Heritage turkeys are alternatives to broad-breasted whites

Stephanie Lesnik holds a Narragansett turkey at her Field House

Farm in Connecticut. (Lancaster Farming photo by Art Petrosemolo)

The broad-breasted white turkey may be in short supply this Thanksgiving, forcing consumers to buy smaller birds, but those are not the only option. Heritage-breed turkeys could become a new tradition, writes Art Petrosemolo, a correspondent for Pennsylvania-based Lancaster Farming.

Stephanie Lesnik, who operates Field House Farm in south-central Connecticut, began raising heritage birds about 10 years ago. Lesnik told Petrosemolo she tried raising broad-breasted turkeys, but found them too large. She learned that heritage breeds like Narragansett and Bourbon Reds, native to New England, were easier to raise, and have better flavor. 

Lesnik's turkeys are raised primarily outdoors and are allowed to mate. "The flock’s natural breeding contrasts with artificial insemination, which is widely used in commercial turkeys because they are too bulky to mate effectively," Petrosemolo reports. "The birds are easy keepers and breed yearly, providing offspring that grow to maturity — 13 to 20 pounds — in 28 weeks."

Gregory Martin, a Penn State Extension poultry educator, told Petrosemolo that the taste of the heritage turkey might not be for everyone: "The number of families who eat a heritage turkey is pretty small. I think it really comes down to a preference for dark meat and a turkey with large legs as opposed to the broad-breasted varieties with lots of white meat that have dominated the market."

Lesnik has built a following for her turkeys, "a loyal group of extended family, friends and regular customers, some who drive in from surrounding states, to purchase a fresh, never frozen, turkey for their Thanksgiving or Christmas table," Petrosemolo writes. The American Poultry Association recognizes eight heritage turkey breeds — Beltsville Small White, Black, Bourbon Red, Bronze, Narragansett, Royal Palm, Slate and White Holland.