Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
The ALBC triggered a landslide of new interest in turkeys once they published the
results of their census and surveys. It was slow to catch on at first, but that soon changed.
Those of us who were trying to increase the numbers of the endangered turkey species
thought the ALBC's biggest problem was that they created an interest by convincing
people that these turkeys were a delicious edible commodity. How strange to work to
preserve a species by convincing people to eat them, we thought. For 10 years or so, a
small group of us had taken a different approach. We worked to build the population and
tried to encourage people to just raise them and not eat them until they had regained a
foothold on life. But the ALBC challenged the world to taste them and people began to
do just that; raisers and consumers found them to be delicious eating — far superior to
modern turkeys. Suddenly demand increased and there was a need for more and more
breeders!
While we still have nowhere near the numbers of traditional turkeys we had in the
1950s, we're at least moving in the right direction. The ALBC and SPPA both recog-
nized the importance of keeping these standard-bred natural-mating heritage turkeys
alive and growing in number. They understand that it's crucial to keep valuable genes
alive to prevent major damage to the populations of food animals. Genetically diverse
populations tend to have long-term stability because only a few members are susceptible
to any particular disease. Genetically similar populations tend to be unstable because all
members are susceptible to the same disease and can be wiped out in a single outbreak.
One major disease catastrophe could render an entire part of our food supply extinct. We
never really know when we will need rare birds for their genes to maintain future food
resources. With extinction, the genetic information within those breeds is lost.
Defining Turkeys
The following is an abbreviated version of the official ALBC definition of a heritage
turkey. Heritage turkeys are defined according to the historic methods and range-based
systems in which they were raised. In order to be considered a heritage turkey the fol-
lowing criteria must be met.
Naturally mating. Heritage turkeys must be produced and maintained through nat-
ural mating with fertility rates of at least 70 percent. To be marketed as heritage, both
parents and grandparents must be the result of the natural mating process.
Long, productive outdoor lifespan. Heritage turkeys must be productive over a
five- to seven-year lifespan and be able to withstand the rigors of outdoor production
systems.
Slow growth rate. Heritage turkeys must have a slow growth rate. They reach mar-
ket weight in about 28 weeks, the time it takes to develop a strong skeletal structure and
healthy organs prior to building muscle mass.
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