It takes a village to raise a turkey

Heck, it takes people in a “village” that’s 150 miles long… in the saga that unfolded yesterday, summarized by husband Bill as  the “this is why we live here” story.

But let me begin at the beginning…

Bill and I live on a farm in DeKalb in St. Lawrence County. Bill also owns and operates Red Truck Pottery in Chestertown, Warren County. It’s a three hour drive southeast from farm to pottery.

We raise sheep, laying hens and turkeys on the farm. Recently, we ordered turkey chicks from a midwestern grower. Chicks are shipped at birth to one’s local post office. As long as you get them within a day of shipping, the chicks do fine, surviving on the residual nutrients from the yolk. We put the purchase on Bill’s credit card, but gave DeKalb as the shipping address.

Yesterday morning, Bill took a call at the farm from the Chestertown postmaster. Yes. The shipper had mistakenly sent the chicks to the credit card address. But the postmaster had figured out that Bill wasn’t around (mail being forwarded) and then had tracked down his DeKalb phone number. (Entry #1 in the “why we live here” list.)

Now, we had to figure out a way to get the babies to DeKalb by evening. I was at the station (working my day job); Bill also had other commitments. He called his old buddy Bob Walp, owner/operator of Chester Creek Press in Chestertown, and asked him to pick up the chicks at the post office. (Entry #2 for the list.)

Next problem: Chestertown to DeKalb. I was in a meeting when Bill called the station so he talked to membership director June Peoples who remembered that underwriting director Sandy Demarest was on the road in the Glens Falls area. Bill reached Sandy on her cell, directed her to Bob Walp’s place, and she picked up the chicks. (Entry #3.)

By the time she got to Canton, she said she had sung every song and silly ditty she could think of to keep the chicks happy. (I think she was also a bit giddy from listening to three hours of cheeping and peeping.) But the chicks made it safely to NCPR’s studios in Canton:

I was just going on the air to host The Blue Note.  June and Sandy took charge of the situation. The floor heater was set up next to the chicks, and then they received their first water and grain since leaving the egg. (Entry #4.)

After my airshift, I headed out to the parking lot, warmed up the car, made room on the front seat, and went back into the station to get the chicks for the ride out to the farm.

As I pulled into the driveway at home, Bill told me I’d have to go back to the station. A runaway turkey chick in the station hallway!

But don’t worry. Jackie Sauter, our program director, and Bill Haenel, new media developer,  spotted the little explorer. Jackie  made a cozy nest next to her desk and Jackie’s son Steven named it Ellen. (Entry #5.)

By 7:00 pm, all the chicks were  happily reunited and tucked into their home cage…in our kitchen. They’ll stay snug and warm in the house with us until they’re big enough to move first to the shop, and then to the barn.

From start to finish, this north country story took less than 12 hours.

Eventually, the chicks will grow up to be as big as these guys (pictured earlier this week):

Again, thanks to everyone in our north country “village” who helped write a happy ending to this story: the staff at the Chestertown Post Office, Bob Walp at Chester Creek Press, Sandy Demarest (aka Mama Express Delivery), June Peoples (aka Earth Mother), Jackie Sauter (aka Rescue Unlimited)…gobble, gobble.

Tags: turkeys