Officials have confirmed that the recent salmonella outbreak has been linked to ground turkey, and the CDC has issued a recall on certain ground turkey products. There have been multiple illnesses reported in Georgia, and one death, with many more sicknesses and fatalities reported across the US.
While the very young, elderly and infirm are most at risk of complications, everyone should be aware of the symptoms and how to minimise risk.
But while we check our fridges and freezers, remove potentially contaminated meat and increase our hygiene and attention to detail when cooking, many are turning their thoughts to home-grown meat.
Chickens are commonly kept as backyard egg layers, and turkeys are rising in their popularity, so why not consider adding a meat producing bird to your backyard flock?
Several breeds often chosen for their egg laying abilities, such as Rocks and Orpingtons, are technically known as 'dual-purpose', meaning that while they are excellent layers, they are equally suited as meat birds for the table. This is also a great way of keeping your chick costs down - the next time you order future layers from a hatchery and choose sexed birds, consider instead ordering straight run. This gives you a pot luck, as hatched bunch of male and female chicks, but will reduce your unit cost significantly. Hens can be reserved as egg layers, and cockerels can be raised to an age where they are ready to be killed and dressed for the table. The age will depend on the breed, but often it is before they begin to crow - and potentially violate neighborhood or town ordinances.
Birds specifically bred to be meat birds, such as Cornish and Cornish mixes are genetically inclined to put on weight faster and will produce a larger bird for the table faster. These can also be purchased straight run from the hatchery relatively cheaply, but care and attention needs to be given to their housing as they often tend to be messier than other kinds of chicks.
As far as turkeys go, many people are venturing into buying the heritage breeds that will reproduce naturally; several of the meatier varieties offered by the hatcheries will not, so decide what your goals are before you purchase. From a hatchery, you will get a good unit price, from a breeder you may manage to purchase eggs from a naturally reproducing breed, which will continue to keep your family in poults and meat for some years to come.
The end result of your meat bird rearing experience is to put fresh food on the table for your family, comfortable knowing where it came from. However, between the raising and the eating must come the killing and the processing, so be sure that you are prepared to deal with that when the time comes. It must be undertaken to ensure minimum suffering to the bird - and the processor!-, and with no contamination of the meat. Videos on YouTube can help you understand the processing and dressing.
Be sure to select a reputable hatchery to buy your initial birds from - remember you will be consuming the meat from these animals so you need to ensure that they are clean and disease free.
Try the following hatcheries to find what you are looking for:
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