if I had been there when she escaped but I was not.  Anyway, she was about 7 years old and I was surprised she lived as long as she did.  The other old hen still in that pen needed some company.  I caught the wild hen who has been recovering in her solitary kennel in the barn.  Steve clipped her wing and we moved her into the larger pen with the old brown hen.  We watched them circle each other and check each other out.  They seemed OK with each other, no big fights or running around.  We then proceeded to the turkey pen.  

We had to circle around and single out the big red tom, dodging the Royal Palms and letting them pass so we could grab the red tom.  I could not hold him the first time I got hold of his neck.  Have you ever tried to hold onto a 30 pound bird flapping his wings for all he's worth.  Course I can't blame him.  He probably thought it was Thanksgiving all over again.  Anyway, Steve managed to get him in a corner, hold down his wings and sort of sit on him.  Then I got the scissors and we clipped his wing.  He was much to big for me to carry.  I held on to his head and tried to assist Steve in picking him up.  Steve held the bird next to his body so that he could not flap those powerful wings and I opened gates so we got him moved to the new pen.  Steve set him down gently on his feet and backed away.  Red Tom just stood there panting and then he puffed up all over and did his little display.  We knew then that he was OK.  Next, it was time to catch Miss French, the turkey hen.  She would try to fly and be even harder to catch than Red Tom had been.  She had been hiding in the shelter while we caught Red Tom but managed to escape when we cornered her in there.  She just hopped up into the air and flapped those big wings.  She stayed among the Royal Palms and tried several times to launch herself out of the pen.  I ended up with nothing but feathers in my hand more than once.  But I told her, "I am going to catch you so you may as well settle down and let it happen!"  Steve ended up cornering her.  He held on but she still had one wing out there flapping as hard as she could.  I then held her against my body tucking in her wings and she stilled.  Steve clipped her wing and I walked her over to the big pen.  She is so fragile and light compared to the Tom.  I thought she would try to fly out of the big pen right away but she did not.  She seemed to like the more open space and just walked around exploring her new space.  Now there are three new residents in the old goat pen and one old resident who no longer has to be alone.  I hope Miss French lays some eggs and has some baby turkeys for us soon.