Talking Turkey....cuz Turkey Day is Coming --

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, it seems appropriate to talk turkey.  Here are some things you might not know about the turkey:

1. With about 600 million turkeys in the world (National Geographic, May 2011), about 90% of Americans eat turkey at Thanksgiving and 50% consume turkey at Christmas (www.home.aristotle.net/Thanksgiving/trivia-submit.asp  2012).  

A white broadbreasted and a Spanish black heritage turkey -- the same age.

2. Turkeys are the only breed of poultry native to the Western Hemisphere, with the first turkeys being domesticated in Mexico and South America (www.infoplease.com/spot/tgturkeyfacts.html  2012), and there is evidence that they have been around for over 10 million years (www.baltimoremd.com/content/turkey1.html  2012). 

Turkeys are curious birds and investigate everything -
and we haven't had one drown in the plastic goose/duck pond,
though my cousin said that she had one that drowned in a trough
(it got in and couldn't get out).

3. Contrary to popular belief and in spite of the musical that I really like (1776), Benjamin Franklin did not go head to head with others in favor of the turkey being the national bird.  The legend seems to have originated with a letter to his daughter about six months after the national coat of arms was accepted with the bald eagle as the national bird.  His letter mainly referenced his feelings about a military fraternity and after finding fault with the society's motives and its concept, he writes:

    Others object to the Bald Eagle, as looking too much like a Dindon, or Turkey. For my own part I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen as the Representative of our Country. His a Bird of bad moral Character...Besides his a rank Coward: The little King Bird not bigger than a Sparrow attacks him boldly and drives him out of the District. His therefore by no means a proper Emblem for the brave and honest Cincinnati of America who have driven all the King birds from our Country, tho' exactly fit for that Order of Knights which the French call Chevaliers d'Industrie.

 I am on this account not displeas'd that the Figure is not known as a Bald Eagle, but looks more like a Turkey. For in Truth the Turkey is in Comparison a much more respectable Bid, and withal a true original Native of America...He is besides, tho' a little vain and silly, a Bird of Courage, and would not hesitate to attack a Genadier of the British Guards who should presume to invade his Farm Yard with a red Coat on.

 So, while Benjamin Franklin may not have been that happy with the choice of the Bald Eagle, he never actively promoted the turkey (www.americanheraldry.org/pages/index.php?n=MMM.Turkey?action=print).  The things we learn in history class...

I left the dog kennel open and came home to roosting turkeys. 
When they saw me, they came to greet me. 
Who wouldn't like that?!?

4.  Several sources claim that, unlike wild turkeys, domesticated turkeys can't fly.  It is clear that they haven't been to GEE Funny Farm where our turkeys fly short distances on a regular basis.  While we have mostly heritage turkeys that are much more similar to wild turkeys in build and functioning ability, we happen to have a broad-breasted turkey who flies over our six foot fences on a regular basis -- which surprised even us, since that has not been our experience before.

Several of my heritage turkeys, at a young age,
roosting on our 6 foot kennel fence. 
Yep, they flew up there.

5. And finally, there is the claim that domesticated turkeys are so dumb that they will look up at falling rain and end up drowning.  Snopes says it ain't so. And we certainly haven't had that experience.  You can go to Snopes to find out what they believe caused the myth.



My favorite turkey, Sariah, coming
to visit at the front door. 

Sariah at the back door.
How can I not love this bird who seeks me out?

While we have heard from people that turkeys are 'dumb.' Ours come when called and know where to find food and water (including from the dishes of the other animals on the other side of the fence).  And while we may be among the Americans enjoying turkey at one of our holiday meals, we really love and appreciate our birds.  We are glad that they enjoy a life of leisure and fun as they wander where they will every day and that they have a secure place to go at night (from which they can and do escape if I'm not on hand when they feel it is time to get going in the morning - they fly through the opening between fence and 'roof.')  I really like turkeys...and not just eating them.

On the Wild Side...Living with a Raccoon

We found the ad in the local paper for a 12-week old raccoon.  We went to see her.  She was sort of friendly and so cute.  I talked David into getting her.  Only later, I saw a 12-week old raccoon, and my pet had never looked that young --- live and learn…don’t believe everything people tell you, though I’m afraid I’m still a sucker sometimes.

We took Dizzy home – and I immediately changed her name.  She seemed to respond to her name, looking at me when I said it, so we pondered something similar and came up with Desi.  Not sure why we thought that was better, but we almost always rename our animals even today, even when they are adults when we get them.

