Bird Brain

Turkeys are just plain weird.  How can birds smart enough to elude hunters and most predators and fly 50-60 feet up to roost in a tree at night suddenly forget how to get out of the goat pen?  I've seen it happen time and time again.  Yesterday morning a group of toms had gone into the pen.  All but one flew out when I approached.  The one saw them fly out!  Distraught, he started walking the fence line, calling all the while, "Hey, fellas, don't leave me!  Come back!  I'm all alone!  Help, I'm stuck here!"  I thought his memory might come back when I entered the pen, but no.  Back and forth, back and forth.  This went on the whole time I was tending to the girls and Missy.  "Help!  Help!"  I think it might have gotten on Sheila's nerves because when I let the goats out, she went up for a closer look and almost nosed him.  That didn't stop him, he just walked a little faster, still crying.

His tribe was gathered in the front yard.  "Oh man, Wilbur has done it again.  He never learns.  Fly in, fly out.  It's so simple.  I guess we'll hang out here until he figures it out.  Again."  Maybe the gang coached him or his bird brain started functioning, but he wasn't in the pen later in the day.  Go figure.