In Verona, a Safe Haven for Thanksgiving Turkeys
Published by The Madison Capital Times
In the spring of 2014, an Illinois woman and her daughter noticed a flock of baby turkeys at the farm across the street from their home. They watched the birds grow up over the following months. Then suddenly in the fall, the flock started to shrink. In early November, when just three turkeys remained, the woman approached her neighbor and requested the last three birds. The farmer accepted and offered to have them dressed the next morning. “No,” the woman responded. “I want them alive.”
Those turkeys now reside at Heartland Farm Sanctuary in Verona. Annie, Jemma, and Ms. Everdeen, as the birds are now known, spend their time roaming the pen, nibbling on fresh greens, and sleeping each night with a goose named Gracie. “They’re very curious, and they want to come over and sit with you and know what you’re doing,” said executive director Jen Korz, who runs the sanctuary alongside shelter director Alecia Torres.
