At 7:00 AM on July 21st I received a call from the post office. The man on the other end of the line told me I had a package to pick up and I could hear them peeping in the background. I raced to the post office and picked up 16 very active turkey poults (I ordered 15 toms, but Meyer Hatchery rounded up and sent me 16).
When I got home, I put them into their brooding box. Most people would think they were chicks. They are yellow and downy, but they have longer necks and a bump in the middle of their head above their eyes which will become their snood (the floppy skin that droops down a turkey's face). They were very alert and energetic pecking at my rings each time I put my hand in the box. Everyone quickly learned to eat and drink, then eventually settled down for nap time.
The information on the box said they had hatched at 5:00 AM on the 19th. This means by the week of Thanksgiving they will be 18 weeks old. This is a little young for toms who are usually processed at 22-24 weeks old, but this is a fast growing breed (Broad Breasted Whites) who will easily become too large to fit into a regular size oven. This makes me think younger may be better. We'll just wait and see!
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Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Frustration!
I don't like a lot of reality TV programs, but I have to admit I have been watching "The Fabulous Beekman Boys" on Planet Green. Recently, they showed an episode where Josh and Brent slaughter their two pigs. Actually, they couldn't do it themselves, so they had other people come to the farm to do it. Their philosophy about raising animals for food is very similar to ours- the pigs lead a happy, healthy life and were allowed to be pigs while they were alive. They were killed humanely on site as to not stress them out by removing them from their home. So, being a fan of the show, I decided to check out their website. This is where I was shocked.
What frustrates me is how many people commented on how disgusted they were by the pigs being killed (this wasn't the shocking part) and suggested that Josh and Brent should buy their meat in a grocery store (this was the shocking part)! It is just obvious that people are too disconnected from their food. How do they think that going to grocery store is better??
1) Guess what? It was still a living creature even if it was purchased as meat at a grocery store. So, these people have still encouraged that an animal be killed for food- they just didn't have to witness it.
2) That animal was most likely raised on a feedlot in miserable, filthy, and crowded conditions. Because of the filth and crowding, it was probably fed antibiotics as well. Don't forget the corn to fatten them up!! (Most animals would not choose to eat corn- it is not a natural diet for them)
3) The animals that survive this factory farm (yes, many die prematurely) are then stressed out as they are loaded up onto a truck and taken to a slaughter house. These terrified animals are then killed in filth.
4) You have less selection when buying meat in a supermarket. For example, all of the chickens are Cornish Cross since they are the most economical, fastest growing bird. You don't have the choice of getting a Jersey Giant or Orpington (which are slower growing, but tastier birds). If it weren't for small farms, many breeds of animals would disappear!
Therefore, buying meat in a grocery store may make someone feel better since they did not witness these things first hand; however, they need to be aware that it happens. By buying meat this way, they are in fact encouraging these practices to continue. This makes them just as guilty of animal cruelty as the companies raising and selling the meat!
What frustrates me is how many people commented on how disgusted they were by the pigs being killed (this wasn't the shocking part) and suggested that Josh and Brent should buy their meat in a grocery store (this was the shocking part)! It is just obvious that people are too disconnected from their food. How do they think that going to grocery store is better??
1) Guess what? It was still a living creature even if it was purchased as meat at a grocery store. So, these people have still encouraged that an animal be killed for food- they just didn't have to witness it.
2) That animal was most likely raised on a feedlot in miserable, filthy, and crowded conditions. Because of the filth and crowding, it was probably fed antibiotics as well. Don't forget the corn to fatten them up!! (Most animals would not choose to eat corn- it is not a natural diet for them)
3) The animals that survive this factory farm (yes, many die prematurely) are then stressed out as they are loaded up onto a truck and taken to a slaughter house. These terrified animals are then killed in filth.
4) You have less selection when buying meat in a supermarket. For example, all of the chickens are Cornish Cross since they are the most economical, fastest growing bird. You don't have the choice of getting a Jersey Giant or Orpington (which are slower growing, but tastier birds). If it weren't for small farms, many breeds of animals would disappear!
Therefore, buying meat in a grocery store may make someone feel better since they did not witness these things first hand; however, they need to be aware that it happens. By buying meat this way, they are in fact encouraging these practices to continue. This makes them just as guilty of animal cruelty as the companies raising and selling the meat!
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