FAQ
Adopt-A-Turkey Project FAQ’s
General
What is Farm Sanctuary?
Farm Sanctuary is the nation's leading farm animal protection organization. Since incorporating in 1986, Farm Sanctuary has worked to expose and stop cruel practices of the "food animal" industry through research and investigations, legal and institutional reforms, public awareness projects, youth education, and direct rescue and refuge efforts. Farm Sanctuary shelters in Watkins Glen, N.Y., Orland, Calif., and Acton, Calif., provide lifelong care for hundreds of rescued animals, who have become ambassadors for farm animals everywhere by educating visitors about the realities of factory farming.
What is the Adopt-A-Turkey Project?
This year marks the 25th anniversary of Farm Sanctuary’s Adopt-A-Turkey Project. This national project has saved more than 1,000 turkeys from slaughter and has encouraged millions of people to rethink their traditional Thanksgiving menus. The Adopt-A- Turkey Project offers ideas and solutions for people who wish to celebrate a compassionate Thanksgiving holiday and start a new tradition by saving a turkey, instead of eating one. Some families are adopting turkeys into their homes – where rescued birds live out the rest of their natural lives in peace and safety – while others are “adopting” turkeys who live at Farm Sanctuary through sponsorship donations.
Rescued Turkeys
Where do Farm Sanctuary’s rescued turkeys come from?
All of the animals who are rescued by and reside at Farm Sanctuary are former victims of cruelty and neglect. Some of our animals are rescued during our investigations of farms, stockyards, auctions, and slaughterhouses; others arrive from humane societies and SPCA cruelty cases. Read about some of our more recent turkey rescues here.
How many turkeys has Farm Sanctuary rescued?
Since 1986, Farm Sanctuary has rescued more than 1,000 turkeys.
How many turkeys currently live at Farm Sanctuary?
Our New York Shelter currently provides refuge for 22 turkeys. Our Orland, California Shelter currently provides refuge for 17 turkeys.
What kind of lives do turkeys live at Farm Sanctuary?
The turkeys who live at Farm Sanctuary are treated with all the love and kindness they deserve. They receive food twice a day and have constant access to fresh water and to the comfort of their barn, which is cleaned daily. They undergo general health checks once a month – more often if they are older or on special treatments. Throughout the day, they can roost in the barn or amuse themselves in their pasture as they please. In the evenings, they are brought into their barn, where they are kept safe overnight.
Celebration FOR the Turkeys
What is the Celebration FOR the Turkeys?
An integral part of Farm Sanctuary's Adopt-A-Turkey Project for more than 20 years, our Thanksgiving Celebration FOR the Turkeys brings animal advocates from across the nation together with rescued turkeys at our New York and California Shelters for a holiday extravaganza. A memorable experience for people of all ages, our Celebrations boast meet-and-greet time with hundreds of friendly farm animals, entertaining guest presentations, the camaraderie of fellow compassionate folks, and irresistible vegan versions of favorite holiday foods. And no Celebration would be complete without our famous Feeding of the Turkeys Ceremony, a cherished tradition in which our charming turkey residents are feted with festive platters of stuffed squash, cranberries, salad, and pumpkin pie. Routinely covered by local and national media, this spectacle makes its way beyond sanctuary grounds and into the mainstream consciousness, transmitting a powerful plea for mercy and offering a vision of a more peaceful way of living.
How many people attend the Celebration FOR the Turkeys?
We expect approximately 200 guests at our New York event and 200 at our Orland Shelter event.
Do people travel great distances to attend the event?
We’ve welcomed visitors from as far away as Florida for our Watkins Glen, New York event and Arizona for our Orland, Calif. event.
How much does it cost to attend the event?
Please visit our Celebrations page.
Turkey Express
What is the Turkey Express?
The Turkey Express is an annual component to Farm Sanctuary’s Adopt-A-Turkey Project. It is a special adoption event for which rescued turkeys are personally delivered by Farm Sanctuary staff to safe, permanent and loving adoptive homes with vegetarian families throughout the country.
How many turkeys have been adopted through the Turkey Express?
Since 1986 we have adopted out more than 600 turkeys from our shelters in Watkins Glen, NY and Orland, CA.
How many turkeys does Farm Sanctuary have available for adoption?
The number of turkeys we have available for Turkey Express adoptions fluctuates from year to year – depending on how many turkeys we rescue, as well as how many are healthy enough for external adoption.
Do turkeys make good companions?
Anyone who has spent time with turkeys will tell you that they are very friendly, social and sensitive animals with desires and needs all their own – just like more common family companions, such as cats and dogs.
How can someone home adopt a turkey through Farm Sanctuary?
People who are interested in providing a loving and permanent lifelong home for turkeys in need, and meet our adoption guidelines, must fill out an application to join our Farm Animal Adoption Network (FAAN), the largest rescue and refuge network for farm animals in North America. Adoption requirements and applications can be found here. Prospective adopters may also call 607-583-2225 ext. 223 for more details on joining FAAN.
Find more information about the Turkey Express here.
Turkey Sponsorships
How can someone sponsor “adopt” a turkey at Farm Sanctuary?
People who are interested in sponsoring turkeys who live at Farm Sanctuary can call our Turkey Adoption Hotline at 1-888-SPONSOR or adopt online at adoptaturkey.org.
What’s included with a sponsorship donation?
For a one-time $30 donation, turkey sponsors receive a special Adopt-A-Turkey certificate with a color photo of and fun details about their adopted turkeys.
Where does the money go?