Desi moved into our trailer house.  We really knew nothing about raccoons.  David was on his way out of town for the weekend…a trip to Lake Powell with his dad and brothers.  So I was home with a raccoon who climbed into our couch and wouldn’t come out.  Okay, so she wasn’t really friendly.  I spent the weekend enticing her with ‘junk’ food that might entice her to respond to me.  For three days that’s what I did.  I sat near the couch and gave her fruit or a cracker or a piece of cereal every time she would look out at me.  By the end of the weekend she was coming out to get treats. 

Desi on her couch
(I don't remember why the cushion was there).

 

We were told that she should get a mixture of dog and cat food.  She seemed to eat that okay, so that was what we fed her.  I found a book about having pet raccoons. It confirmed the cat food/dog food idea but other things it said bothered me, like that we should never punish her, that she would not understand…

David was happy with the progress when he came home. I could put a leash on Desi and walk her around the trailer house.  She had decided that the couch was a good place to sleep.  She was very good about using a litter box.  She liked to play in the bathtub.  I thought she was awesome.

My family was having a group campout nearby.  I decided to take Desi.  Since I don’t like to camp, she would also give me a reason to come home at nights – perfect!!  So, I took a leash and a litter box for in the car.  Desi was an excellent traveler.  She hung out on the backseat unless she got bored, then she would climb up in front with us.  I was in love.

At Oak Creek with Desi.

 

Desi was interested in the ferrets and would try to get their food (it was cat food, since there was no such thing as ferret food at the time). 

David liked to wrestle with Desi, which I didn’t think was a good idea.  I didn’t do anything that would encourage any mouthing that might lead to biting.  Later, David was sorry that he didn’t listen.  Desi loved to rough house with David – but as she got older, the biting was fierce and painful.  Lesson…Don’t do things that won’t be cute when the animal is an adult.

A wiser David playing tug-of-war with Desi.

Life with Desi was a little like living in a Disney movie with a wild animal invading your household.  Really, David was a good sport.

 Once while we were out, Desi went into the bathroom to play, I guess.  While in there, the door was shut and she pulled out all of the drawers (remember this is in a trailer house).  The drawers being pulled out made it impossible to open the door.  Desi’s little paw, that looked remarkably like a hand, was reaching under the door and she made mewing sounds wanting us to rescue her.  Luckily, the hinges were on the hallway side and David ended up taking down the door to let her out (our hero!).

Another time, we had been out and when we arrived home it was to a bloated raccoon sitting in our pantry with everything that she hadn’t managed to eat dumped onto the floor.  David wired cabinets shut. I couldn’t open them, but Desi could.

The couch became less and less comfortable as Desi made herself at home. She removed and relocated stuffing.  Also, people would freak out as her little paw reached out from between cushions to feel around….but that was funny to us.

We learned that raccoons learn many skills from their moms.  Things like getting out of trees or climbing down didn’t seem to come naturally.  Desi was interested in fish and crayfish in the water, but had no idea that she could catch them, though she did eat them if David caught them.  She did love to play in the water and would chase after things, but she was never very successful at catching things…even things that she did like to eat.

David rescuing Desi when she was afraid to climb down.

 

When David got a job in Virginia, we were told by other people that having a raccoon as a pet was illegal in some states.  I contacted Virginia and learned that they didn’t care.  So, we made a road trip from Arizona to Virginia with Desi in the backseat of the car.  At night we had a cage that we put her into.  She drew attention at every stop as we got her out for a walk and potty break.  We also had a litter-box behind the seat that she used without fail.

Ready to go....

Desi in the backseat between the ferret cages.

Wanting attention during the long trip. 
Most of the time she was great with David,
but when she decided to 'play' it could get pretty painful
(he still has scars).

 

We got a Norwegian Elkhound puppy, Tewa, and Desi loved to play with her.

Desi with Tewa.

Desi in her pool with Tewa looking on...

 

Desi went with me to the local science center and we went to some schools to talk about raccoons and what they were like as pets. 

We learned that dog food and cat food don’t have the nutrients that a raccoon needs.  Raccoons need a lot more iron than is available in such foods.  Desi ended up with an iron deficiency twice.  The first time I caught that there was something wrong and got her to the veterinarian in time.  The second time David was taking care of her and he was a lot more leery of her since she thought that attacking him was a game (that he taught her when she was young), and he didn’t catch that she was ill.  To this day, I worry about leaving my animals with someone else because I have caught things that others have missed (even veterinarians) because I know them so well.

A couple of years ago, I saw a baby raccoon that had been hand-fed.  Soooo sweet!  However, David says, “No raccoon,” and he doesn’t say no very often, so we are still raccoonless.  Maybe some day….



