If you’ve ever purchased a turkey at the grocery store, chances are it was a Broad Breasted White. By far the most common commercially produced breed on the market today, broad breasted turkeys became a thing in 1874 when the cross-breed was accepted into the American Poultry Association. Before that though, there were heritage breeds with names like Narragansett, Standard Bronze, and Chocolate, among others. These are the turkeys we raise on pasture at Windy N Ranch.
Why heritage breed?
FLAVOR: Heritage breed turkeys take twice as long to mature (26-39 weeks) as commercial breeds (12-18 weeks). As they forage and move about on pasture, the turkeys develop darker, more nutrient dense breast meat, a layer of fat beneath the skin and oils that create a rich, deep flavor you simply can’t find in a supermarket turkey.
“Absolutely the best tasting turkey I’ve ever had. You have now ruined me, and I will base all other turkeys off of this last experience.”
- Larkin Young, Executive Chef
ETHICS: We pride ourselves on ethical animal husbandry, and broad-breasted varieties don’t fit into our ethos. Broad-breasted turkeys get their name from–you guessed it–very large breasts. These birds have been bred for size and fast maturity, not flavor, and an unfortunate side affect is that they grow so big so fast that their bones and organs can’t keep up with that rapid growth. They are so big, in fact, that they can’t physically mate, and must be artificially inseminated. As a necessary requirement of heritage breeds, each turkey is the offspring of parents and grandparents that mated naturally.
PRESERVATION: It sounds counterintuitive, but by raising and selling heritage breed turkeys, we are keeping their lineage alive. In turn, we are preserving and encouraging genetic diversity - traits like parasite resistance, as well as the ability to reproduce naturally - that is extremely important for the health of our planet and the food chain. For more on this, listen to this quick podcast HERE.
No Hormones · No Antibiotics · No Injections of Brine or Water
Why are heritage breed turkeys so much more expensive?
For the same reason they are so tasty! The time it takes to raise a heritage breed turkey to maturity requires a great deal of pasture management, manpower and an extended feeding period. Ours are also certified organic, so in addition to what they forage for naturally, they are fed an organic blend of grains and nutrients that we grind and mix in our own hammer mill.
Turkeys are typically between 8-18 pounds and available fresh or frozen in November. Reserve in advance! They always sell out.