The reluctant turkey farmer

I don't know how, why or when my Uncle David (right) got into rearing free range turkey.



But I all I remember is that he got into in a big way and got so attached to the turkeys that he could not bring himself to sell any of them at Xmas or any other time for that matter. The first time I became aware of hi attachment to the turkeys was when Nigel and I were invited to join him and his family for Christmas in 2004. I asked my Aunt how it was that they were so many turkey roaming the compound. her response your uncle is very fond of them and would not let us have any for Christmas lunch"

Two year's later in 2006 I was back in Uganda and I stayed with them for three weeks. It was during my stay that I became fully aware of uncle David's attachment to the his birds. It was December and various people from the neighbourhood would call around to enquire whether the turkeys were for sale. They would be invited in and offered a cup of tea/beer or soft drink.

A price negotiation would ensue. This was very interesting to watch. My Uncle would ask the person how they had became aware of his turkeys, then he would go into a long song and dance routine about his turkeys, how they well looked after etc and finally ask for such an obscene amount of money for the birds. Mostly people walked away at this stage but some bargained with him until he gave them a sensible price. That year (2006) Christmas was interesting, as my auntie declared that time had come for the family to try the home grown turkeys. My Uncle said absolutely not, unless it was apparent the any of the birds were frail in some way, we would have to buy frozen turkey from the supermarket.

I had to see this for myself so I volunteered to tag along to the supermarket. My auntie had the trolley and she avoided the frozen food section, my uncle walked to it and picked up 2 large frozen turkeys, this was Dec 22. When we got home my auntie instructed the housekeeper to leave the turkey out to defrost as we were to have it for lunch the following day and that what happened.

Around 3PM on 24 December my auntie told my uncle that we Had no turkey for Christmas lunch. My uncle asked what had happened to the frozen turkey and he was informed that we had, had for lunch the previous day and that we had no hope of getting any turkey at the supermarket at this time. You could almost see a sign of resignation on his his face as he agreed that two of his turkeys could be slaughtered for Christmas lunch.

My Auntie found the turkey's toilet routine irritating to say the least as it cost her a few Housekeepers, and because the turkeys were free range they roamed everywhere and ate the entire lawn and my next next in December 2007 there was no lawn to speak of.


My Uncle died during the first week of July this year and I went to see my Auntie in August. The lawn had grown back and I asked how she had managed to stop the birds from munching away at it. She told me that before my uncle died, he had decided that all the turkeys should be sold or slaughtered for food and when they were all gone he brought in a landscape gardener and asked him to lay a new lawn, three months later he died.

there was real feeling of loss and emptiness about the place, I missed my Uncle as much as I missed the noise from the birds.

Merry Christmas all