Adopt a Turkey Month is celebrated every year throughout November. This is the month when Thanksgiving is celebrated all over the country. The thanksgiving holiday is celebrated with the symbolic cooking of a turkey for dinner. Adopt a Turkey Month is a way for people to help offset this mass loss of turkey life. When a turkey is adopted, it is saved from the dinner table and is free to live out its full lifespan. Many sanctuaries provide good homes for the turkeys to live in. Adopting a turkey is a kind gesture that helps to save many turkey lives.
History of Adopt a Turkey Month
Adopt a Turkey Month takes place in November every year. Turkey has been a staple part of Thanksgiving every year. According to a study, nearly 88% of Americans eat turkey during Thanksgiving. That means over 46 million birds are cooked just for the holiday. Animal lovers and meatless eaters have used Adopt a Turkey Month to champion a kind movement that helps to save some of these birds. Rather than eating a turkey, they adopt one. This allows them to support animal sanctuaries with the costs of caring for the turkeys.
Adopted turkeys can live free of the risk of being eaten at Thanksgiving. The turkeys are properly cared for and get to live in comfortable homes. They can enjoy the rest of their lives as they were intended to. This is a humane gift to give to these beautiful feathered creatures. It helps to elongate their lifespan and preserve their species. It saves the animal from being treated inhumanely and living in cramped unsanitary environments. People who decide to adopt a turkey go through a screening process to make sure the animals will be well taken care of.
Most adopters are vegans or vegetarians. They usually need to have a good space to keep the bird. A barn or a sizable yard is usually good enough. Once they pass the screening process, the organization in charge of the adoption takes the turkeys to their homes. Adopting a turkey as a pet is similar to having a dog or a cat.
Adopt a Turkey Month timeline
The refuge for farm animals is established and advocates for plant-based living and institutional farming practices.
Some turkeys are selected by the White House and pardoned to live free.
A study shows that 99% of farmed land animals in the U.S. are raised on factory farms.
Approximately 224 million are killed in the United States every year.
Adopt a Turkey Month FAQs
Can I adopt a turkey if I live in an apartment?
Caring for a turkey in a small enclosed space may be a bit difficult. Turkeys prefer an environment in the open.
How much does a turkey weigh?
The average turkey weighs about 15 pounds. Some turkeys can weigh a lot more than the average.
Are refuge farms good for turkeys?
Refuge farms and animal sanctuaries provide a safe environment for turkeys. They provide everything that the turkeys need to live well.
Adopt a Turkey Month Activities
Adopt a turkey
You can adopt a turkey and keep it as a pet. It can become a nice friend to have around.
Donate
You can donate to an animal sanctuary. This will help provide food and adequate care for turkeys in the sanctuary.
Go meatless
You can observe the holiday by skipping meat at the dinner table. Less consumption of meat means more animals stay alive.
5 Facts About Turkey
There are different types of turkey
There are six subspecies of wild turkeys that are native to North America.
Gobblers are male turkeys
Male turkeys are called ‘gobblers’ because of the way they announce themselves to the females.
Turkeys are fast
A healthy turkey can run as fast as 25 miles per hour and fly at 55 miles per hour.
Baby turkeys are called ‘Poults’
Poults are baby turkeys and they eat berries, seeds, and insects.
Turkeys are galliforms
Galliforms are an order of heavy ground-feeding birds such as chickens, turkeys, and pheasants.
Why We Love Adopt a Turkey Month
Turkeys are saved
The holiday encourages more people to help save turkey lives. The turkeys live freely for a long time.
There’s a new pet
Homes receive the excitement of a new pet. Adopting a turkey as a pet is a fun addition to any home.
Turkeys get better care
The donations received during the holiday help provide better care for turkeys in animal sanctuaries. They get better food and care.
Adopt a Turkey Month dates
Year | Date | Day |
---|---|---|
2025 | November 1 | Saturday |
2026 | November 1 | Sunday |
2027 | November 1 | Monday |
2028 | November 1 | Wednesday |
2029 | November 1 | Thursday |