Full Answer
Why do we kill turkeys for Thanksgiving?
While live cows and hens were useful as long as they were producing milk and eggs, respectively, turkeys were generally raised only for their meat and thus could be readily killed. Third, a single turkey was usually big enough to feed a family.
How old is a turkey when it is killed for Thanksgiving?
They grow so fast and large that their bones and organs cannot keep up. Many of the turkeys die prematurely as their legs and hearts are strained to the point of failure. Those who don't succumb to fatal injuries are slaughtered at 16-24 weeks of age.
How many turkeys get killed every Thanksgiving?
The number of turkeys killed each year for Thanksgiving feasts has fluctuated around 45 to 46 million each year, the National Turkey Federation estimates.
What is the history behind turkey on Thanksgiving?
Some give credit for the turkey's preeminence to Sarah Joseph Hale, the “Godmother of Thanksgiving,” whose accounts of early New England celebrations emphasized a roast turkey and eventually became the model for the festivities adopted by the rest of the country after Abraham Lincoln declared it a national holiday in ...
How long does turkey last after it was killed?
A freshly killed bird is fresh and delicious for up to 10 days from processing if kept very cold.
How are turkeys killed humanely?
Many turkeys are slaughtered without being stunned at all. In the processing plant, turkeys are shackled by their legs and hung upside-down. The turkeys' throats are slit on a circular blade before being placed in a scalding tank meant to loosen feathers. If turkeys are not properly stunned, they often miss the blade.
What percent of Americans skip turkey on Thanksgiving?
88% of Americans surveyed by the National Turkey Federation eat turkey on Thanksgiving. 46 million turkeys are eaten each Thanksgiving, 22 million on Christmas and 19 million turkeys on Easter.
How old is a turkey when slaughtered?
between nine and 21 weeks oldTurkeys are slaughtered between nine and 21 weeks old but the natural lifespan of a turkey is 10 years. They are dragged head first through an electrically charged stunning water bath to make them unconscious before having their necks cut.
Are turkeys dirty animals?
Foul Farming Anyone who has driven by a farm has probably smelled it first from a mile away. Turkeys and other animals raised for food in the U.S. produce far more excrement than the entire U.S. human population, roughly 89,000 pounds per second, all without the benefit of waste-treatment systems.
What was the original idea of Thanksgiving?
Originally an English tradition, days of thanksgiving typically were marked by religious services to give thanks to God, or to celebrate a bountiful harvest. The first recorded religious thanksgiving day in Plymouth took place a full two years after the 1621 feast.
When did Americans start eating turkey for Thanksgiving?
For centuries, different cultures and religions have celebrated their harvests with a Thanksgiving feast, but the version of the Pilgrim's feast didn't come about until the 1800s. It was during this period that roasted turkey became ingrained in the traditional American Thanksgiving meal.
Was turkey eaten at the first Thanksgiving?
That's right—turkey might not have even been present at the first Thanksgiving. The birds were probably stuffed with onions and nuts instead of the bread cubes and sausage more familiar to us today, then boiled or roasted.
How old are turkeys when slaughtered?
Turkeys can live to be 10 years old, but are slaughtered at 14 to 18 weeks, about 2 percent of their natural life span. In these cramped places, you might imagine that turkeys would become aggressive and injure each other.
Can you eat a 2 year old turkey?
Keep frozen until you're ready to thaw it. Turkeys can be kept in the freezer indefinitely. However, cook turkeys within 1 year for the best quality.
At what age are turkeys ready for slaughter?
Most turkey breeds will mature between 14-22 weeks of age, which means you will need to purchase birds early in July to make sure they have enough time to grow. Heritage breeds will take a bit longer, 25-30 weeks, so those birds would need to be purchased in late May or early June.
At what age are turkeys butchered?
between 18 and 20 weeksMost people have their broad breasted turkeys butchered between 18 and 20 weeks of age. Tom's butchered at 18 weeks will average a carcass of approximately 29 lbs and hens will yield a carcass of approximately 20 lbs. As a general rule turkeys tend to dress at 75-80% of their body weight.
Why are turkeys artificially inseminated?
Mother turkeys must be artificially inseminated because the birds are selectively bred to be so large they cannot mate on their own. The babies are raised inside incubators, never knowing the comfort of their mothers’ wings. After five short weeks, poults are moved from the brooder house, which are heated buildings meant to resemble a mother’s warmth, to the finishing barns where they are kept until slaughter.
How many turkeys are killed on Thanksgiving?