The $30 sponsorship donation helps fund the care of the rescued animals at our sanctuaries, as well as our education and advocacy efforts on behalf of turkeys, and other farm animals, everywhere.
How many turkeys are available for sponsorship this year?
We have six charming turkeys currently available for sponsorship through the Adopt-A-Turkey Project. Amelinda, Payton, Raphael, Victoria, Antoinette, and Elizabeth are all now anxiously awaiting doting sponsors for the holiday season. Our 2011 Turkey Adoption List, with photos of the turkeys, can be found here.
More information on turkey sponsorships can be found here.
Turkey Myths
Is it true that turkeys are dumb?
Those who eat turkeys, or other animals, tend to perceive “food animals” as undeserving of respect and compassion. One way for people to rationalize their choice to eat animals is to dismiss these beings as dumb. There is even a rumor that turkeys are so dumb that they will look up in the rain and drown. This claim is ridiculous. Farm Sanctuary has cared for turkeys for more than 20 years, and we can tell you that when it rains, the turkeys go inside their barn. No one who works at Farm Sanctuary has ever seen a turkey drown in the rain. Turkeys are bright, inquisitive animals who are keenly aware of their surroundings.
Do turkeys really suffer?
Every year, between 250 and 300 million turkeys are bred for slaughter in the U.S. These turkeys are not protected under most state anti-cruelty laws, and they are specifically excluded from the federal Humane Slaughter Act. To meet consumer demand for white meat, commercial turkeys have been bred to have abnormally large breasts. As a result, the birds cannot mount and reproduce naturally, and the industry now relies on artificial insemination as the sole means of reproduction. In addition, most factory farmed turkeys, comprising the vast majority of turkeys raised for holiday dinners, endure painful beak and toe mutilations, because stress from overcrowding (each bird is given only about three square feet of space on which to live) induces fighting. Through all of this physical manipulation, the industry has yet to breed or make an animal who does not feel pain and is not curious and social.
Thanksgiving Tradition
But Thanksgiving is a tradition – why do we need to change it?
Using a turkey as the centerpiece and symbol of Thanksgiving is a relatively new tradition invented and promoted by the poultry industry during the 20th century. Even if the practice claimed an older or more illustrious provenance, however, we would not be justified in continuing to observe it. Humans are not bound by cruel conventions. Traditions must evolve over time in order for our civilization to thrive. We must strive for better, more compassionate ways to interact with one another, and with other animals. Find more information on the history of Thanksgiving here.
What do vegetarians eat for Thanksgiving?
In addition to staple Thanksgiving foods like baked squash, savory stuffing, pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce, and cornbread, vegetarians can find a growing variety of products that have been developed specifically to take the place of turkey at the Thanksgiving table. One popular product is called “Tofurky,” a meat-free, faux turkey roast made by Turtle Island Foods in Hood River, Oregon. Alternately, some prefer simply to stuff a squash or pumpkin, instead of a turkey. Find vegetarian holiday recipes and more here.
Turkey Production
What happens to turkeys on factory farms?
Crowded inside dark, filthy factory farm warehouses by the thousands, commercially bred turkeys are treated like unfeeling commodities and denied the very basics of a natural life. They are bred to reach a crippling weight at an unnaturally fast rate, debeaked and detoed without anesthetic, exposed to disease, and plagued by constant stress and physical debilitations. Selectively bred to grow abnormally large breasts, they can no longer reproduce naturally, meaning all commercial turkeys are bred through artificial insemination. These sentient creatures suffer immensely before reaching the slaughterhouse at only 14 to 18 weeks of age … more than 46 million of these unfortunate birds are destined for the Thanksgiving dinner table each year. Find more facts on factory farming here.
How many turkeys are slaughtered in the U.S. every year?
According to the USDA and the National Turkey Federation, between 250 and 300 million turkeys are raised for slaughter in the U.S. every year – more than 46 million for Thanksgiving alone. U.S. turkey consumption, which has increased by 108 percent since 1970, averaged 17.6 pounds per person in 2009 The USDA Economic Research Service estimated turkey meat production in 2008 to total 6.2 billion pounds – a 7.2 percent increase from 2007.
What is the rehabilitation process like for a factory-farmed turkey?
Because turkeys have been bred to put on so much weight so quickly, it’s very important that we carefully manage the weight of our rescued birds. For those who have problems eating because of severe debeaking, we prepare a special mash to ensure that they are getting the nutrients they need. Foot and leg problems are common due to the standard factory farming practice of de-toeing, as well as to the excessive weight placed on their skeletal structure. We provide soft bedding to ameliorate discomfort from these conditions and administer regular treatment to affected birds. All our turkeys receive a full physical every month, as well as daily monitoring for health problems such as lethargy and leg issues.
What about free-range, organic and other “natural” turkeys?
As public awareness of factory farming increases, some consumers are turning toward "free-range," “organic” or “natural” turkey this holiday season. Though their hearts may be in the right place, these consumers are still supporting cruelty with their dollars. Such labels are deceptive and do not equal humane! Thanksgiving shoppers buying "organic" or "free-range" turkeys have no way of knowing just how “natural” a life these birds actually led before being slaughtered. Compassionate consumers must remember that even on so-called "free-range" farms, turkeys are subjected to inhumane treatment, and ultimately their lives are ended painfully and prematurely – just like those of birds raised on factory farms. Find more facts here.
Where can I find more information about factory farming?
Start by perusing Farm Sanctuary's Web site, www.factoryfarming.org. Additional video and literature resources are also available online, or by calling 607-583-2225 ext. 221.
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