What a way to say Happy Thanksgiving

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Fertilized turkey eggs are incubated in a hatchery, and within 28

days, they hatch into baby turkeys (poults). These babies are raised

in brooder houses from day one until approximately six weeks. These

facilities typically contain up to 25,000 poults.

 

During the first two weeks of life, these baby birds are extremely

vulnerable to disease and death, and mortality is highest at this

point. Without their mothers for guidance, a number of these poults

fail to learn to reach their food or water, which sentences the

unfortunate creatures to starvation and death.

 

Around six weeks of age, the turkeys are moved to growing houses

which typically have a capacity of about 50,000 birds. Every

available space of these barns is crammed with turkeys, a high volume

production that allows factory farmers to dismiss the loss or lower

production of individual birds due to stress and disease. The

conditions in these buildings are dim and crowded, and lead to

damaging behaviors, such as feather pecking and cannibalism.

 

Today's turkeys have been genetically altered to grow twice as fast,

and twice as large, as their ancestors. Putting the growth rate of

today's turkeys into perspective, Lancaster Farming reports, " If a

seven pound [human] baby grew at the same rate that today's turkey

grows, when the baby reaches 18 weeks of age, it would weigh 1,500

pounds. " Although this rapid growth poses a serious threat to the

animals' health and welfare, the turkey industry continues pushing to

grow bigger birds.

 

Buy Tofurky, but if you must eat turkey, go get free-range, no

antibiotics, organic, USDA certified turkey.

 

http://greenfield.fortunecity.com/garden/156/tos.htm

 

http://www.adoptaturkey.org/adopt.htm