An email chain with a friend sparked this thought that I realize is a little late for those of you who have already reserved your turkey. How can you find a happy turkey for the holidays? Here’s some info to help you out:

Courtesy of Luck Photography - Cane Creek Farm

1. Look for pastured, naturally fed birds from a local farm near you. If you can buy a bird from the person who raised it, you’re probably getting something that was cared for. Ask your farmers how they raise them, what they feed them and what breed they are.

2. Certification programs can be difficult for farmers to navigate and expensive to achieve. However, Animal Welfare Approved is a very good program that requires the highest standard of happiness that I know of. It requires birds have free access to the outdoors and enough space to flap around, dust-bathe and run freely. Humane Certified® and American Humane, on the other hand, allow for confinement production, birds living indoors their entire lives. Very sad birds indeed.

3. Organic means the birds ate well but not necessarily lived well. This is a good standard, but consumers should look for pastured in addition to organic.

4. Most turkeys over 15 pounds are of a breed that has been genetically manipulated to produce humongous animals. These birds can’t survive on their own past 6 months; they get so big they break their legs and suffocate under their own weight. I suggest finding heritage breed birds but that means getting two or more to satisfy your party as they are likely between 10 and 15 pounds each. Some good breeds to look out for are Narragansett and Bourbon Red. These are endangered breeds and the farmers who raise them care for the genetics and happiness.

At the end of the day, if you manage to navigate the great variety of choices out there to support a neighbor, eat a healthy and nutritious bird that lived a decent life, and raise awareness about these issues, you’ll have achieved something great this Thanksgiving. If not, don’t sweat it, there’s always next year.