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Turkeys Are Twice as Big as They Were in 1960 (theatlantic.com)

Posted by msmash on from the what-in-the-world dept.

Alexis Madrigal, writing for The Atlantic: A turkey today is not the turkey of yesteryear. For decades, animal breeders have been transforming the genomes of turkeys to make them grow larger. Since 1960, the weight of turkeys has gone up about a quarter of a pound each year. The average weight of a turkey has gone from 15.1 pounds in 1960 to 31.1 pounds in 2017. And most of that change has been genetic. In one study of a representative strain of turkeys, poultry researchers fed the same diet to turkeys from 2003 and to a control group of turkeys that were representative of that strain's genetic pool from 1966. On average, the 2003 females grew to 33 pounds. Their 1966 cousins only got to 16.3 pounds.

3 of 158 comments (clear)

  1. I don't know about turkey by rsilvergun · · Score: 4, Informative

    since I've always hated the stuff, but modern fruit is just awful. Oranges especially. They grow to the size of grapefruits and as a result the tree can't get enough sugar or flavor to them. They taste like balls of fiber and wax. I stopped buying them. I can by the various breed of tangerines I guess but it's just not the same. I miss real oranges.

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    1. Re:I don't know about turkey by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      Once you've had the REAL stuff it's amazing how hard it is to go back.

      Successfully grew a ton of broccoli in the garden one year, Stuff was so damned good.

      Green beans are the same... once you have REAL fresh stuff, the garbage they sell at the store just tastes like crap.

      Our apple trees (fireside and a honeycrisp, Minnesota grown honeycrisp none of that mush washington crap) produce apples that taste so much better than what you can even get direct from the orchard... I don't even do much with them... fertilizer spikes in the spring, prune in the late winter... and trim back about half the flowers when they are starting to loose the blooms...

      Grow food not lawns.

  2. How much thereof is plumping? by Opportunist · · Score: 3, Informative

    Just in case you're wondering why after cooking your meat has about 10% of its original size, feast your eyes on this.

    In other words, how big is your turkey after roasting for a few hours? Is it still bigger? Or did it "sweat"?

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