With Thanksgiving right around the corner, it’s that time of the year when The Gentle Barn shares facts about their resident turkeys that most of us don’t know about them in the hopes of finding new Turkey Guardians for the gaggle that calls the animal sanctuary home.
They recently shared a video explaining more about the friendly, outgoing birds, and many viewers were shocked by how little they knew about turkeys. For instance, did you know that turkeys can recognize each other’s voices? Or that male turkeys can change colors based on their moods? Watch on to learn more about these birds; some of what the Turkey Guardians share might surprise and delight you!
We were surprised to learn how social turkeys are, especially with other animals!
The Gentle Barn shared even more information in the video’s caption, “Turkeys like music, chatting, blueberries, and some even ask to cuddle! Learn more about turkeys, meet the individual turkeys at The Gentle Barn, and help fund the ongoing care of our rescued turkeys by becoming a Turkey Guardian this holiday season!
Learn more and become a Turkey Guardian for cuddly turkey Smudge, proud and handsome Romeo, social Heather, sweet Harmony, calm and kind Grace, adventurous Compassion—or the whole flock—at the link in our bio!”
They also threw out an invite to fans and supporters, “You can also join us in celebrating the turkeys in person at both our Tennessee and California Gentle Barn locations on Thanksgiving morning! We’ll have vegan sweets, warm fall drinks, games, and time with the turkeys as we celebrate their rescues!”
Related: Peacock Tries to Impress Turkey and Adorably Fails
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More Fun Facts About Turkeys
We headed to World Animal Protection’s site to see what else we could learn about turkeys. We all know that turkeys gobble, but we were surprised to learn that they make other sounds too, like “purrs,” “yelps,” and “kee-kees.” While many of us were taught that only male turkeys gobble, females do as well.
We learned from The Gentle Barn that males can change colors, but World Animal Protection shared more, “Colors can change from red to blue to white, depending on how excited or calm they are. The more intense the colors are, the more intense their emotions.”
But the most interesting fact we found had to do with turkey poop. Yep, you read that right! “One of the most unusual facts about turkeys involves their droppings. One way to determine whether a turkey is a male or female is by checking their droppings. A male’s poop will be shaped like the letter J, while the female turkey’s is more spiral-shaped.” It’s a fun little fact to keep in your back pocket for the next time you’re sharing random trivia with friends!
This story was originally reported by PetHelpful on Oct 31, 2025, where it first appeared in the Pet News section. Add PetHelpful as a Preferred Source by clicking here.