Heritage vs. Commercially Raised Turkeys

First of all, heritage turkeys are characterized by their slower growth. Heritage turkeys are domestic turkeys, but they more closely resemble wild turkeys in their appearance and behavior. The broad breasted, modern turkeys that make up the vast majority of turkeys raised in the US, grow twice as fast as heritage turkeys and reach such large sizes that their health suffers in the later stages of their development. In fact, many modern, broad-breasted turkeys have a very short lifespan and are unable to continue living past their “expiration” date. Because heritage turkeys have a very active life, and are grown to the age of seven or eight months, they have double the flavor and richness of an industrially farmed turkey. We have a small flock of Bourbon Red heritage turkeys that we keep around for fun—and these birds are going strong at 5 years old.

Another important distinction between heritage turkeys and industrially raised, broad-breasted turkeys, is that heritage turkeys can reproduce naturally and do so when given space, time, and a flock of their own. Broad-breasted turkeys are bred only for the rapid production of flavorless meat, and are unable to breed naturally and must be artificially inseminated. That’s a bit freaky, right?

When it comes to enjoying your heritage turkeys for Thanksgiving—you’ll notice that these birds are excellent turkey specimens. They have a much more even proportion of dark to white meat, and their meat is richer and more moist. The body shape of a heritage turkey reflects their active lifestyle… They are more leggy than broad-breasted birds and don’t look pumped up on steroids like these more common turkeys often do.

Although heritage turkeys have become more popular in the last decade, there are still significantly less of them raised in the US than the industrially produced birds. While over 200 million factory farmed turkeys are pumped out every year, only about 25,000 heritage birds are raised on farms. That’s quite a difference!

So, support your local farmers and turkey friends, and make this year’s Thanksgiving the best one yet. If you haven’t already, you can still reserve your Thanksgiving Turkey here via the button below or in person at the market!

Jason and Emma will both be at the Corner Farmers Market tomorrow from 8am-12pm, so if you’d like to scope out a wider selection of KW Edible Landscaping Nursery plants, tomorrow is a great day to do it! And, of course, come by to grab your usual pasture-raised meats as well!

Don’t Be Fooled By Misleading Labeling

Can you get a heritage turkey in a grocery store? The answer is a resounding no! Because of the renewed interest in heritage birds, some factory produced turkeys are being labeled as heritage. How is this possible, you ask? And how are these birds as heavy as a broad breasted turkey when they’re labeled as heritage?

The answer is as simple as misleading labeling… Big corporations know that the phrase “heritage” is a hot ticket and due to certain allowances, they’re able to label their huge, factory-raised, standard turkeys as heritage because these birds may have some heritage turkey lineage. They can claim heritage status with misleading labeling because they may be raising broad-breasted breed with a only smidgen of heritage turkey genetics. Know your farmers, and know their turkeys. Ask questions. Get real answers.

Our birds are always heritage–and we consider our Bourbon Reds to be the tastiest and most hardy heritage breed. Ask us why!

Humanely Raised, With Respect

Heritage turkeys and broad-breasted white/broad-breasted bronze turkeys generally have a vastly different quality of life, and overall health status.

Heritage birds are not raised in factory farming (they cost too much to raise to adulthood!), and are often pasture-raised and treated with more respect. Broad-breasted birds (of which 200+ million are raised in the US each year), are often debeaked and declawed when raised in factory-farming settings, and are bred and fed to grow so fast that they must be slaughtered at the scheduled time and would be too large—with too many associated leg and circulation problems—to live a normal life (or live at all) after their scheduled processing date.

Heritage birds experience none of these health and anatomy problems, and our birds live on pasture, roaming the land with their family flock! By all accounts, heritage birds can live to be 10-12 years old, while commercial breeds—when raised on farms in a more natural setting—can live 2-6 years. These toms often have a shorter life span than 2 years, though, because their size inhibits movement, and they can injure their own legs and have trouble with circulation and their heart.

Before you purchase a turkey from a store, think about the experience your bird had during its lifetime… Does it seem like a normal turkey life? Were they respected? Sadly, no. Unless you know the farmer that raised your bird, it’s highly unlikely that your bird was treated humanely or respectfully.

Bourbon Red Turkey History

Did you know that the Bourbon Red turkey was originally called the Bourbon Butternut? We love this moniker, but it didn’t last… It failed to peak the interest of the 1900s public.

This heritage turkey breed is named for Bourbon County in Kentucky’s Bluegrass region—where it originated in the late 1800s. It was recognized by the American Poultry Association in 1909.

These handsome guys yield a heavy breast, superior flavor, and rich meat.

Also, we’re pretty sure that this turkey emoji is actually a Bourbon Red! 🦃