Listen up, you turkeys

[texastoast]

I have heard that European farmers treat their farm and food animals better than the factory farming conditions of the United States. Is this true and if so, where can I get some info substantiating it?





Factory Farming
Thanksgiving's Toll on Turkeys

Between 250 and 300 million turkeys are raised for slaughter every year in the U.S. – more than 45 million alone for Thanksgiving. U.S. turkey consumption, which has increased by 116 percent since 1970, averaged at 17.5 pounds per person last year.

Factory Farming
Crowded by the thousands inside huge, factory farm warehouses, female turkeys raised for slaughter in the U.S. are typically allotted 2.5 square-feet of space per bird, while toms are given a mere 3.5 square-feet of space each. The typical 50’ X 500’ warehouse holds approximately 10,000 hens or 7,000 toms. The overcrowded birds, who are unable to comfortably move, or exhibit natural behaviors, are driven to excessive pecking and fighting. Rather than alter the birds’ living space to prevent these injurious behaviors, producers cut off the ends of the turkeys’ beaks and toes, practices know as debeaking and detoeing. These painful mutilations are performed without anesthesia and can result in excessive bleeding, infections and death.

Genetic Manipulation
Modern turkeys have been genetically manipulated to grow twice as fast, and twice as large, as their ancestors. Comparing a turkey poult’s growth rate with that of a human baby, Lancaster Farming, an agriculture newspaper, reported: “If a seven pound baby grew at the same rate that today’s turkey grows, when the baby reaches 18 weeks of age, it would weigh 1,500 pounds.” The strain of growing so quickly makes young turkeys susceptible to cardiovascular disease and can lead to fatal heart attacks. Although this rapid growth poses a serious threat to the animals’ health and welfare, the turkey industry continues to push birds beyond their biological limits.

Full article at http://www.adoptaturkey.org/aat/issues/factory_farming.html

[Ian David]

1. Also, Turkeys can't fly.

The WKRP Turkey Drop
Topic started by IanDB1 on Oct-30-06 04:52 PM (1 replies)
Last modified by on Oct-30-06 04:52 PM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=385&topic_id=52

[monmouth]

2. OMG, wasn't that the funniest WKRP ever? Thanks for reminding me...n/t

[TahitiNut]

3. Ahhh... Jennifer Marlowe, Les Nessman, Venus Flytrap, and Johnny Fever ... WKRP rules!

They put Cincinnati on the map. :rofl:

"It's a helicopter, and it's coming this way. It's flying something behind it, I can't quite make it out, it's a large banner and it says, uh - Happy... Thaaaaanksss... giving! ... From ... W ... K ... R... P!! No parachutes yet. Can't be skydivers... I can't tell just yet what they are, but - Oh my God, they're turkeys!! Johnny, can you get this? Oh, they're plunging to the earth right in front of our eyes! One just went through the windshield of a parked car! Oh, the humanity! The turkeys are hitting the ground like sacks of wet cement! Not since the Hindenburg tragedy has there been anything like this!"

[byronius]

4. Hate this shit. I need to create a vat grown turkey that's cheaper and tastier.

And healthier. It's the only answer.

[texastoast]

5. It makes me so sad

The way the factory farmers do here. I had two wild turkeys (and they fly) and they are these wonderful, hysterical birds. I just don't know how "the most advanced species on the planet" can be so cruel as to treat animals this way.