November 26, 1986
Unusual Turkey Lives in Lewis hog heaven
Although he might be the only one of his kind on the farm, he is probably not complaining as he has made friends.
Tom, a healthy 35lb. turkey, is the possession of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Lewis, owners of the Lewis Hog Farm in China.
“We’ve had Tom for about six years now and he thinks he’s a hog,” Kathy said jokingly as she threw him bread crumbs.
Tom is not your every-day, run-of-the-mill-turkey; he is bronze colored and he likes to eat and play with hogs, Kathy said.
If there is a hen around or if you catch him on good day, you might see tom strutting his stuff while showing off his colorful feathers, Kathy said.
One might think that Tom is lonely, being the only turkey and all, but that is not the case as there are plenty of animals to keep him company.
“We have chickens, peacocks, geese, cows, donkeys, horses, sheep, dogs and hogs,” Kathy said as she lured him near with a gobble here and a gobble there.
The Lewises have raised turkeys before, but the process is rather difficult since they are easy prey for the wolves and coyotes, she said.
Of the last bunch of turkeys they raised, Tom was the only survivor.
Tom, who freely and proudly roams around the farm will soon have some female companionship as the Lewises plan to purchase a couple of hens and start all over again.
All in all, Tom has a lot to be thankful for as he will not be the main course for a Thanksgiving meal. He has plenty of friends and he has a home.
Compiled from the archives by Ja’Leigh Cerf.