Free range turkeys et al

[RA1]

Why all the emphasis on the "lifestyle" of a turkey slated for a holiday meal? Certainly I want my food to be as healthful as possible. I prefer the least amount of "doctoring" to the feed and the fewest chemicals used to either raise or process my food. However, whatever lifestyle might be offered, the ultimate point is for it to become food. I do not believe in mistreating animals. But until and unless persuasive proof can be offered that lifestyle makes a turkey taste better, I see little point in allowing them to walk about and "enjoy" life. If they are going to be pets, that is different.

Any other opinions?

Best regards,

RA1

[MsGuy]

I'm big on the dressing and gravy but the turkey itself is too bland for my taste. As long I don't wind up in the hospital, I couldn't care less about ithe turkey's life style prior to slaughter (hey, I'm trying to be honest here.).

FYI you can't get fresh turkey unless you chop the head off yourself (see below). Word to the wise: when you chop off its head, the damned thing is gonna hop up & run lickerty-split all over the place squirting blood for about 15 or 20 seconds before it finally keels over. Forewarned is forearmed.

"Fresh vs Frozen: Thanks for heavy lobbying by the Tyson Corporation the definition of "fresh" when it applies to poultry means it has never been cooled to lower than 26 degree F. Now I promise you, if you pick up a turkey at 26 degrees F it is hard as a rock so the term "fresh" doesn't really mean anything when buying a turkey at your local store. It just means that it hasn't been hard frozen. Truth is, flash frozen turkeys (frozen fast to below 0 degrees F) can be fresher tasting that many "fresh" turkeys that have been sitting around for a few months.

To further complicate matters the USDA definition of frozen means that the turkey has been brought to a temperature no lower than 0 degrees F. Turkeys stored at a temperature of 5 degrees F can actually be labeled "not previously frozen", though they can not be labeled as fresh. These turkeys are considered "hard-chilled" or "deep-chilled". Personally I call temperatures between 0 and 26 degrees F something other than chilly."

In all fairness to Tyson Foods, it is physically impossible to satisfy the holiday surge in demand for 'fresh' turkey.

Unless folks are willing to eat turkey that's been sitting around in storage unfrozen for weeks and weeks on end.

But then what these folks want won't count for much in the greater scheme of things because they'll be too busy dying of salmonella poisoning to purchase much in the way of groceries.

[AdamSmith]

unless you chop the head off yourself

Certainly something I've felt like doing a time or two.

[AdamSmith]

Besides the tortured definitions of "fresh" and "frozen," turns out that the definition of "free-range" applied to poultry is somewhat loosey goosey as well.

In the United States, USDA free range regulations currently apply only to poultry and indicate that the animal has been allowed access to the outside.^[3] The USDA regulations do not specify the quality or size of the outside range nor the duration of time an animal must have access to the outside.^[4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_range

The exercise they get vs. caged birds is said to be good for the flesh, etc., but free-range by no means guarantees the bird has had the "grass pasture" benefits (supposed) of grubbing for insects or wild greens.

[RA1]

MsGuy-

What you say is correct. When I was very small, my family had a limited amount of poultry in our backyard to include a turkey for Thanksgiving. My poor mother decided she would kill this turkey. She caught it and I think almost "worried" it to death without actually doing any harm to it. Finally, our next door neighbor, much more experienced in dispatching fowl, came over and provided us with the bird in the condition desired, namely dead.

Best regards,

RA1

[Guest NCBored]

Why all the emphasis on the "lifestyle" of a turkey slated for a holiday meal? Certainly I want my food to be as healthful as possible. I prefer the least amount of "doctoring" to the feed and the fewest chemicals used to either raise or process my food. However, whatever lifestyle might be offered, the ultimate point is for it to become food. I do not believe in mistreating animals. But until and unless persuasive proof can be offered that lifestyle makes a turkey taste better, I see little point in allowing them to walk about and "enjoy" life. If they are going to be pets, that is different.

Any other opinions?

Best regards,

RA1

I would prefer to minimize the suffering prior to the slaughter. Of course, it's difficult to know mow much animals suffer unless the circumstances are obviously cruel.

[RA1]

I agree. You will notice in my original statement I said I do not believe in mistreating animals. However, as you correctly point out we can only go my their mannerisms or reactions to physical stimuli as at least I am not able to verbally communicate with them.

Best regards,

RA1

[MsGuy]

The White Holland, the standard American commercial breed, is so stupid/inbred it will stand around in a rain storm looking up for the source of all that water until it drowns. (not an urban legend, at least according to a friend of mine whose childhood chores included chasing the turkeys in out of the rain).

SOP is to clip the beaks while chicks because turkeys in crowded commercial conditions peck each other to death if you don't.

Whites have to be bred artificially. Males are unable to mount hens w/o injury or death. (Some of the lesser commercial breeds can still get the job done on their own.)

The level of care afforded turkeys (or any other domestic animal for that matter) is a function of how much extra you as a consumer are willing to pay for their care. I understand top quality Kobe (wagyu)beef steers get a full muscle massage (no happy ending) every day. Of course it costs up to $500/lb. in a Tokyo restuarant.