Heritage turkey

A heritage turkey is one of a variety of strains of domestic turkey which retains historic characteristics that are no longer present in the majority of turkeys raised for consumption since the mid-20th century. Heritage turkeys can be differentiated from other domestic turkeys in that they are biologically capable of being raised in a manner that more closely matches the natural behavior and life cycle of wild turkeys. Heritage turkeys have a relatively long lifespan and a much slower growth rate than turkeys bred for industrial agriculture, and unlike industrially-bred turkeys, can reproduce without artificial insemination.

More than ten different turkey breeds are classified as heritage turkeys, including the Auburn, Buff, Black, Bourbon Red, Narragansett, Royal Palm, Slate, Standard Bronze, and Midget White. Some prominent chefs, farmers, and food critics have also contended that heritage turkey meat tastes better and is more healthy.

Despite increasing interest in heritage turkeys, they are still a tiny minority, perhaps 25,000 raised annually compared to more than 200,000,000 industrial turkeys and 7,000,000 turkeys in the wild, and most heritage breeds are endangered in some respect.

For most of history, turkeys were primarily raised on small family farms for meat and as a form of pest control (turkeys are prodigious eaters of insects). But with the advent of factory farming of poultry, turkeys began to be selectively bred for increasingly larger size, focusing especially on the production of . Beginning in the 1920s and continuing in to the 1950s, broad-breasted fowl began to replace all other types of turkey in commercial production. The favorite breed at the time was the Broad Breasted Bronze, which was developed from the Standard Bronze. In the 1960s producers began to heavily favor turkeys that did not show the dark pin feathers in their carcass, and thus the Broad Breasted White grew to dominate the industry, a trend which continues to this day.

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