Friday, November 23, 2007

Give thanks?

"Only a few breeding companies now supply most turkeys reared worldwide - British United Turkeys, Nicholas and Hybrid Turkeys. Reproduction in today’s turkey industry is by artificial insemination (AI). The modern turkey, like the broiler chicken, has been genetically selected to put on weight twice as fast as its counterpart in the wild. Now, male turkeys are too broad-breasted to mate naturally. In the wild, the turkey can fly up to speeds of 50mph, yet the modern male farmed variety cannot fly. Breeding turkeys can weigh as much as an 8-9 year old child."

So, male turkeys can't do the deed any more. The demand for big meat-laden turkeys has caused the ability to reproduce to be bred out of the bird by humans. Their chests are so big that they cannot mount the female. So how do they do it?

2-3 times a week the male turkey, the tom, is milked for his semen. This is done by a human worker who basically masturbates the bird and then sucks the cum into a syringe with a vacuum pump. After that the hens have to be inseminated at the rate of one hen every 12 seconds - making for fast, rough handling. This happens once a week for more than a year. Here's a description from a worker:

"Once you have grabbed her with one hand, you flop her down chest first on the edge of the pit with the tail end sticking up. You put your free hand over the vent and tail and pull the rump feathers upward. At the same time, you pull the hand holding the feet downward, thus 'breaking' the hen so that her rear is straight up and her vent open. The inseminator sticks his thumb right under the vent and pushes, which opens it further until the oviduct is exposed. Into this, he inserts a straw of semen connected to the end of a tube from an air compressor and pulls a trigger, releasing a shot of compressed air that blows the semen solution from the straw and into the hen's oviduct. Then you let go of the hen and she flops away."

We humans are fucked up. Our demand for the product allows us to forget the process and its impact.

The only thanks I will say is No, thanks.

4 comments:

kelsuperstarsinger said...

Imagine if human males became too fat to mate and thus leaving females to be spermed up in this wonderfully descriptive turkey kinda way...I'm with you...NO THANKS

dive said...

Gosh, I know I've not had sex for decades, but I seem to remember it slightly differently. It's marvellous what progress has done in the intervening years. Perhaps I should take it up again.

nina michelle said...

jesus :(

Terroni said...

It's all very yuck...the insemination, the resulting dry bird, the bizarre family we have to share it with--don't get me started.

And on that note, I'm off to have another drink.