Over the years, many a group of baby turkeys has been left on our doorstep, saved from the factory farming industry by some anonymous rescuer. It happened again this spring, and when our live-in caregivers saw a light come on at our Rescue Barn, they discovered a box of eleven baby turkeys there.
Like the others we’ve welcomed, these babies had suffered de-beaking, an industry procedure in which the sensitive upper beak tip is amputated in order to curb fighting among stressed birds in overcrowded industrial facilities. Also like others rescued from the often filthy conditions of turkey factories, these three- to six-week-old newcomers were dirty, and some were sneezing. Already, however, they are feeling better — and ready to overrun the shelter!
