Behind the scenes of the White House turkey pardon

Some turkeys are having a better week than others as President Obama continues a tradition going back 25 years. President George H.W. Bush became the first commander-in-chief to pardon a feathered friend. This year, CBS News correspondent Chip Reid followed the turkeys' travels from farm to the White House.

At Cooper Farms in Ohio, Cole Cooper was making his final decision on which two lucky white turkeys would be getting an all-expenses paid trip to Washington for the annual turkey pardon at the White House.

If you believe all those stories about turkeys being stupid, Cooper said the winners recently proved just how smart they can be.

"Two of them came out of the group and kind of started strutting at me and they're almost like, 'Hey, we're here, let's go.' And they were two of the prettiest ones in here," Cooper said. "They kind of almost picked themselves."

But picking the winners is just part of the process. Cole and his father, Gary, this year's chairman of the National Turkey Federation, demonstrated what live turkeys often do when you put them on a table -- they fly right off.

In fact, it has happened at the White House, with President Reagan, President Clinton and President Bush.

The event is a little like the Miss American pageant -- there's a runner-up waiting in the wings just in case the winner misbehaves.

And if you think a turkey isn't dangerous -- just look at the claws. They're like something out of "Jurassic Park." Cole even said that if it wanted to, a turkey could easily hurt the president.

"So you've got to train it well enough so that's not going to happen," he said. But he added, "I can't guarantee anything."

Which is why getting a turkey ready to be pardoned by the president is no laughing matter.

Cole Cooper has worked day and night for the past five months getting them used to just about every kind of disturbance -- even his 1-year-old son Case. He's hoping to have the two birds prepared for the flourish of attention and camera flashes the birds will endure on their journey to the White House.

The journey began with a bath and some time under the heat lamp. Then, they were chauffeured all the way from Ohio to Washington, posing for photos along the way. And once they got to Washington they didn't stay just anywhere, they stayed in royal splendor with their own room at the Willard, one of Washington's oldest and finest hotels.

It's all part of an elaborate process to convince two lucky birds to relax on their very big day.

For the Coopers, being at the White House with the turkeys is a very big deal. In fact, Gary said it's the pinnacle of his career. The White House also named the turkeys for the ceremony - Mac and Cheese. That represents a new experience for them because Cole Cooper said he calls all of his turkeys "Bob."