 

Another Weird Pet (Back Then)

 While David and I were newly married, my best friend showed up with a weird critter.  It was a ferret. 

While ferrets are common in pet stores these days, back in the 1970s they were practically unheard of. I thought it was so cool that I found one (I think Robyn, my friend, actually found it).  We named her Meshach.  She was very clever and active and fun.  And a few months later she disappeared in Robyn’s trailer house.  We thought she went through a small hole in the bathroom.  David made small holes in the bottom of the trailer, trying to find her.  We never did.  I cried for days.  I often wonder what happened. (Sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Rhoton for the holes we left in the trailer – they probably didn’t help the insulation).

A while later, we found another ferret for sale.  I was glad that Monamie was darker since Meshach had been white.  When we found Shawnicey, it didn't matter that he was white.  He was so playful!

      

Monamie

Shawnicey playing with my parents' puppy.

 

And then the Sheriff’s office was called because a woman woke up at a truckstop with a strange ‘rat-like’ animal sitting on her chest.  She was totally freaked!!  At the time, I was a dispatcher for the Department of Public Safety (Highway Patrol) and someone at the Sheriff’s office knew I had ferrets.  They called, after the one they had found was quarantined and no one claimed him, and asked if I wanted him.  Umm, of course I did.  At first, Shawnicey and Monte 'argued' a little and I figured it was just to establish pecking order, so we thought it would all work out.  Later, they were very aggressive with each other, so they couldn't be let out at the same time, and we had to have separate cages for them.

Monte (found at a truck stop) at the Sheriff's office in Williams.
We took Monamie and Shawnicey in to see if they would get along.

We thought three ferrets were enough (especially since the boys didn't get along), but then we met  a poor little ferret that I am sure had brain damage.  She was sweet, but seemed totally out of it a lot of the time.  All of the other ferrets accepted her, so she came to our house to live. 



Bandite, the weird little ferret.

We tried breeding them, and had one litter.  None of the babies survived, and we didn't want to go through that again, so we had them all neutered and descented – no, they weren’t sold that way back then -- which improved their smell considerably, though not completely.   Ferrets have a built in defense system similar to a skunk's. They have a very unpleasant odor when they become frightened, though not as strong as a skunk's and it dissipates a lot with soap and water.  Even descented, and in the best of circumstances, ferrets have a musky odor.  Sometimes, with some perfumes or colognes, I think of ferrets.

Shawnicey getting a 'bath.'

Our ferrets were smart.  They knew that they had to use the litter box before they could be out in the house.  They were pretty good about using it anyway, but it was a requirement before they could leave the cage.  They liked attention and they were fun to watch. Ferrets, handled a lot, are friendly and playful.  They are curious and like to investigate everything!

 

 

 

We had the ferrets long enough that our oldest son played with them.  While I've heard of ferrets hurting children, ours were friendly and liked attention.  We were always with our son when he handled the ferrets and it is very important to spend a lot of time with ferrets or any other exotic animal pet.

Picking the ferret up.

Carrying him around.

Putting him away (notice Monamie at his feet).

Something that was interesting to me was that, while I had never heard of ferrets before and a lot of people who saw us out walking our little business (group of ferrets), both of my grandfathers had had ferrets when they were younger.  My paternal grandfather had passed away, but my grandmother told how he had used ferrets for hunting rabbits.  He sent the ferret into the hole to chase the rabbit out.  He and other hunters would be at other rabbit holes and bag the rabbit as it came out.  Sometimes the ferret would catch a rabbit, eat it, and fall asleep in the hole.  Then my grandfather would go back later to get it when the ferret would make its way out. Who knew?!?  My maternal grandfather didn’t actually own the ferret, but he told how they used it in a factory where he worked to keep the vermin down.  My grandparents were not particularly impressed that we had them as pets.

We had them for about 8 years – They moved from Arizona to Virginia with us.  Three of them passed away (two were not babies when we got them – they were longer lived than the ones people get now). One of the ones who passed away had a tumor (I still have the x-ray somewhere), and I guess that is common even today. One we gave to my veterinarian’s kids when we were moving into an apartment in a different state (Missouri) and couldn’t take him.

I've been asked why we don't have them now.  I was glad that I had ferrets.  Because people started breeding them when they first became popular, ferrets now have many more health problems than they did at first - breeders don't always worry about inbreeding, breeding even if their animal has defects, etc. Also, my daughter had them for a while as a teen, and even with handling, they weren't as responsive as our first ones were.  I don't know if that is breeding, or because there are so many that they don't get attention when they are very young.  So, no ferrets for now.

