I rescued my very first turkey 24 years ago in November after our grand opening in 1999. I was so excited! His family purchased him for Thanksgiving but could not go through with butchering him, so they brought him to me. Tommy was handsome and regal, with feathers that…

I met Julia when she was 16 years old. She came to The Gentle Barn with her high school class for those with disabilities. The teens were holding the chickens and petting the animals when I approached Julia with a red hen named Bonnie. The teachers yelled at me to stop and explained that Julia was not safe for the hen because she was prone to…