The price of a grazing turkey may be two to three times the price of a bird you buy in the supermarket. Is it really worth it? This is what you need to know.
Picture provided by Mtshad; CC-BY-SA-3.0
Is the grazing turkey worth the price?
In Virginia, the price of an ordinary 15-pound turkey in a supermarket is about $30 or less. However, if you want traditional grazing turkeys, such as bourbon red turkeys-expect to pay between US$60 and US$90.
This is a lot of money! Is it really worth it?
I saw some turkeys not long ago and they did answer this question for me. These turkeys are about five months old and are in a truck on their way to slaughter.
The life span of a “normal” turkey is about 7-10 years. But these turkeys will not see their first birthday. If they were not slaughtered on Thanksgiving, most of them would die of heart disease and organ failure before Christmas.
In fact, statistically speaking, 20% of their turkey partners died before they reached the truck. About 6% of people have a heartbeat within one or two months after birth.
Why are these turkeys so different?
In order to maximize profits, these turkeys are selectively bred to have incredibly large breasts-too large for the birds to stand up. Forget about flying! Their legs often bend and sometimes fracture spontaneously under heavy pressure.
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Grazing turkeys are usually traditional breeds such as bourbon red turkeys, and their athletic ability and degree of freedom are incredible. They run and fly at a speed of 25 miles per hour and often live in trees. (If you want to watch something interesting, watch a farmer try to catch his or her bourbon red turkey!)
According to reports, Ben Franklin wanted our national bird to be a ferocious turkey, not a bald eagle.
Antibiotic Turkey
Picture from Capri23auto From Know almost
If you can choose, turkey is not vegetarian. They eat a lot of vegetables, bugs and rodents.
On the other hand, the turkey I saw on that truck was fed with genetically modified grains such as soybeans and corn as a vegetarian diet.
Now, an important note about antibiotics: You may have heard of the final rules of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Veterinary Feed Directive, which went into effect on January 1, 2017.
The rule aims to reduce antibiotic resistance by eliminating the common practice of using “medically important” antibiotics to promote animal growth and feed efficiency. However, with veterinary approval, turkey producers may still feed these antibiotics in therapeutic doses to prevent diseases caused by common living conditions in commercial operations—dark, crowded barns filled with other turkeys, Walking and living in feces.
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In fact, a 2013 study showed that turkey meat is the dirtiest of all meats, and nine out of ten samples contained dangerous fecal bacteria, including Escherichia coli.
As we know, commercial animal feeding systems do not only harm humans.
The animals I saw on that truck were very sick-it was the natural result of a commercial agricultural revolution that rejected natural wisdom. Agriculture has been industrialized, so the largest turkey farm in the United States produces more than one million turkeys per month.
The entire commercial turkey industry has learned to use modern science to breed and raise turkeys as fast and cheaply as possible. In addition, when you buy a turkey, it is already filled with brine, so that this solution accounts for 40% of the final weight of the turkey.
So what can I do?
Picture from News agency From Know almost
Farmers who accept natural wisdom, the traditions of our ancestors, and modern scientific facts agree that grazing turkeys raised on a natural diet is the best way to optimize the health of farms, turkeys and turkeys you,customer.
The grazing turkey leads a healthier and happier life; it is healthy when it is slaughtered; it makes you healthier. Their meat contains more anti-inflammatory fats such as Omega-3s and conjugated linoleic acid (another essential fat that is scarce in modern diets).
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Agricultural practices that embrace the wisdom of nature can protect the land, support the soil, and reduce pollution.
These are just a few reasons for choosing to graze turkeys on Thanksgiving.
3 questions for farmers
Picture from Tracy O’Brien From Know almost
If you really want to do your part to help protect our beautiful planet and your health, you need to ask your farmers three questions:
- What does this turkey eat? You are looking for a bird that feeds mainly on foraging grass and vegetables, wild animals, and a small amount of organic grains and feed.
- How does this turkey live? Happy turkeys walk around between the pastures, enjoying plenty of sunshine.
- What medicine does this turkey take? Ideally, there will be no – or only some medications if they are sick.
You should know that the terms “cage-free” and “free-range” are actually meaningless because they have little effect on the actual life or handling of the turkey you buy. If you see these terms, please know that buying one of these is usually no better than buying an industrially raised turkey.
If you see “vegetarian”, please know that turkey is not vegetarian.
If you see “organic”, that’s even better-at least you know that they do not contain hormones and antibiotics in most cases. But they may still live a life of being kept indoors, eating grains, and living in cramped and unhygienic spaces.
Where should I start?
You can start by looking for local farms that use traditional farming methods. If you are not sure, ask them the three questions above.
You can also Re-FindHealth.comMost of them know where to buy traditionally bred local animals.
Also check LocalHarvest.orgwith EatWellGuide.org. Finally, you can view your Local chapter A member of the Weston A. Price Foundation to help you find quality farms and resources nearby.
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This is an updated version of the post originally published in October 2014.
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source:
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6721797
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1480912/pdf/canvetj00082-0039.pdf
- https://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/DevelopmentApprovalProcess/ucm449019.htm
- https://www.peta.org/living/food/turkey-factory-farm-slaughter
- https://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/SafetyHealth/AntimicrobialResistance/NationalAntimicrobialResistanceMonitoringSystem/ucm059103.htm
- http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/05/01/180045788/antibiotic-resistant-bugs-turn-up-again-in-turkey-meat
- http://ncifap.org/_images/PCIFAPFin.pdf
- http://extension.psu.edu/animals/poultry/topics/general-educational-material/the-chicken/modern-turkey-industry
- http://www.eatwild.com/healthbenefits.htm
- http://www.cooperfarms.com/OurCompany/MediaCenter/News/tabid/147/ArticleId/61/One-of-Americas-biggest-turkey-farms-is-in-NW-Ohio.aspx
- http://www.ibtimes.com/brine-injected-meat-40-percent-salt-water-usda-300969
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