Ever wonder what happens to the turkeys that the President 'pardons' each year??
Think they are living out their lives in luxury???
Well, think again!!
National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"The turkeys are raised in the same fashion as turkeys designated for slaughter and are fed a grain-heavy diet of fortified corn and soybeans to increase the birds' size. A flock of approximately 80 birds, typically from the farm of the current National Turkey Federation chairperson, are randomly selected "at birth" from thousands for pardoning and are trained to handle loud noises, flash photography and large crowds; from the flock of 80, the 20 largest and best-behaved are chosen and eventually narrowed down to two finalists, whose names are chosen by the White House staff. Because most Thanksgiving turkeys are bred and raised for size at the expense of longer life, they are prone to health problems associated with obesity such as heart disease, respiratory failure and joint damage. As a result of these factors, most of the pardoned turkeys have very short lives after their pardoning, frequently dying within a year of being pardoned."
Free Bird: The History of Presidential Turkey Pardoning | Mental Floss
"In 2010, Disney stopped taking pardoned turkeys and President Obamas birds were sent to George Washingtons Mount Vernon Estate in Virginia which is where this year's turkeys will spend the holidays, too."
OMG - don't say that, sounds too much like ME.....
