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Life of a UK Turkey.Monday, January 29, 2007BBC News Read the full article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/6333073.stm BBC News has an on-line article exzplaining how the birds are raised, caught, slaughtered and processed. It features an aerial layout of an intensive confinement facility. The article notes: "Turkeys can live up to 10 years in the wild. Indoor-farmed turkeys are usually slaughtered between 12 and 21 weeks. Many free-range operations insist on a minimum of about 20 weeks." It mentions that health problems result from genetic selection for rapid weigh gain, and considers stocking density: "Industry and government standards use a formula based on the weight of the birds. They recommend a minimum floor area per bird, in enclosed housing, of 0.026 square metres per kilogram [0.3 sq. ft./2.2 lbs.] - a maximum stocking density of 40kg per square metre" [88 lbs./10.8 sq. ft.]. In comparison, The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA)'s newly revised Welfare Standards for Turkeys sets a maximum stocking density of 25kg/sq. m. [55 lbs./10.8 sq. ft.]. The revised standards also prohibit beak amputation of turkeys raised in "controlled environment housing." The degree of footpad burn of each flock is also to be recorded. |