When a community member walked into DCHS’s Wildlife Center with a young turkey, we weren’t sure what had happened to her. The finder had come across the bird on the side of the road, soaked all the way through to the skin with her feathers covered in some kind of sticky substance, making her unidentifiable. The only thing our staff could tell on admission day was that she was a young hatchling turkey poult with injuries! She had wounds on the side of her body that suggested she might have been attacked by some kind of animal, but we couldn’t be certain.
The bird was treated for her wounds, bathed to rid her feathers of the sticky foreign substance, and isolated in our Sundance Center by herself because we didn't have other birds or turkeys to house her with. During the first two days, staff focused on giving her medications, treating her wounds, and providing her with supportive care—and, as always, staying hands-off as much as possible to avoid the risk of habituation or imprinting for a young hatchling wild bird.
Three days later, the bird was cleared from her medical condition and was finally starting to look better! Her wounds had scabbed over, there were no lingering signs of infection, and she was eating well and gaining weight. Staff elected to move her outside to continue her recovery.
During the next two days she spent outside, the bird was vocalizing more and with increased frequency, constantly calling and calling (and calling and calling and calling) to no end. We noticed that the bird was showing feathers with a darker complexion than was expected for a wild turkey. Because her feather condition had been so poor on arrival, we couldn't definitively tell what type of turkey she was, but as her condition improved some started to suspect that there was something different about her.
One of our interns, Sawyer, was assigned to feed the turkey during those first few days and noticed the bird's darker appearance coming in alongside her displaying some unique behaviors. Thanks to her prior experience with domestic birds, and the assistance of Licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator (and former Werndli Apprentice) Ashton Whitaker, she was able to identify the little bird as a Black Spanish turkey rather than a wild turkey, as we had originally guessed. Sawyer said, “She'd change the sounds she was making if she saw that there was a person around. Then she'd come towards you, rather than away like a typical turkey. Once she started cuddling up next to me, I knew that she wasn't wild."
Even though she turned out to be a domestic species, DCHS’s Wildlife Center was ready and willing to help her from the moment she was brought into our facility. She needed medical care, and we were equipped to give it thanks to the training and expertise of our team, including Sawyer, who ended up adopting the bird and naming her Tilly.
When asked why she decided Tilly might be a good fit for adoption, Sawyer shared, "I've always had birds, so adopting a sweet little turkey didn't seem too out of character for me. I've raised lots of ducks and chickens, and I still had a small coop attached to our chicken coop that I used for ducks. I no longer had ducks, so it was just a spacing and timing thing that happened to work out!"
Tilly now lives a happy life with Sawyer and her family, and spends her days hanging out in hammocks, celebrating Sawyer’s birthday with her, and running around the yard. This isn’t a typical outcome for an animal that comes through DCHS’s Wildlife Center, but thanks to the support of our generous donors we were able to help this bird heal and find a new home.
Join us today for #GivingTuesday by making a monetary donation to help us care for Wisconsin’s wildlife at Dane County Humane Society's Wildlife Center. Your contributions fund this essential work and allow us to share positive stories like this one!
