in fact, ben franklin oved them so much, he wanted turkey and not the bald eagle to be the official uniteds bird. turkeys have a long history in the golden state. for more than 50 years, the diestel family has ranched in the peaceful foothills of tuolumne county. tim diestel has a hands-on approach to make sure his birds are at the peak of health. this is country living at its finest, a free-range setting, meaning the flocks have a chance to spread their wings and explore their surroundings. >> this is definitely home of the happy turkey. there--there*s no question. i--i don't think you could have a better, nicer setting for--for a turkey than this ranch right here. >> part of diestel's flocks include birds of a different feather, an older variety popular when he was a boy. tim is working to bring the breed back and has 8,000 heirloom turkeys this year alone. heirloom turkeys are catching on in the culinary world as a growing number of diners are willing to pay more to gobble up this slice of americana. >> so there's definitely an interest in preserving these old birds, and it's kind of fu