Countdown to Thanksgiving - 7 Days Left!

Well, today is the big day - our turkeys are arriving! I'll be sure to post lots of photos later this afternoon after we get them settled or first thing tomorrow morning. For today's installment of my Thanksgiving countdown, I thought I'd tell you a bit about our new turkeys' life so far...

Rescued after a Northwest Airlines cargo disaster that claimed the lives of more than 9,000 turkeys, 11 poults found refuge at Farm Sanctuary's California shelter in August of 2006 (including our turkeys, Blossom and Tinkerbell). The fragile babies were victims of improper and neglectful transport (sadly, not out of the ordinary in the poultry industry) on a harrowing flight from Detroit to San Francisco. Destined for a massive breeding facility, the peeps who perished in flight likely overheated, dehydrated, and then suffocated - an all-too-common fate for birds ordered from hatcheries and shipped via postal mail and as cargo aboard airlines to breeders and producers throughout the country.

Upon their arrival at the sanctuary, they spent their first days exploring the surroundings of their new home with wide eyes, picking at the straw bales, and scratching at the floor. Their curiosity was in full force when they first arrived, as they attempted to hop on top of the bales, only to realize that they were still too young and small for these athletic maneuvers. They ate and drank heartily and spent their first night huddled together cozily in our hospital. By their curious and active demeanor, one would never assume the harrowing events that led them to the shelter.

Blossom and Tinkerbell have spent the last two-plus years with their turkey pals and dedicated caretakers at the sanctuary, getting all of the love and care they so deserve. Now they are ready to begin a new chapter of their lives here at our house, and we can't wait to meet them!