The wooden spoon for cuteness goes to... the turkey poults.

Before I announce the winner, the wooden spoon in the cuteness competition goes to these guys (or gals?)

I'm sorry, but turkey poults just are not cute. Goslings, yes. Chicks, yes. But poults? Even the word is not cute.
I guess I'm slightly swayed by the fact that we buy our turkeys as very young chicks and then have them in a broody box stinking out the entrance porch until they are big enough and ugly enough to go out. Most of our other poultry we now prefer to hatch under proper mums, or at least surrogate mums.


But young turkeys - lets call them turklets rather than poults - do have the advantage that, as they grow up, they become rather endearing creatures. This is not always the case with chickens and definitely a matter of opinion when it comes to geese!

The turklets had their first taste of grass and fresh air today.
It won't be long before they can roam free and roost in the stables.

For the moment, though, the turklets remain the ugly ducklings, so to speak.