Mutant Turkeys

[Patty Hann]

Most folks here are familiar with Norman Rockwell's painting of a Thanksgiving Dinner.
Titled "Freedom from Want" it is the third of the four paintings in the "The Four Freedoms" series.
This one appeared in the The Saturday Evening Post in 1943.

The first time I saw it something about it seemed just a little off, but I couldn't put my finger on it.
Finally it struck me: the turkey looked totally different than what than what I was used to seeing; it looked rather flat.

Compare that NR turkey to the typical turkey we see.
Ours have been deliberately mutated over the years to have an enormous breast (Mae West, call your office ) because of people's overwhelming preference for the white meat.

NR.jpg Turkey.jpg

[Mike Chance in Iowa]

Wow. VERY observant!

[Warren Lake]

might be implants

[mike stenson]

Chickens also bear little resemblance to their former selves.

[julian abram]

Yes, good eye. In the 1970's poultry companies began selective breeding programs for larger breasts to be a larger percent of body weight. Why? Because American consumers preferred white meat (nuggets, tenders, etc.) and were willing to pay a premium over dark meat. When I left the poultry industry, most dark meat was shipped to China and 3rd world companies as frozen drums and thighs.
Also, if you notice the change in body type of hogs over the decades. Up until the 1960's our hogs were "lard" type hogs which were fat, larger bodied with 2+" of backfat. Now the market is for "meat" type hogs which are lean, long bodied and very little fat. Consumers no longer need or want large amounts of fat for lard.
Domestic meat and animal products continually change to meet consumers demand as in all industries.

[Jim Koepke]

It is all in selective breading and feeding.

Though it reminds me of a story about Winston Churchill:

While being served a cold chicken lunch in America, Churchill asked the hostess: "May I have some breast?"

"Mr Churchill," she replied, "In this country we ask for white meat or dark meat."

The next day Churchill had an orchid delivered to her, along with the message: "I would be obliged if you would pin this on your white meat."

jtk

[Patty Hann]

might be implants

lol xxxxxx

[Paul F Franklin]

Never really understood the preference for the white meat. Even if the turkey is carefully prepared, to me the dark meat is more flavorful and juicier. Different strokes, I guess. We dry brine and spatchcock the turkey, and the white meat comes out pretty good, but I still prefer the dark meat.

[Stan Calow]

Some of you may know if this is true or not, but my understanding is that the difference between white and dark meat is the dark meat had more blood flow and exercise (aeration) than white.

[Bill Dufour]

lol xxxxxx

Pretty much all turkey has liquid injections so it does not get dry. As to where it gets those injections I do not know. The FDA outlawed breast injections decades ago. only sealed implants allowed.
Bill D

[Rich Engelhardt]

Blame it all on Mike Rowe & Dirty Jobs season 4 episode 13... :O

[Frederick Skelly]

It is all in selective breading and feeding.

Though it reminds me of a story about Winston Churchill:

jtk

Good story Jim!

Patty, you have sharp eyes Ma’am!

[Allan Dozier]

As Jim said it is selective breeding. Examples abound. Chickens for meat consumption now mature much, much faster than the old varieties. Holstein dairy cows produce an astronomical amount of milk over the same breed years ago. An interesting and somewhat disturbing fact concerning chickens bred for egg laying. The chicks are sexed and the females sent to egg producing farms but the males are destroyed. The males of that breed can't grow meat nearly as fast as the ones bred for meat so it is economically unfeasible to feed them for meat production.