Eye Pecking aside...

[gritsar]

This is Ollie, all 18 or so lbs. of him.

Did Ollie die young? Yep, he was less than a year old when he passed.

Did he get a chance to enjoy sunshine, the great outdoors and kind human interaction before he passed? You betcha.

Sure beats having his head slammed against a steel post (to kill him) at 3 weeks old, for not growing fast enough.

 

[easttxchick]

Quote:
And for that, you are my hero.
I know how you fretted and worried about them and how much love and compassion they received while in your care.

If nothing else, this whole story has made me THINK before I buy food.
The only way I can give them a voice is through my pocketbook and I intend to speak as loudly as one person can.

 

[FourPawz]

Quote:
X2

 

[WoodlandWoman]

I feel bad for the physical problems broad breasted turkeys and Cornish cross chickens often have when they live past the age when they're typically butchered. I don't like to see anyone suffer needlessly. Some of their problems can be moderated, avoided or delayed by better care, but some some of their problems are inevitable and they do have very short lives.

From the descriptions, I would imagine that some will end up euthanized. I hope that any of the others are euthanized as needed, if they start suffering more from the health problems that are due to their genetics. The ones that briefly live with a reasonable quality of life and drop dead suddenly from heart problems will be the lucky ones.

I'm glad more people are getting into heritage turkeys and healthier chickens like freedom rangers for meat. I know the big producers aren't, but I see lots of smaller operations making them available. I eat meat. I just don't want it to suffer while it's alive or have a horrible death. We all die. I don't think having to die is cruel. Just suffering while alive or suffering while dieing is cruel, to me.

 

[waterfowlrescue]

The breeders are kept alive up to 2 years on the factory farms. So if you really feel its inhumane that they are kept alive in a rescue but you think its ok they are kept alive 2 years on a factory farm your a completely hypocrite.

I dont need to do any research i know everything i need to know. I have raised these birds, i own turkeys and I have seen a lot more than I wish I had during my lifetime. The farms are the ones who need to stop. They are the ones making them unnatural so that they cant stand, walk or even breathe without pain. They keep them alive, when just being alive is torture, but then on top of that they are abused and beaten. This isnt an isolated incident its on every farm. They just got caught. Why else would they be trying to make it a law that they cant film inside the barns? They dont care about animal welfare, they just dont want to lose moeny.

I am not sure if you watched the video. If not I suggest you do. Look specifically at the beards on some of the turkeys in the videos. If your not sure how to age a turkey by its beard then perhaps do your research on the breed. You'll see some of them are clearly older than a year. Even when the beard are rubbed off due to overcrowding they still have quite a few with some really good length to them if your paying attention.

Everyone should be emailing butterball telling them what they are doing is inhumane, not us.

 

[easttxchick]

Quote:

 

[speckledhen]

We think that's enough flaming and fighting now.