Turkeys

Turkeys are very friendly birds! They love cuddles and strokes from their human friends and even sing along to music! If a group of turkeys is given an apple, they play with it like a football!

Turkeys are farmed so they can be eaten, mostly at Christmas time. They are kept crowded together in barns, so they can’t move very well which makes them very uncomfortable. A lot of these barns don’t even have windows. When the turkeys are kept in these big barns, they can get angry, sad and ill.

Sometimes they can peck at each other because of how upset they are. To stop this, farmers cut off the turkey’s beaks when they are young, rather than make the barns better for them. A vegan Christmas is the best way to stop cruelty to turkeys!

Viva!’s Food and Cookery Manager, Maryanne, rescued two turkeys at Christmas time saving them from ending up on a dinner plate. They are now both living happily and are safe at a local animal sanctuary with lots of other rescued animals!