David Brooker will be siting down to dinner this Christmas with his pet turkey T2
Like many in the UK, David Brooker will be having a turkey for Christmas this year – except he will not be eating his.
Instead, he will be sitting down to dinner with his pet turkey T2 – short for Trouble, version two. Her mother was called Trouble.
Mr Brooker, from Maidstone, in Kent, has been looking after the bird since it hatched five-and-a-half years ago.
In that time, a bond has developed between the two and Mr Brooker has become vegetarian.
While he will sit down on Christmas Day to a meat-free roast, T2 will enjoy a mince pie, some sprout peelings, perhaps some mature cheddar, followed by some cheese and onion crisps or prawn cocktail Skips.
Mr Brooker, a betting shop customer service manager, said: “She’ll have a mince pie and some crisps. She could eat almost a whole mince pie.”
T2 discovered a taste for them after nibbling the pastry.
“I thought she’d enjoy a bit of the pastry of a mince pie because she has different tastes,” Mr Brooker said.
“And she just devoured the mince meat inside and everything, so yeah, she absolutely loves them.”
But there will be no parcels under the tree for T2.
Mr Brooker said: “There is not a lot you can get a turkey really. She has got everything she needs like blankets that she sleeps on.
“There are not many presents out there for turkeys, it’s a very niche market.
“But she’ll get spoiled rotten and get all the treats she wants.”
T2 is very loyal, Mr Booker said, and follows him around when he is feeding his horses Chief and Maverick.
“I never thought I would have a turkey that would follow me around and she does,” Mr Brooker said.
“If I empty the wheel barrow at the muck pit she will follow me around of her own accord.”
Mr Brooker hoped T2 would enjoy the festive season, urging her to “stay safe and don’t go near the oven”.
He said: “She brings me a lot of joy. I know it’s a different pet, but, you know, pets bring people a lot of joy and she certainly does to me.”
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