What Do Turkeys Eat for Thanksgiving?

Most people sit down to turkey with all the trimmings on Thanksgiving Day, but did you ever wonder about that turkey, what kind of life it led before it ended up on your dinner table?

Do you know that turkeys are very intelligent creatures with a natural curiosity? Farm Sanctuary knows this and they want to raise awareness for these fine feathered friends at their annual Celebration for the Turkeys this Sunday. (See information below for date, time, and location.)

I worked with a wonderful lady who lived out on a farm, and they adopted a live turkey. It was supposed to be their Thanksgiving dinner after it grew up, but the family became attached to Tom after he exhibited what could only be described as typical pet behavior. Tom became attached to their young son and would follow him all over the farm. In the morning, Tom would walk up to the porch and wait for the boy to come out on his way to school. He'd follow the boy to the bus stop. When the bus came home in the afternoon, Tom was waiting for his friend. He liked peaking into the kitchen window, and would 'sound the alarm' when strangers drove up (strangers being anyone who wasn't family). Tom became the family watchdog, and often behaved so well that occasionally, he was allowed to come into the house for a visit. He enjoyed a good head scratch, too. Tom never made it onto the serving platter, and it wasn't because the family loved him so, but because the family could clearly see that Tom loved them; especially the boy. So how could they kill and eat an intelligent creature who loved and protected them? They couldn't.

The people at Farm Sanctuary (Watkins Glenn, NY/Orland, CA/Acton, CA) have been in the business of rescuing turkeys (and all farm animals) for 25 years. Each year, they hold a Celebration for the Turkeys who've been rescued and reside on the farms that is free and open to the public. The celebration is a Thanksgiving feast for the birds where the turkeys are the guests of honor. They are served cranberries, stuffed squash, and pumpkin pie. Visitors come from all over to watch the turkeys and interact with them.

This year's celebration will be held at the new Acton, California shelter this Sunday, November 20th. L.A. Lakers first female scout and former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader, Bonnie-Jill Laflin will be attending. (Read my interview with Bonnie-Jill Laflin here) For those who can't get out to the Acton shelter, the entire celebration dinner will be streamed live on the Farm Sanctuary website. The event begins at 11:30 Pacific Time/2:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

If you can't be there in person, check out the live stream and fall in love with these sweet, affectionate turkeys.

P.S. There's still time to Adopt a Turkey for Thanksgiving. These guys and gals need you! If you'd like to sponsor one of the many rescued birds, check out this link for details. Sponsors get an adoption certificate and a picture of the bird they choose to 'adopt' along with a bio about their new feathered friend.

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