Border collies are one of the smartest dog breeds out there, and they just upped their game with this brilliant new talent captured on video. It’s perfect for the holidays! Behold: free-range turkey herding.
Collie dogs rounding up turkeys
As the market for high-quality free-range poultry increases, farmers are looking for more efficient ways to move their birds from pasture to barn. Enter dogs!
Dogs also make excellent security guards, protecting the flock from foxes and other predators looking for a tasty lunch. Border collies are a natural for this job, in particular, and seem to have little problem adjusting to their feathery flocks.
Mollie the Collie herds thousands of turkeys
Moving the birds with the help of dogs is efficient! John Wright of John Wright Turkeys says his four-legged coworker Mollie can do in 20 minutes what it used to take him hours to do (even with human help.)
Pip and Tilly go to work on the turkey farm
Fun fact about turkey farming: back in the day, turkeys weren’t just herded from their pasture to their barn, but also for miles across the country from farm to market.
Cross-country turkey herding from farm to market
Sounds like another perfect job for the border collie!
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Featured image: Megsy of Great Grove Traditional Free Range Poultry