Pastured Turkey Information

SPECIAL NOTICE FOR 2022

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza is having a major impact on the poultry industry in North America this year. Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) is a very contagious virus that causes serious disease and mortality in domesticated poultry such as chickens, turkeys, and ducks. So far this year, 42 states have been affected by the virus. There have been 525 cases this year, totaling 47.8 million birds lost to the disease. The effect on the poultry industry, processors, and farmers has been devastating. For that reason, Koch’s Turkey Farm has been keeping its turkeys indoors in their turkey pens to reduce the risk of contracting the virus. When they are given free range access, they are at a much higher risk of contracting the virus from wild birds and other carriers out in the environment. The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has advised poultry producers in the state to keep poultry indoors, and the animal welfare program administrators and organic certifier have all granted Koch's exemptions on their outdoor access requirements due to the avian influenza threat. Very few commercial poultry operations are giving their poultry outdoor access during this outbreak.

SGFM is proud to offer Free Range, Pastured Heirloom Bronze Turkeys from Koch’s Turkey Farm. This bronze turkey is a very old strain of Orlopp Bronze which has great taste, less fat, and superior meat yields. These turkeys were fed an All Natural Vegetarian Diet, then provided plenty of sunshine and open pastures to roam.

Koch's has been a pioneer in being one of the first to grow antibiotic-free turkeys with an all vegetarian diet. They also have a humane program, being the first turkey producer to be Certified Humane® with over 800,000 turkeys raised annually. Koch's Turkey Farm is also GAP (Global Animal Partnership) approved. The high standards for raising turkeys this way provides Koch's turkeys with twice the amount of space in the turkey barns as is required by normal commercial growing practices.

Koch's Turkey Farm is one of very few family owned turkey farms left committed to producing the cleanest, healthiest, and best tasting turkey you can buy. Their high growing standards focus on a pure vegetarian diet and humane practices resulting in a stress free life for their turkeys, which in turn results in a tender, great tasting turkey.

In addition to the traditional Heritage Bronze Whole Turkeys for Thanksgiving SGFM will also offer two differnt sizes of Heritage Bronze Bone-In Whole Breasts. Throughout the year we expect to have ground meat, wings, breasts, drums, tails, thighs, hearts, livers, gizzards, and other individual parts. Since the production of the Heritage Bronze Whole Turkey is quite limited, the ground meat and various parts will be from Koch's larger flock of Broad Breasted Whites—which are raised in the same manner as their heritage birds.

Free Range, Pastured Heirloom Bronze Turkeys are delicious because they grow slowly, the way nature intended, without growth promoting hormones, stimulants, or antibiotics. The turkeys are fed an All Natural Vegetarian Diet, then provided plenty of sunshine and open pastures to roam. These practices guarantee a delicious, all natural turkey that is unsurpassed in quality. One taste and we are sure you will agree.

When it comes to dark feathered turkeys always expect to see the black pigment spots on the skin and the occasional black pin feathers. You can't see the pin feathers on white turkeys, but they are there. So it's nothing to be concerned about. All Koch's Turkey products are minimally processed using only the finest ingredients and nothing artificial is added.

As for the feed, everyone should understand the science. Many years ago this article was posted on our website. In addtion there is this study from the National Library of Medicine which everyone should read. Claims regarding "no soy and no corn" are meaningless in terms of the nutrition of the meat. It's similar to claims of poultry not being given hormones. That's because nobody gives hormones to poultry because hormones won't improve the growth of a chicken, turkey, duck, etc.--plus it has been against the law to give hormones to poultry for 70 years. Claims such as these are for feelgood marketing purposes and they are repeated so often people end up believing they are meaningful. Even we use the claims when we can just to aovid having to explain over and over again the real science.

Fed non-GMO Vegetarian Feed
Humanely Raised on Pastures
Not Administered Antibiotics or Hormones