Hay fields are places that have more than grass.
They also harbor animals.
This week, with the sun shining down and the rains out of the forecast, the husband and his dad are cutting hay.
Animals in the field generally run away, but not always.
Young animals sometimes get caught in the machinery. I have heard tales of baby fawns getting mutilated in mowing machines. They hide in the tall grass and farmers simply can't see them.
Rabbits, groundhogs, etc. also have the same problem. They cower in fright and the machine gets them. The farmer can't see them.
This year a large bird of some kind laid eggs in the hay field.
Several of the eggs were crushed during mowing, but these were not. Of course the mother bird is nowhere to be seen and with her habitat gone she will abandon the nest.
My husband thinks these are wild turkey eggs, and if so that is very sad indeed. We love watching the wild turkey on the farm.
He brought them home to show me and then threw them out. No, we had no thoughts of eating them. Who knows how old those things are?
Sometimes stuff happens on a farm whether you want it to or not.
My dad always brought us back baby rabbits. Seemed like every year. Every year we would try with all our might to keep them alive to release back into the woods.
ReplyDeleteThat's so funny! You'd think that the mama would build a nest. I hope they are turkey eggs, cause baby turkeys are adorable. Keep us posted!
ReplyDeleteNo, I wouldn't have eaten them, either. Farming is like this. We've had baby deer caught in the mowing machine(my brother had to take care of that one because it upset the tender-hearted mower so much) and lost quite a few black snakes. Hated seeing that happen, too. Once even a chicken got caught up in the mower.
ReplyDeleteIt's all a part of the survival of the fittest I suppose... Would have been nice to see some baby turkeys though.
ReplyDeleteDi
The Blue Ridge Gal
Years ago, the guy who cuts our hay found a nest with eggs. His son took them home, put them in an incubator and eventually hatched some turkeys.
ReplyDeleteThat reminds me of one time when I was weed-whacking. There was a huge toad in the long grass but I didn't see him. Oh man, it broke my heart when I realized I got him. I'm still traumatized over it and paranoid when I weed-whack now.
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