Organic Turkeys
The Truth About Organic Turkeys
The term organic turkeys refer more to the way that a turkey is raised than it does to the genetic build of the bird. Though multigenerational organic turkeys are available, and have been produced through years of natural feeding and care techniques, you can accomplish organic turkey farming quite easily in your own yard. The first step to raising organic turkeys is to find a feed that has been manufactured without the use of preservatives or pesticides, and this will include the plant materials that the feed is comprised of. This used to be a difficult task, but if price is not a consideration for you there are quite a few natural farm supply companies who carry and distribute just such organic feeds. Now that your basic need has been addressed, we can discuss a few more aspects of raising organic turkeys.
Turkeys raised naturally will have plenty of opportunity to freely forage, and the term free range will more than likely pop up when researching organic turkeys. The natural hunting and foraging instincts and rituals of the turkey are very important ones, and the pure nutrients gained from the grubs and insects that they feed upon will improve the health and meat of the bird greatly. This is not merely a theory, but is given as scientific data. Free range, or organic turkeys, therefore, are considered to be more nutritious, as well as being free of chemicals, hormones, and impurities.
Along the lines of cleanliness and disease prevention, consuming organic turkeys rather than those raised in overpopulated, close knit facilities greatly reduces your risks of contracting food borne diseases and illness. The natural raising and processing of organic turkeys is a much more careful and controlled operation, and there are few chances of contamination with such methods. As always, washing your poultry thoroughly and sanitizing your hands and all contact surfaces is highly recommended, but the overall theory is that organic food is, by nature, much cleaner and safer than mass products are.
In order for organic turkeys to be certified as such, the natural methods must begin from the instant the egg hatches. Never will it be acceptable for antibiotics, chemicals, GMO’s, hormones, or any other man made or unnatural supplements to be given to the animal. The FDA regulates each organic farming facility vigorously, and biannual inspections are often performed, even surprise ones, just to make sure that each organic farmer is pulling his weight and keeping it natural. If you are interested in raising organic turkeys, you can find some very good literature on the subject, and can also get invaluable tips from the source who sells you your stock chicks. If you simply wish to enjoy eating organic turkeys, there should be some fine choices available to you in your grocer’s freezer.