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It’s a thing
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Turkeys have sharp claws, pointy beaks and red saggy bits on their necks. Snuggle might not be the first word that comes to mind when seeing a feathered turkey waddling across a farm.
But Barbara Slaine was sitting on the ground at a California farm last year when a turkey named Sun shambled over and climbed into her lap. Slaine, 63, was visiting the Gentle Barn animal sanctuary from New York and had never had an encounter with a live turkey before.
“She nuzzled up into my chest and sort of bended into me, and I was struck by how soft she was, especially the top of her head,” she said. Slaine didn’t want the snuggle to end. “It was just the sweetest moment — I could have sat with her forever,” she said.
Ellie Laks sees surprised visitors like Slaine warm up to her turkeys most days of the week at her animal sanctuary in Santa Clarita near Los Angeles.
“This place was my dream since I was 7 years old,” said Laks, 54, who founded Gentle Barn 20 years ago and now has about 200 rescued cows, horses, donkeys, pigs, sheep, goats, llamas and a variety of birds, including chickens and turkeys.
Laks said she rescued her first female turkey, a sociable hen named Spring, in 2002. It was few years after she opened her barn doors to visitors.
“Every morning I would do my chores and Spring would follow me around and talk to me,” she said, explaining that by ‘talk’ she meant the turkey made small chirping noises. “One day when she talked to me for a longer time, I put down my rake and sat on the ground.”
Spring climbed into her lap and fell asleep, Laks said. “I sat there for a good 25 minutes, and she closed her eyes and we had a good cuddle,” she said. “I was singing her little songs and telling her how beautiful she was, and it was just a special moment.”……
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Turkeys have sharp claws, pointy beaks and red saggy bits on their necks. Snuggle might not be the first word that comes to mind when seeing a feathered turkey waddling across a farm.
But Barbara Slaine was sitting on the ground at a California farm last year when a turkey named Sun shambled over and climbed into her lap. Slaine, 63, was visiting the Gentle Barn animal sanctuary from New York and had never had an encounter with a live turkey before.
“She nuzzled up into my chest and sort of bended into me, and I was struck by how soft she was, especially the top of her head,” she said. Slaine didn’t want the snuggle to end. “It was just the sweetest moment — I could have sat with her forever,” she said.
Ellie Laks sees surprised visitors like Slaine warm up to her turkeys most days of the week at her animal sanctuary in Santa Clarita near Los Angeles.
“This place was my dream since I was 7 years old,” said Laks, 54, who founded Gentle Barn 20 years ago and now has about 200 rescued cows, horses, donkeys, pigs, sheep, goats, llamas and a variety of birds, including chickens and turkeys.
Laks said she rescued her first female turkey, a sociable hen named Spring, in 2002. It was few years after she opened her barn doors to visitors.
“Every morning I would do my chores and Spring would follow me around and talk to me,” she said, explaining that by ‘talk’ she meant the turkey made small chirping noises. “One day when she talked to me for a longer time, I put down my rake and sat on the ground.”
Spring climbed into her lap and fell asleep, Laks said. “I sat there for a good 25 minutes, and she closed her eyes and we had a good cuddle,” she said. “I was singing her little songs and telling her how beautiful she was, and it was just a special moment.”……
A Gentle Thanksgiving: A Pre-Meal Celebration of Turkeys
www.gentlebarn.org
