Adopting a Turkey: Is it a Good Idea?

Happy Tuesday, Missians!

We've finally made it to the week of Thanksgiving!  Yay!

I know many of you will be off from work later this week (or maybe for the rest of the week like I am).  Whether you are or not, here's to wishing you a peaceful happy next couple of days.  Before I get into today's topic, I just wanted to remind you guys that I'll have one more Missy Show episode today on Blog Talk Radio entitled, "Black Friday Shopping Ideas for Your Pet."  I'll be on at 2 pm Central.  Check it out here:

www.blogtalkradio.com/shesatortie 

Okay, with that out of the way, let's get into today's topics.

Because we often think of turkeys during Thanksgiving time and because November is Adopt a Turkey month, I decided to do a post about what all is involved in having a turkey as a pet.  The good thing I discovered though, is that you can "adopt" a turkey and save its life without actually having to take care of the turkey yourself.

How, you ask?

By sponsoring a turkey at Farm Sanctuary!

https://www.farmsanctuary.org/adopt-a-turkey/

Farm Sanctuary states:

More than 46 million turkeys are eaten each Thanksgiving—and if you love these affectionate, intelligent birds as much as we do, you know that’s nothing to be thankful for. 

Since 1986, Farm Sanctuary’s annual Adopt a Turkey Project has reached millions of people with a message of compassion for turkeys and offered an opportunity to honor the spirit of the holiday by helping animals in need. This year, do your part to help our feathered friends by sponsoring one of Farm Sanctuary’s rescued turkeys for just $35!

Here's info on one of their turkeys up for sponsoring (Anna):

Anna was just a week old when she arrived at Farm Sanctuary, along with 23 other sick baby turkeys. Since they were all debeaked—a cruel practice of animal agriculture—these turkeys likely started life on a factory farm. Despite the physical and emotional scars of a past life, Anna is a playful member of her flock.

https://shop.farmsanctuary.org/adoption/Adopt-Anna-the-Turkey

Once you sponsor Anna or any of the other turkeys you can choose to receive an emailed certificate or have a paper one mailed to you:

Each Farm Sanctuary Adopt a Turkey sponsorship arrives with:

• a special Adopt a Turkey certificate (digital or printed) with a color photo of and fun details about your new friend;
• a one-year subscription to Sanctuary, Farm Sanctuary’s biannual print magazine; and
• our deepest thanks for contributing funds for the care of the rescued animals at our sanctuaries, and our efforts to educate and advocate for turkeys and other farm animals.

I think that's awesome and is the sweetest idea.  If anyone is interested in helping any of the other turkeys, please check out the website above.

Now for those of you interested in adopting a turkey and letting it live with you, our next set of info will be more helpful for you.  This information is courtesy of Dog Breed Info (yes, this article is about turkeys):

https://www.dogbreedinfo.com/pets/turkey.htm 

Temperament

When most people think of a turkey they think of Thanksgiving dinner. While most who raise turkeys raise them for eating, some keep turkeys as pets. And some do both; keep some as pets while eating the others. There are many different breeds of turkeys, however there are two varieties, domestic and wild. The wild turkey lives and breeds in the wild and some are kept as pets. It can fly and is said to be smarter than the domestic. The domestic turkey is the type eaten on thanksgiving. Some domestic turkeys can fly and some types cannot. The domestic and wild turkeys are physically different. Domestic turkeys are much larger than the wild turkeys. 

A wild turkey is much faster than a domestic turkey. The fastest wild turkey can run up to 35 mph, while a full grown domestic turkey’s pace is a slow walk (females are a little faster because they weigh less than males). Wild turkeys have better eyesight and hearing than domestic turkeys. Only male turkeys gobble; female turkeys make a clucking sound but cannot gobble. A male turkey often fans his tail feathers, where as a female rarely does.

Feeding

Turkeys should be fed pellets as their main diet. You can buy fowl pellets at many farm and pet stores. In addition to the pellets they can also be fed fruits and vegetables. Turkeys will eat some kinds of leaves, weeds, wild nuts, acorns, grass, grapes, kale, all berries that humans eat, Russian olive berries, dogwood tree berries, wild grapes, wine berries, sassafras tree berries, honeysuckle berries and even poison ivy berries. Turkeys will love it if you sprinkle oatmeal on top of their food. My turkeys even love to eat a chicken egg that is cracked on the ground. Wild turkeys also eat insects and small animals. To prevent blackhead disease and other parasites, newly hatched poults (baby turkeys) should be fed a medicated 28% Turkey Starter for the first 8 weeks. From 9 to 14 weeks they should be fed 20-21% Turkey Grower. Chick medicated starter can also be fed, however the Turkey Starter/Grower is better. You can find medicated feed at farm stores. Wild turkey poults under two months old prefer to eat bugs and some will not take to the turkey feed you buy at the farm store. You may have to feed them things such as crickets, mealworms, earthworms, spiders and beetles, which can be caught by hand or bought at pet stores or bait shops. Take caution when catching bugs by hand that they were not exposed to pesticides. For this reason it may be best to go with the bugs bought at the pet store. 

Domestic turkeys will usually take very well to the pellets and very young turkeys should be fed crushed pellets until they get big enough to handle the full pellet. They sell crumbed pellets at farm stores. If you plan on having your hens lay eggs they need extra calcium. Feeding crushed oyster shells is a great source of calcium. Turkeys need small rocks or grit for their gizzard to grind food, for example dirt, sand, egg shells or oyster shell. A gizzard is a part of a bird's stomach that contains these tiny stones. It helps them grind up food for digestion. Fresh water should always be provided either in some type of bowl or a poultry water dispenser which can be purchased at a farm store.

Housing

The domestic turkeys that cannot fly can be kept inside a fenced-in yard, much like a fence that would keep in a dog or a goat. The domestic turkeys that can fly should have some type of net to keep them in.

Wild turkeys, on the other hand, can fly very well. Unless you keep their wings clipped you need a totally enclosed cage. Two turkeys can be kept in a 90 square foot area that is at least 6 feet high. However the more room you can give your turkey the better. If you have turkeys that can fly, their enclosed cage should have chicken wire surrounding it on all sides and top with a wood frame with a stiff metal dog wire of about 3-4 feet tall along the bottom to keep out other animals and to keep the turkeys in. Turkeys that can fly should be provided with a roost. A shelter should be provided to shield the birds from the rain, wind, hail, sleet and snow, whether it be a simple tarp covering the roosting area or an actual barn stall or small building. The best type of floor is a dirt floor. Hay can be provided as a ground cover. Cement can be cleaned well, however it is hard on the turkeys’ feet. A wood floor can get pretty messy as the loose poop sinks into the wood.

To read the rest of the article, click the link at dog breed info, above.

That's it for now, Missians!

Here's to wishing you all a wonderful Thanksgiving!  Be blessed and be safe!  And don't forget to join me for today's Blogtalk Radio episode on Black Friday Shopping Ideas for Your Pet, at 2pm Central.

Until then,

This is your host J,

signing off...