The Problem With Your Average Turkey

Over 250 million turkeys are produced and consumed in the US each year. This massive scale has resulted in an industry that runs like a factory and not a farm. Inputs, outputs, and the final product are all managed in a way that disregards humane treatment of the turkeys, environmental impact, and the health of the consumers buying the product.  

Conventionally, turkeys are raised in large confinement warehouses where they will live out their short lives never seeing beyond the other poor turkeys surrounding them (As Pictured). The high stress and crowded conditions promote disease which is remedied with heavy doses of antibiotics.

Processed Turkeys are often injected or allowed to absorb up to 15% of their weight in a saline broth intended to add moisture and flavor to an otherwise unnaturally dry and tasteless meat.

How We Raise Turkeys at Appenzell Farm

We believe that all animals should be treated with respect, even if their final destination is on the dinner plate. This basic respect means that a turkey ought to live a decent and comfortable life. From the time they are chicks to raising them to maturity we treat them with care and concern.

We have adopted a pastured approach which we are continuing to improve. This allows for the turkeys

to bask in the sun, roost, scratch for seeds and bugs, and forage for plants, all while remaining safe from the weather and predators. The turkeys are rotated on paddocks of grass allowing them to stay clean, fertilize the ground, and have a continually growing salad bar of grasses available for their consumption.

We process the turkeys in our on-farm processing facility which allows us to control the entire process, from chick to the packaged turkey. The end result is a turkey much more full of flavor, moist, and with a perfect texture.

Ordering

A $25 deposit per turkey is required to reserve your order and the remaining $4.46/lb can be paid cash, check, or card at pickup. Turkeys range in weight from 15-30 lbs. They will be available fresh for pickup the week before Thanksgiving. You will be emailed in October with the pickup details.

Add a Turkey to Your CSA Poultry Share

Save 10% on your turkey if you are a CSA shareholder.  Just add a Poultry CSA share to your cart along with a Turkey deposit and you will receive a 10% discount when you pay the remaining at pickup before Thanksgiving.

We are only raising a limited number of these heritage turkeys, so make sure to get yours reserved today!

Turkeys are sold out for 2011.

Sign up for our newsletter email list if you would like to be notified when pre-orders begin for 2012.

Heritage Turkeys

The Difference:

1. ■Other than first 3-4 weeks in a more protected brooding house, birds spend entire lives on fresh, rotated pasture.
   

2. ■No hormones or growth stimulants
   

3. ■Fed an all-grain diet with no animal by-products
   

4. ■Additional diet provided by fresh grasses.
   

5. ■Waste from turkeys renews the land.
   

6. ■Processed on farm
   

What Makes a Great Turkey

Our Turkeys have plenty of room. 

Plenty of sunlight.

Rotated on clean pasture.

No debeaking or other unnecessary trauma.

Our Turkeys forage and eat grass.

Minimal transportation costs and use of fuel.

We employ quick and humane processing at our on farm facility.

All this results in a Turkey that tastes wonderful!

Save 10% With CSA

Free Range Broilers

All CSA Shareholders receive a 10% discount on all other orders! Shares available with 2 or 4 chickens per month during our 6 month season.