Rescue & Adoptions

Past Featured Rescues

Delta

In February of 2004, Delta and 14 other week-old turkey chicks arrived at our California Shelter. The turkeys were rescued from a poultry auction. One of our field investigators found the turkeys after hearing tiny peeping sounds near a trash dump. The sounds were coming from a crate thrown next to the dump -and when she looked inside, dozens of tiny frightened eyes looked back at her. The frail, tiny newborns were rushed to Farm Sanctuary, where a rehabilitation pen was set up with heat lamps, baby turkey feed and a big stuffed bear. Baby turkeys like to cuddle with a large animal for comfort and safety, and our surrogate teddy mom was happy to help!

For their first few weeks here at our shelter, Delta and her friends were able to fly around their spacious pen. It really warmed our hearts to see the tiny turkeys running and flying, because we knew that all too soon, they would no longer be able to fly or even walk with ease. Modern-day turkeys are selectively bred to grow large and fast. When they are only 16-20 weeks of age, they have grown to "slaughter weight" and are sent to market. Turkeys that are lucky enough to be rescued and brought to Farm Sanctuary will live out their natural lives, but before they are even one year old, they will no longer be able to run or fly because of their size. By two years old (sometimes younger), many will start having trouble walking, developing joint diseases or foot sores. Sadly, even an all-natural diet and plenty of exercise can't prevent this genetic problem, but we have developed many treatments and pain relief remedies to help large turkeys.

Now all grown up and quite large themselves, Delta and her friends are still enjoying sanctuary life. An integral part of our shelter family, they spend their days exploring our barnyard, napping in piles of clean straw and cheerfully greeting visitors to the farm. They may no longer be able to fly, but these lucky turkeys don't let that get them down. Watching them, one can't help but see — they are so happy and so grateful to be alive.