But of course i'm a sentimental fool when it comes to animals..the tale of a turkey!

[Luke]

One of the many aunts and her husband, the uncle i go shooting with actually, back in April brought a turkey to fatten up for the plate for christmas. And please bear in mind these are proper country folk', living truly in the sticks of warwickshire-they call us townies, and they are very no nonsense attitude, shooting, hunting fishing on a regular basis etc..and the turkey has grown as big as a house and is forever picking on their ducks and chickens.
Was there earlier dropping off the presents and saw he was still gobbling around the part of their 'garden' (garden that is so huge that you can't actually see too the bottom!) where the birds are..and I raised the subject of 'erm..leaving it a little late now aren't we?" the response i got was, "Oh we aren't having him for christmas dinner-gotten far too attached, he's actually quite a charcter"
Of course..these are the people who tell me i'm being sentimental and fussing by buyng the dogs new beds, not having the cats toilet outside etc etc-and don't even go there about keeping rabbits! But of course, its different with a Turkey
So it looks like he lives too see his days out at the aunt n uncles, bullying the ducks and chickens. Thats if he survives 'Molly' the springer bitch their son & D.I.L own who seems to have a desire to destroy him
I'm glad they never got the pigs they were planning to get to 'fatten up' a few years ago..they'd still have them now!

Putting the humour of the story aside, i do think in principle their idea of getting a turkey to raise for christmas wasn't actually that much of a bad idea-live a natural, free, well cared for life for a lot longer than most seem too-jmo of course Of course i'm a bigger sentimental fool then them, and anything i got too raise 'intended for the pot' would never reach that destination, and of course would become a member of the menagerie!

But they did make me smile, i knew they wouldn't when it come down too it..i think the cruncher was in the summer when the aunt was giving the turkey 'ice cubes' as "We can't have him getting too hot n flustered now, can we?"

[alexgirl73]

Aaww, sweet, lo! Lucky turkey, so what are they having for Christmas dinner now then?

[Luke]

Turkey still..but from the local butchers instead of from the bottom of the garden.

[Donna]

Dont think I could eat anything I had "lived" with over a long period of time. Dont mind eating any meat that remains anonymous though!!!

[Fran]

That story brought to mind something I remember. A few years ago, where we used to keep our horses, they had a turkey called Gobby, he was adorable and so very very people friendly, craving your company and following you everywhere They also had a female turkey called Gabby and between them they had some baby Turkeys...they kept one of the boy turkeys. The son did not turn out at all like his dad and was extremely vicious and most people on the yard especially children were very fearful of him as he particularly targeted children for an attack It was decided that he should be 'necked' and apparantly he made a very tasty meal Just goes to show how 'blase' country folk can be about these things. As much as I did not like this turkey, because I had known him and seen what a character he was, I could not have eaten him no matter how hungry I was

[Kim]

I would be the same Fran. While I like the idea of a turkey having a natural happy, free range life until 'the time comes' I could never rear one only to eat it!! Reminds me of the time we stayed with people in Denmark on a church exchange. They kept ducks and they all had names, and they told us they were being fattened for christmas.... Our first meal with them was chicken, one of their own, that meat nearly stuck in my throat!!!