My turkey is untrainable, aggressive and a thief – but please don’t cook him for Christmas dinner: Owner seeks new home for rescue bird… with ONE condition

• Paul Griffiths, 53, adopted Lurky the turkey four months ago for his wife 
• But the bird became aggressive, chasing his daughter around the garden 

A widowed father who adopted a pet turkey and discovered she was ‘aggressive’ and a thief is now looking for her new home – as long as she doesn’t end up being someone’s Christmas dinner.

Paul Griffiths adopted the turkey – named Lurky – four months ago for his wife who was affectionately known as the ‘crazy chicken lady’.

He also bought her 17 ducks and three chickens to keep at their farmhouse in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire.

But the 53-year-old and his daughter said the turkey has caused chaos at the home after becoming aggressive and chasing them around the garden.

Mr Griffiths, a construction worker, eventually decided to find a new home for the bird, who was terrorizing his chickens.

But he wanted Lurky to be adopted as a pet, not for someone’s dinner.

Paul Griffiths adopted the turkey – named Lurky (pictured above) – four months ago

Mr Griffiths lives in a farmhouse in Cambridgeshire with his dogs, ducks and three chickens

His daughter Ophelia, who is a dog walker, said Lurky would often make her way onto the kitchen counter and steal food.

Ms Griffiths and her father – whose wife sadly who died from a stroke in April aged 52 – couldn’t handle the bird any longer.

She said the turkey was ‘very friendly’ when they first got the bird and she would often pick her up.

But as time went on, she became aggressive, tried to attack the family and would chase Ms Griffiths around the garden.

Turkeys can grow to 10kg and can run 25 miles an hour. 

Ms Griffiths, 21, told The Telegraph: ‘I tried to pick her up once, and then instead of her letting me do that, she basically just pecked my face and I had a massive bruise on my upper lip, she was horrible.’

‘She would run up to you with her wings out, obviously turkeys are quite big animals, with her wings spread, and try to attack you.’

 Ms Griffiths said her pet tukey would often ‘pick fights’ with their chickens, and ‘as soon as you step foot in that garden, she was on you’.

Although the family are looking for a new home for the bird, they said it comes with the condition she isn’t cooked for a Christmas Dinner.

Turkeys can grow to 10kg and can run 25 miles an hour (stock image)

Mr Griffiths said he adopted the bird because she used to get underfoot and trip up her previous owner, who was elderly.

He told the BBC: ‘Yes, I eat turkey at Christmas – but out of the freezer, not out of the garden.’

Although Lurky is the dominant bird at the farmhouse, the flock of Muscovy ducks also have a reign of terror over the family.

Mr Griffiths said his dogs are afraid to leave the house because the ducks attack them.

Lurky, who is between two and three years old, was sold along with 11 of the ducks as pets on Saturday. 

His daughter added that feeding all of the birds costs between £40 and £50 a month.

Dr Viola Ross-Smith, from The British Trust for Ornithology, told the BBC that a new owner would struggle to retrain Lurky as ‘that ship has sailed’. 

They have a pecking order and maybe Turkey-Lurky thinks he’s the top bird in the whole house,’ she said.

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