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THANKSGIVING THEN AND NOW: POULTRY SCIENCE AND THE EVOLUTION OF THE TURKEY INDUSTRY

Poultry Science Research Helped Ease the Transition from Seasonal to Year-Around Production of Turkeys, Says The Poultry Science Association

SAVOY, IL (November 20, 2008) – Turkey remains the proud centerpiece of the Thanksgiving meal for most Americans, and for many the Christmas meal as well. But unlike their grandparents a half century ago, today's cooks have a wider variety of birds and products to choose from, and they don't have to wait for one of the major winter holidays to roll around – they can make any day a turkey day.

These advances were made possible by changes in the turkey industry. Many of these changes were, in turn, driven by advances in poultry science, particularly in the areas of reproduction and production, according to The Poultry Science Association (PSA).

Reproduction

In the 1950s, only relatively small-bodied, whole-body turkeys were available for retail sale. These birds were hatched in late spring and sent to market just before Thanksgiving. Consumers who wanted turkey at any time other than the period from Thanksgiving to Christmas were usually out of luck.

The industry's decision to deliver an always-available product meant that hatching eggs had to be produced throughout the year. This created the desire for better control of the timing of the reproductive cycle. According to Dr. Sally L. Noll, first vice president of PSA and a professor in the Department of Animal Science at the University of Minnesota and the 2008 recipient of the National Turkey Federation (NTF) Research Award, improvements in this area have been delivered – and further developments are still being pursued – by poultry researchers.

"Early researchers recognized that lighting conditions affect egg production rates. Today, we have come a long way in refining that understanding. Researchers such as Mohamed El Halawani at the University of Minnesota, for example, are studying how a specific wavelength of red light stimulates egg production," said Noll.

According to Prof. Noll, poultry researchers are also examining areas such as how incubation conditions affect the performance of progeny. In addition, she called attention to the development of semen collection and artificial insemination techniques as areas that have yielded huge benefits to industry in terms of reduced production costs, noting that while natural mating conditions are roughly one tom to 10 hens, improvements in semen quality and breeder tom selection have improved this ratio to one tom per 30 hens. Others have speculated that a ratio of one tom to 50 hens may one day be possible.

Production

The decision to make turkey meat available to consumers throughout the year also led to the development of housing facilities for year-around production, to protect birds from harsh conditions in winter and at other times.

"Early work on developing appropriate but affordable housing for year-around production has given way to research on making further refinements to many of the characteristics of these facilities. For example, poultry scientists at Kentucky, Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota have established how characteristics of the air in turkey/poultry houses affect production, and have then taken steps to help industry improve those conditions," said Prof. Noll.

Prof. Noll also called attention to research on what temperatures turkeys should be kept at during the grow-out process, and at how to deliver the most efficient and humane balance of feed vs. fuel in terms of providing warmth for turkeys during this period.

"Keeping barns a little cooler means that turkeys will need to eat a little more feed to make up the difference in the warmth they need by generating it metabolically. The increased feed intake often results in better growth as an added benefit. This is an approach that makes sense when fuel costs are soaring and feed is relatively cheaper. If fuel costs fall and feed costs rise, then this process can be reversed. But maximizing cost efficiencies for producers requires an understanding of how to optimize the feed-vs.-fuel ratio for different possible scenarios. Poultry scientists first researched this problem in the 1970s and 80s, but have recently begun looking at the issue again to match temperature conditions for the fast growing birds," said Noll.

Poultry researchers focusing on turkey continue to look at ways to improve efficiencies for turkey producers and to help them deliver an even better product for consumers – at Thanksgiving and throughout the year.

About PSA

The Poultry Science Association (PSA) is a global scientific society dedicated to the discovery and dissemination of knowledge generated by poultry research – knowledge that enhances human and animal health and well-being and provides for the ethical, sustainable, and economical production of food. Founded in 1908, PSA has a global membership of about 3,500. For more information, go to www.poultryscience.org.