Thanksgiving is right around the corner and many people are getting ready for a great meal that will include foods like yams, corn, mashed potatoes and gravy, and of course a turkey. Often times many people have no idea where that turkey came from or who raised the turkey they are eating. During the summer of 2009 I had the opportunity to work on a turkey farm and to help raise turkeys just like the one you are going to eat for Thanksgiving. Confinement turkey farming is a misunderstood industry and turkey farmers are often depicted as bad people who do not care about their animals at all. I am here to tell you that is not an accurate perception of turkey farmers. Turkey farming also has some areas that it could work on to make conditions better for animals and workers.
The first area in confinement turkey operations that many people do not like is the fact that the birds are confined to a building. According to PETA “Before ending up as holiday centerpieces, these gentle, intelligent birds spend five to six months on factory farms, where thousands of them are packed into dark sheds with no more than 3.5 square feet of space per bird.” PETA does make a valid point that each bird is only allowed about 3.5 square feet. According to my math a 750 foot long by 50 foot wide grow out barn is 37,500 square feet. Assuming there are 10,000 birds in the barn that equals out to 3.75 square feet per bird. That does not sound like a lot of room to most people, but one thing to remember is that turkeys prefer to live in a flock. I remember the first time I walked into a barn I thought “man these turkeys really are just crammed in here”, then when I got to the other side of the barn there was a maximum of five turkeys in the last fifty or sixty feet of the building. I found this odd that the turkeys would choose to literally be on top of each other when there was plenty of room at the end of the barn. It was exactly the same temperature from one side of the building to the other, the feed line ran the entire length of the building and there was plenty of access to water at that end of the building. After talking to several turkey farmers about why the birds cram in together, they explained to me that it is probably due to the fact that turkeys are an animal that tends to flock together. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology “several hens and their broods may join up into bands of more than 30 birds. Winter groups have been seen to exceed 200.” This is actually describing wild turkeys, but couldn’t domestic birds have the same flocking behavior. It actually makes sense that the turkeys would flock together, as there is safety in numbers. Another point that PETA makes is that “Turkeys won't have the opportunity to breathe fresh air or feel the sun on their backs until they're shoved onto trucks bound for slaughter.” While they may not get to feel the sun on their backs they do have the opportunity to breathe fresh air. The barns have large curtains on the side and once the turkeys are old enough that they can handle cooler temperatures the farmer lowers the curtains to allow fresh air in the building. In fact on hot days I preferred to be inside the grow out barns working, they are designed to allow air to flow through them and even if there was not a breeze the fans kept the air moving.
According to animal rights organizations confinement turkey operations do not allow turkeys to be turkeys. What I mean by that is that the turkeys cannot run, or fly or do things that they normally would if they were outside. From my personal experiences I can tell you that domestic turkeys can and do run. When I would walk through the barns the hens would chase after me; I have also seen turkeys chase each other around the barn. I have actually been chased out of a barn by a territorial tom (a male turkey), so believe me when I say they can run. Turkeys on confinement operations can also “dust”, which is when the turkeys get down and basically roll around in the dirt. According to the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department “dusting” may be a way for turkeys to deal with parasites. This is a natural behavior and I have seen wild turkeys “dusting” on several occasions. Confinement raised birds may have limited opportunities to roost; it depends on who is raising them. Roosting is when turkeys fly up into a tree or other high area to sleep. While there are no trees in turkey barns, I have seen turkeys climb on top of the feed lines or even onto ladders and vehicles left in the barn. Some farmers run a strand of electric fence on the feed line to keep birds from roosting on it. Using electric fence to keep birds off the feed line sounds cruel, but they are expensive to fix and the weight of several turkeys can cause the feed line to collapse. In my opinion some kind of provision should be made to allow the turkeys to roost and get up off the ground if they choose to do so. Turkeys also have plenty of opportunity to eat insects like they would in the wild. It goes without saying that there are lots of insects in turkey barns so the birds have plenty of opportunity to look for and eat insects. It can actually be quite comical watching turkeys chase after flies, especially when five or ten of them decide to chase one fly across the barn.
Turkey farming does not come without some problems and there are practices that I do not agree with. One of these is how “cull birds” (birds that are sick, injured, or that will be rejected for some reason) are dispatched. There are two methods that are considered acceptable in the confinement poultry industry. One method is breaking the animal’s neck. In order to do this you grasp the head with one hand and the body with the other, then twist its head until your hear a the neck break. If done properly the animal dies in seconds and will not feel anything. This method is primarily used on small birds while they are in the brooder house. The second method is using either a piece of wood or plastic and hitting the bird in the head. This method is not always effective, and in my opinion it can be cruel. Cargill Turkey Products puts a poster up in the barn that shows how to dispatch the birds and it also has written instructions on how to do it. The poster also says the method of dispatching the bird cannot draw any blood. If this is going to be the industry standard, they should train the producers and their employees on the best and quickest methods of dispatching the birds instead of just giving them a poster.
While confinement turkey farming does have its problems, it is a viable and ethical form of agriculture. Turkeys raised at confinement operations are safe to eat and they are treated very good. Hopefully the industry will continue to come up with ways of raising turkeys and keeping the things safe for the birds and employees at the farm.
Sources Cited
Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Wild Turkey Life History. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology All About Birds. Cornell University, 2009. Web. 15 Nov. 2010. <http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wild_Turkey/lifehistory>.
PETA "Turkeys Used for Food." Web. 14 Nov. 2010. <http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/turkeys.aspx>.
"Eastern Wild Turkey Fact Sheet." Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department. Vermont Fish and Wildlife, 2004. Web. 15 Nov. 2010. <http://www.vtfishandwildlife.com/turkey_facts.cfm>.
No comments:
Post a Comment