Read Sir Francis's Story ^{(In Memoriam)}

When we rescued Sir Fancy Pants from Thanksgiving in 2011 he was a tiny, scared baby. He soon became comfortable in our barnyard and we watched him grow into the handsome turkey we all knew and loved. Sir Fancy Pants loved to show off for visitors and everyone who met him would marvel at his striking feathers, beautiful colors, and outgoing personality as he posed for pictures on the barnyard patio, turning his impressive tail and gobbling thanks at the compliments he received.

Turkeys are genetically engineered to grow very big, very fast, so they can be slaughtered at 12 weeks old. When we rescue them, by the time they are full grown they are so abnormally huge that they develop mobility and cardio problems. Most genetically engineered turkeys live till 2, with the rare few making it till 3. Fancy lived till 6 and he's the longest living turkey in the history of The Gentle Barn. While we miss him so much and yearn to see him strut or hear him gobble just one more time, we are profoundly grateful to have known and loved him for this long.

Fancy's condition worsened very suddenly and after rushing him to our avian specialist were told that the kindest thing to do was help Fancy transition so he doesn't suffer. Sir Fancy Pants will live on forever in our hearts.