Heritage Turkeys vs Broad Breasted….What’s the Difference???

The number one question I get asked this time of year (other than how did a guy like you convince a girl like Laura to marry him) is:

What is the difference between the broad-breasted and heritage turkeys? Well, here is how I see it.

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White Broad Breasted Turkey

The broad-breasted turkeys are the classic American thanksgiving turkey. Picture a Norman Rockwell painting of Thanksgiving dinner and that’s a broad-breasted Turkey.  In industrial agriculture, Broad Breasted turkeys are bred for production and have lost their ability to reproduce due to the enlarged size of their breast muscle. They are raised in a confined, tightly controlled environment to maximize the characteristics the CAFO (confined animal feeding operation) organizations covet: fast growing, good feed to meat conversion rate, and large size. Pitman Family Farms takes these birds and flips the script on Big Ag! They treat them with respect, giving them far more space than a commercial operation, access to the outdoors, and a non-GMO feed ration. The Pitman’s practices revolves around prizing animal welfare, the highest standard of care, and raising a healthy, happy flock.
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Bourbon Red Heritage Turkey

Heritage turkeys are just like the kind the Pilgrims ate. With romantic names like Narragansett and Spanish Blacks, they have a smaller breast, a lot more dark meat, and a richer flavor. All of Mary’s Air-Chilled Heritage turkeys are bred naturally and raised outdoors where they are able to actually be turkeys! The turkeys have ample access to the outdoors, just like the broad breasted, where they can grow at a much slower rate in a much more natural environment.

Both Mary’s heritage and broad breasted turkeys are fed a Non-GMO Project verified feed consisting of wheat, sunflower/safflower, peas, and organic soy. This feed, in conjunction with allowing the birds to forage outside, creates a truly remarkable flavor that is not to be missed. The reason Mary’s turkeys are so much better than what you will find in your local mega mart is they raise them just like they did back in ‘ol Norm’s day!