It's that time of year again for us to adopt a turkey! Last year we adopted Hannah. Her picture hung on our refrigerator as we ate our wonderful Thanksgiving dinner. It is so freeing eating a wholesome bounty without killing one of God's great creatures.Did you know that between 250 and 300 million turkeys are raised for slaughter every year in the U.S. – more than 46 million alone for Thanksgiving. U.S. turkey consumption, which has increased by 108 percent since 1970, averaged at 17.6 pounds per person last year.
Packed by the thousands inside huge, factory farm warehouses, female turkeys raised for slaughter in the U.S. are typically allotted one square foot of space per bird, while toms are given little more than two square-feet, according to the National Turkey Federation’s guidelines. The overcrowded birds, who are unable to comfortably move, or exhibit natural behaviors, are driven to excessive pecking and fighting. Rather than altering the birds’ living space to prevent these injurious behaviors, producers cut off the ends of the turkeys’ beaks and toes, practices know as debeaking and detoeing.
Please join Farm Sanctuary in saving a life, rather than ending one on Thanksgiving Day. You can spread compassion for turkeys and promote cruelty-free alternatives through the Adopt-A-Turkey Project.
We are thinking of adopting Gideon. He lives in California with Hannah, so that way we can go visit both of them at the same time. I hope that adopting a turkey becomes a Thanksgiving tradition in our house, and I hope that this Thanksgiving you reconsider your recent traditions and have a Thanksgiving for the Turkeys instead.