I liked the uniqueness of the ferrets.  Each had its own personality, like all animals, and they were interesting.  I liked taking them for short walks (they kind of went their own way and I followed along so I guess they actually took ME for walks).  While we lived in Virginia, I took them to the Science Center and did presentations with them -- the pros and cons of having them.  Plus, I don’t know if I would have heard the stories about my grandfathers if I had not gotten them.  That might have made it worth it in any case!

 

A side note:  In the photo album where I found the pictures, I wrote, "We have talked about starting a small zoo with many unusual pets."  David won't confirm that he thought that, but it is there is writing! 

My Not Quite a Pet Exotic Pet - Sam

When I was in Junior High school, my dad opened a second hand store across town.  He was quite the wheeler-dealer and he ended up with a peculiar looking animal that he planned to put in the window to draw people into the store.

The owner of the animal brought it in and it got loose.  It went into a carpet roll or something like that and my dad told me to go in and get it.  I started to go and the guy said, “Hey, that animal bites, don’t send her after it.”  My dad said, “She can get it.” And I did.

One of my favorite people was the elementary school librarian (she was MY librarian when I was at the elementary school and my mom’s friend – my mom was a first grade teacher at the same school).  Mrs. Rush started researching to find out what this odd animal was.  After a couple of days she announced that it was a vulpine phalanger. 

 

Not long after that, a student from Northern Arizona University came by.  He was from Australia and he said, “I heard you had a vulpine phalanger – what would you want with one of those!!  They are real pests!  Farmers hate them!” 

 

Vulpine phalangers are marsupials and are sort of like our opossums.  They are considered to be nuisances.

Meanwhile, once Sam was put into his cage, my dad said that I shouldn’t try to handle him because I might get bit – go figure.  However, I worked at the store on Saturdays and my dad was barbering, so I would open the cage and give Sam carrots and other veggies.  I wasn’t disobedient enough to handle him, but he did get where he would come and sit by me because I gave him treats.

Aren't vulpine phalangers cute?!?

 

Maybe my dad got more cautious after he saw his teeth!

Eventually, my dad sold him (maybe he found out I was hand feeding him).  I was sad.

 A couple of guys from school came by and for the next four years (through junior high and high school) they called me Sam because of the vulpine phalanger. 

 

My First Exotic Pets

I’ve been told that I should tell some animal stories about my experiences with various animals.  While my mom and dad were not particularly interested in accumulating animals, they were always supportive of me.  The other day, a friend visited from Flagstaff (where I grew up) and said, “I just never imagined you on a farm.”  However, I don’t think my parents were surprised.

When I was eight, my dad ordered two chipmunks from the back of a Field and Stream magazine (or some similar magazine).  We’d always had dogs and cats and my uncle gave me his kids' rabbit (and dog) while they were out of town.  But the chipmunks were my first ‘exotic’ animals.

I was excited to get them!  They were so cute.  They came in a little cage. The cage probably wasn’t really big enough for them, but it had a wheel and a hideout and it came with them, so we thought they were fine.  I couldn’t wait to get my hands on them – until they bit me!  I was astonished and a little afraid.  I tried feeding them goodies, but I kept my hands well away from their vicious little teeth!

Then one Saturday in the summer, the East Flag's Kid’s Day Parade was happening!  Wallace and Ladmo would be there (they were two guys that had a kids’ show on TV that I watched) and there would be prizes for pets.  Pets in costumes, pets doing tricks, etc.  Well, how can anyone beat having pet chipmunks (even if they bit!!)?  That day I carried them around in a pocket and I had to handle them to show to various people.  By the end of the day, they didn’t bite anymore.  My sister and I also won a trophy for the “Smallest pet – Chipmunks.” 

Hard to read after all of these years, but it says,
East Flag Kids Day Parade
1964
Kathy & Julie Banning
Smallest Pet: Chipmunk

Sadly, chipmunks have a fairly short life span (about 4-6 years), but I carried them around with me after that – too bad I didn’t have a bonding bag, but we managed!

What I learned from that day at East Flagstaff Kids’ Day Parade was that it was fun to show off your pets.  But more importantly, I learned that you have to tough it out and handle the animal you bring home even if it bites.  I’ve been kicked, bitten, and scratched (There is a great book about a school for animal trainers by that name) and I’ve survived.  Usually, just like my chipmunks, once the animal finds that I won’t give up and I won’t hurt it, it calms down and I can handle it.  Most of the time the animal LIKES to be handled once we get past the biting.  They bite because they are afraid.  My job as their owner is to help them become less afraid and to trust me to protect them.  What I learned from those two little chipmunks had helped me deal with animals all these years!

