WATCH: A bird bound for this weekend’s Thanksgiving dinner table has dodged its fate in an incredible way at a Duncan farm. The one-legged turkey named Gertie has gone from being a would-be meal to the fine-feathered owner of a new prosthetic.
Gertie the turkey may well be the great Houdini of Thanksgiving turkeys.
“Because she would have ended up on someone’s plate this weekend,” said her new owner Michelle Singleton.
The meat bird had a barn accident at the farm she was being raised at for the upcoming Thanksgiving. She jumped from stack of bails and it cost her, her leg.
Without standing a chance on the farm, she was offered up to the Home for Hooves Farm Sanctuary that’s run by Michelle and her family on their Duncan farm.
“It’s pretty amazing,” said Michelle’s husband Chris Singleton. “It all started with two cats and went from there.”
“I’ve never had a turkey before,” said Michelle.
“And who’s going to want to take on a one-legged turkey.”
Gertie’s leg is now wrapped up in bandages for a support as funds are raised for her new prosthetic chair from Australia. A company there makes mobility chairs for chickens with bad legs and low and behold they say they can make one for Gertie.
“It’s kind of like a square and it has wheels on the bottom so I’m going to have to build them a special coop as well,” said Singleton.
Gertie’s companion named Henry, a fellow meat bird with a bad leg, is getting one of the chairs too and with them, Singleton hopes they’ll live out their days together at the Duncan sanctuary.
“Sometimes you’ll catch them cuddling,” said Singleton.
“They’re quite sweet together.”
Skye Ryan