It is estimated that anywhere from 37 million to 46 million turkeys are killed and served in the U.S. for Thanksgiving each year.
How do they stun a turkey?
The most common form of stunning within American factory farms is called electric immobilization. This method consists of shackling live turkeys by their ankles, which requires force that usually breaks their delicate bones, and running them along a conveyor belt into electrically charged water. This water is supposed to render them unconscious, but the electrical currents are often too low, meaning turkeys are fully conscious while getting their throats slit by a rotating blade. Sometimes turkeys miss the blade as well and are dumped into scalding hot water tanks which are used to loosen their feathers for defeathering.
How many turkeys were recalled for salmonella?
Over 300,000 pounds of turkey products were recalled for Salmonella in just four months from two major producers. The November 2018 recall of Jennie-O turkey products resulted in one fatality, 133 hospitalizations, and 358 individual cases of Salmonella across 42 states.
What chemicals are used to sanitize turkey carcasses?
Jessica Robertson, a former inspector at a turkey processing plant in Utah, learned the hard way what excessive exposure to chemicals like peracetic acid —which is used to sanitize turkey carcasses—can do to your health.
Why are antibiotics important in animal agriculture?
The importance of antibiotics in animal agriculture have been debated for years with the support of farmers and the opposition of consumers. Continuously feeding birds low-doses of antibiotics for growth promotion and bacteria reduction can lead to antibiotic-resistant bacteria that are consumed by humans. Harmful bacteria that were once treatable are now attacking human immune systems and leading to serious disabilities and even death. It is difficult to uncover the exact amount of antibiotics used in turkey production because the government does not collect such data on antibiotic sales or use, and the industry often keeps this information hidden.
How to reduce the risk of turkey injury?
But instead of raising turkeys in less crowded conditions, farmers reduce the risk of turkey-inflicted injury by searing off their beaks, cutting off their toes, and slicing off their snoods —the red dangling skin that hangs over a turkey’s beak—without anesthetics.
What is the Thanksgiving meal?
As celebrated in the United States, the holiday of Thanksgiving usually revolves around a bountiful meal . Typical dishes include bread stuffing, potatoes, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, and, above all, turkey. How did turkey become the centerpiece of this feast?
Why was turkey so popular in the 19th century?
By the turn of the 19th century, however, turkey had become a popular dish to serve on such occasions. There were a few reasons for this. First, the bird was rather plentiful. One expert estimated that there were at least 10 million turkeys in America at the time of European contact. Second, turkeys on a family farm were almost always available for slaughter. While live cows and hens were useful as long as they were producing milk and eggs , respectively, turkeys were generally raised only for their meat and thus could be readily killed. Third, a single turkey was usually big enough to feed a family.
Where did Thanksgiving originate?
There is indeed evidence of a meal shared between Pilgrim settlers at Plymouth colony (in what is now Massachusetts) and Wampanoag people in late 1621.
Did Winslow mention turkey?
An 1841 collection of Pilgrim writing had referred to the meal described by Winslow as “the first Thanksgiving.” Although Winslow didn’t specifically mention turkey , his fellow colonist William Bradford did refer to a “ great store of wild Turkies ” at Plymouth that fall, in a journal that was reprinted in 1856. Before long, the cultural links between Pilgrims, turkeys, and Thanksgiving became an inextricable and integral part of American schoolchildren’s education.
Did the Pilgrims celebrate Thanksgiving?
What’s more, the Pilgrims do not appear to have considered this meal a milestone worthy of special commemoration. No 17th-century reference to it exists beyond a letter written by Plymouth colonist Edward Winslow. For the Pilgrims, giving thanks for the autumn harvest wasn’t a new concept. As a tradition with roots in European harvest festivals and Christian religious observances, “days of thanksgiving” were fairly common among the colonists of New England. Throughout America’s colonial era, communities held their own unofficial Thanksgiving celebrations, and few people associated them with the Plymouth settlers.
Is turkey affordable?
From a more practical perspective, turkey has also remained relatively affordable. Although the wild turkey was considered endangered in the early 20th century, its population once again stands in the millions. In addition, modern breeding practices have helped make turkeys both larger and cheaper than ever, thus ensuring their continued place on the Thanksgiving table.
Did the pilgrims bring turkeys?
But there is no indication that turkey was served . For meat, the Wampanoag brought deer, and the Pilgrims provided wild “fowl.”. Strictly speaking, that “fowl” could have been turkeys, which were native to the area, but historians think it was probably ducks or geese.
