Boys!

Boys will be Boys, right?  Yeah, well, they never accounted for male turkeys, but they probably should have.  The turklets are 7 weeks old and starting to hit their stride, which means the testosterone is FLYING.  This has become a fairly common scene around here, between the two turklets we're pretty sure are males.

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One turkey boy says something rude to the other one.  Something like "Your mama was so ugly, that your dad had to put his snood over his eyes just to mate with her!"

This, of course, totally ticks off the other little turkey boy, and he curses back or says something just as rude.  After a minute or two of barbed comments, the fight ensues.

One goes high, the other goes low.

They dance around one another, wings down and tails at the ready.

They charge.

They meet and jump on top of one another's heads.

The way to win the fight?  Grab the back of the opponent's neck and hold on until he cries "Uncle!".

They both go for the advantage.

Now Gus (the poult with the orange band) has taken the lead and has gotten a grip on Turkey Boy's neck.  Normally, Gus will just hang onto Turkey Boy until Turkey Boy lays down--a sign of submission.  This time, a chicken broke the fight up and Gus didn't get his victory.

Which meant it wasn't really over, and he knew it.  Once the chicken was gone, Gus stalked Turkey Boy back and forth, not really starting with him, but not letting him completely off the hook, either.

Yep, he chased him to the edge of the deck, and showed him who was boss.  This is Gus in half display.  I wasn't quick enough to catch the full monty.

He continued to threaten Turkey Boy, but the fight kept being interrupted by chicken after chicken.  Gus soon gave it up.

Minutes later, since they couldn't fight anymore, they took a nap together.

That's Gus watching me, because he saw me take the camera out.  The thing fascinates him, and he sticks his face right in it every time I bring it out.  If I want to get any "unposed" pictures of Gus (ie; pictures that are not of up Gus' nose or in his mouth), I have to do it from inside the house.  He went to sleep right after I put it away.

If you're wondering why Gus has a band and Turkey Boy does not, it's because we identified Gus as a boy early on.  He's also the tamest, and will sit in anyone's lap and talk to them.  To be sure I knew which one he was when they were all together, I banded him.  I believe Turkey Boy is also a boy, since he's the only one Gus takes on.  But until I'm sure, he'll be unbanded.

And yes, Gus did win this fight, even though it was interrupted.  Gus, who is a bit smaller than Turkey Boy, wins every fight.  He's small, but mighty, it seems!