Don’t you love this photo? Okay, okay, maybe not everyone loves a good turkey photo as much as I do. I’m a poultry nerd like that. But c’mon – what’s not to love about this straight on shot!
I took it 5 or 6 years ago at a University of Minnesota turkey barn at its UMore Park. Our organization often sponsors a turkey flock to be raised there prior to Thanksgiving – we then use the flock as a backdrop for media interviews. It’s a great way to get reporters actually into a turkey barn to see what it’s like! When the flock (usually of toms, or male turkeys) reaches 20-22 weeks of age, the birds have reached full maturity – it’s true, it doesn’t take long – and it’s time to be marketed (or processed). Then, all the turkey products coming out of that flock are donated to Hunger Solutions Minnesota, which distributes the products to food shelves across Minnesota. It’s a way for Minnesota’s turkey farmers – who raise more turkeys than any other state in the U.S. – to give back to those in need.
I think I took at least 100 images of turkeys (probably more?) the day I took this photo – all to get this pretty awesome “bird’s eye view” – literally!