GEE Funny Farm Meme Suggestions....

In our last blog, we asked for help with some meme suggestions from the pictures we posted or any on our Facebook page.  Here are some that were suggested for one picture:

The picture

Here are some of the suggestions:

Fun, huh?!?!  Feel free to try your hand.  Thanks to the people who came up with the ideas above (Bev and Erin).

GEE Funny Farm Memes

 A meme is a cultural item in the form of an image, video, phrase, etc., that is spread via the Internet and often altered in a creative or humorous way (Dictionary.com). I'm telling you that because when I was first told that we should make some, I didn't know what one was.

We’ve tried our hand at a few memes:

 

 

 

 

 However, we are sure that there are other clever ideas that could be passed down with pictures that we have.  We’d love for you to try your hand:

 

 

Have any ideas?  Or if you see a picture on our Facebook page, let me know your ideas for a meme.  We'll give you credit for the idea.  This could be fun; let's hear your ideas!!

Ideas for Your Visit to GEE Funny Farm

   We want your visit to GEE Funny Farm to be a fun and rewarding experience.  There are a few things you can do to help that to happen.

1.   Please bring cash to pay for your visit.  We don't accept credit cards or checks.  Sorry if this is inconvenient. It works for us.

2.   Talk to your children about the importance of obeying instructions about how to pet or hold the animal.  Talking to them ahead of time puts us on the same page when I give instructions --- though I’ve had very few problems.  People who come here like animals and want to do the right thing!

 

People who follow directions get to pet all kinds of interesting animals!

 

3.    If you aren’t sure of what the weather is going to be, plan accordingly.  Having a windbreaker or sweater is better than wrapping up in a blanket.  The blanket ends up getting flapped around when you are trying to pet the animals and that might make them nervous – and if it doesn’t, it makes me nervous.

 

Bringing jackets will make you more comfortable and
there won't be flapping blankets that might scare the animals or distract Kathy.

  

4.    We suggest that you wear closed toe shoes (not sandals or flip-flops) to protect your feet.  Goats, sheep, mini pigs, horses, donkeys, and llamas have hooves.  While they would not purposely step on anyone, they do move around sometimes and may step on your feet.  Even when you are sitting it is possible that your feet may find their way under the feet of the animal that we are moving as close to you as possible so you can pet it.

Wearing closed toe shoes (tennis shoes, steel toe shoes --
not sandals or flip-flops) will keep your feet and toes safe
when you are around hooved animals.

5.   Bring bug juice or sunscreen if you might need it – most of our property is wetlands (ie swamp) and it often rains, so it is possible that there will be mosquitoes or other annoying insects.  While you are under the canopy for the presentation, the hayride does not have shade and some people (like my grandsons) can get sunburned on sunny days (not that Wisconsin has that many, says the girl from Arizona).

 

You are in the shade under the canopy
(you might want to bring a chair if you don't want to sit on benches provided...
we're working on getting a few chairs for adults. 
These adults brought their camp chairs).

 

No shade when you are in the haywagon, except near a few trees. 
If you burn easily, you might want to apply sunscreen or bring it along.

 

6.    WASH YOUR HANDS!!  We provide warm water and goat milk soap for you to use, and we also have antibacterial soap you can use without water – however, soap and water works as well and doesn’t kill all of the good bacteria on your hands that help to build immunities.

a.     If you eat BEFORE the presentation – wash your hands.  Some little animals smell food and think you might taste good (at least this is what I’ve heard).  Larger animals who smell food will look through your pockets and sleeves and under your shirt trying to find what is making that yummy smell.  While this might seem funny, it is not how we like our animals to be trained.

b.      If you eat AFTER the presentation – wash your hands… people aren’t around animals like in the ‘olden’ days and immunities are not built up like your parents’ or your grandparents’ were – besides dirty hands are yucchy.  (Second verse same as the first...a little bit louder and a little bit worse...)

c.       If you don’t eat and just leave after the presentation – wash your hands… people aren’t around animals like in the ‘olden’ days and immunities are not built up like your parents’ or your grandparents’ were – besides dirty hands are yucchy. (Third verse same as the first...a little bit louder and a little bit worse...)

 

I know, it looks like a water cooler.  In this case it has warm water and
there are soap and paper towels next to it so hand washing is easy.

 

   There you go!  Six things can help you have a great time.  If you have other concerns, please feel free to contact us by email information@geefunnyfarm.com or phone 262-751-8328.

   We look forward to your visit!