TURKEYS 

BRIGETTE

Brigette and her sisters were fated to be served as somebody’s Thanksgiving dinner. Like so many turkeys each year, she grew up in a factory farm. While she was a young chick, the tip of her beak was burned off and the ends of her toes were amputated – all without anesthesia. But despite this traumatic start in life, Brigette ended up being lucky. She was part of a large turkey rescue operation. She and her sisters were 3 of the birds saved, and we were lucky enough to have them come live at Kindred Spirits Care Farm. At the farm she took some of her first steps in the fresh air and sunshine, learned how to dust bathe and discovered the joy of eating fresh greens. Now Brigette and her sisters enjoy their days exploring a large garden paradise that is just for them. Can you sponsor Brigette to help us show her all the wonders of her new life?

Brownie

Brownie was brought to us by a boy who raised Brownie as a 4-H project. As a rule, 4-H animal projects end with the slaughter of the animal, but this compassionate boy did not want to send his beloved bird to be killed. He asked if we could take her in because he could not keep her. How could we refuse? Brownie is a gorgeous girl with iridescent feathers and a sweet disposition. Like all birds who were bred to be eaten, she has a genetic tendency to get too large, so she is on a calorie restricted diet, but she gets lots of low-calorie treats, so she is a happy girl.

Emma

Just like her sisters, Emma grew up in a factory farm but through a happy twist of fate came to live with us as part of the 100 turkey rescue in 2018. In the factory farm, birds are crowded into the space so tightly that the have little room to move, stand or even turn around. At first, Emma and her sisters were a bit confused by all the space in their new garden. Everything was a new experience: the wind blowing through their feathers, the grass and dirt under their feet or seeing a bug crawl by. Emma and her sisters mostly sat still and observed at first – they had to build up the muscle to walk around and explore their new garden paradise. Another problem that Emma has to deal with is that like all commercialized turkeys, she was selectively bred to quickly gain weight to bring in the most money at the time of sale. Almost no commercially bred turkeys live past one year old, so no one worries about the consequence of this breeding. For Emma, we need to carefully control the amount of food she gets and supplement with fresh greens and veggies so that she will stay healthy. Won’t you help us make Emma’s life a long and happy one?