Turkeys
When you venture out to your local supermarket in search of your Thanksgiving turkey you are doubtless picking one that has been raised indoors in an unhealthy environment. These birds have no room to move, let alone develop healthy muscle and joint structure. And thanks to the overcrowding and lack of ventilation in the barns where these birds are raised the birds develop respiratory problems. Not a happy life.
A growing awareness of this situation has lead to a resurgence of the raising of “heritage breeds” such as Narragansett, Holland White and Broad Breasted Bronze. These birds may be more flavorful when all is said and done, but that’s because they take significantly longer to develop and reach full size. Initially we selected heritage breeds to raise here on the farm but quickly learned that longer growing time means more food and resources and then even when we attended to all these details we didn’t always end up with “Thanksgiving sized” turkeys. Lots of time and resources in, but not a great return. After reviewing our values and mission we landed on an idea. What if we raised the Broad Breasted White turkey (the modern strain we all associate with “turkey”) but raise them the Lost Ruby Farm way. They would have a healthy, comfortable life, with room to roam and dig and peck and scratch, they would develop at a predictably faster rate but without all the downsides of a commercially-raised bird. And, we would have large healthy animals with a more dependable track record and better feed to butchering weight ratio. We haven’t looked back! We raise 2 cohorts of turkeys each year, starting mid-July and mid-August, which allows us a greater final size range. Turkeys are butchered and ready to be picked up on a first come first served basis on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. If you are interested in getting your turkey from us or have more questions don’t hesitate to be in touch. |
Lost Ruby Farm LLC 2019