Thanksgiving, the busiest time of year for turkey farmers, marks the culmination of a complex, multi-year process to ensure that families across the U.S. can enjoy their holiday meal. From egg-laying hens to the dinner table, the journey of a turkey involves careful planning and coordination across several stages, including breeding, farming, and processing.
According to Michael Swanson, chief agricultural economist at Wells Fargo, Thanksgiving represents the “Super Bowl” of the turkey industry. “When you have your turkey on Thanksgiving, you’re looking at the end of a multi-year process with lots of people thinking, planning out, and worrying to make that wonderful turkey dinner work,” Swanson said.
The process begins on turkey breeder farms, where hens lay between 80 and 100 eggs over a 25-week cycle. These eggs are sent to a hatchery where they are incubated for about 28 days. Once hatched, the young turkeys, or poults, are transported to other farms to grow. At about one day old, the poults are placed in heated, climate-controlled barns for the first few weeks of their lives. These barns are kept at temperatures around 94°F to mimic the warmth provided by their mother hens. As the birds mature, the temperature is gradually reduced.
Erica Sawatzke, a Minnesota turkey farmer, raises around 120,000 hens annually. Her birds reach maturity at about 13 weeks, while the industry average is 14 weeks. During this time, the turkeys are fed a mix of corn and soybean meal, which helps them gain the necessary weight for market. However, their growth can be threatened by outbreaks of bird flu, which can force farmers to cull entire flocks. Fortunately, the most recent outbreaks have occurred early enough in the year that farmers have been able to adjust and recover.
Once the turkeys reach their market weight, they are transported to processing plants, where timing is crucial. Matt Goodson, CEO of Plainville Farms, explained that birds must be unloaded quickly to minimize stress. At the plant, the turkeys undergo a series of steps, including stunning, defeathering, and evisceration, before being inspected by the USDA. The birds are then chilled and packaged according to customer specifications.
Frozen turkeys are stored for months in blast freezers, while fresh turkeys require more delicate handling. These fresh birds are processed in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving to ensure they reach stores within 48 hours of processing.
The demand for turkeys during the Thanksgiving season is immense. According to the National Turkey Federation, more than 2,500 turkey farms across the country supply fresh and frozen birds to retailers. This year, the average price of a 10-pound turkey is $27, down 6% from last year.
As turkey farmers prepare for the holiday rush, their efforts ensure that millions of families can enjoy their Thanksgiving feast.
