Tracking a Turkey

AgMag 3 – Spring 2024 Tracking a Turkey

A turkey's life in the agriculture system

Turkeys are an important source of nutrition throughout the world. We gobble up turkey today like never before. Healthy eaters want meat that is high in protein, and low in fat and calories. That’s turkey!

Where do turkeys start out, and how do they get to our table? Let’s find out!

Turkeys begin as eggs laid by female turkeys (hens) on the farm.

Eggs are kept warm in huge incubators. They hatch after 28 days.

Baby turkeys are called poults. These poults are a few days old.

Turkey farmers make sure their birds are healthy and safe.

Turkeys are kept in shelters to protect them from predators and bad weather. Farmers heat and cool the barn so the turkeys are comfortable.

They feed the turkeys a meal of corn, soybeans, grains, vitamins and minerals to make them grow healthy and strong. The birds always have fresh water to drink. There are 600 turkey farms in Minnesota. These farms raise 40 million turkeys a year!

Turkeys aren’t kept in cages. They can roam the barn.

Hens are full grown at about 15 weeks and the male turkeys, toms, are full grown at 18 weeks. Most turkeys are sold to processing plants.

Turkey products travel from processing plants to grocery stores, schools, and restaurants in refrigerated trucks.

Turkeys are moved by special trucks from the farm to the processing plants. They are often checked to make sure they are healthy and in good condition.

Processing plants have many different departments. Here a worker is cleaning the turkey and preparing it for shipping.

The boxes have labels that say which farm, flock, and processing plant the turkey came from. This is important for food safety.

Turkey products travel from processing plants to grocery stores, schools, and restaurants in refrigerated trucks.

Turkey meat is made into many products. What turkey products do you like to eat?

Turkeys belong to a family of livestock called Poultry, which includes chicken, geese, pheasant, quail, and ducks!

Ben Franklin wanted the turkey to be our national bird.

What is our national bird?

Photos courtesy of Minnesota Turkey Growers Association and The National Turkey Federation

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