Kingslover doesn't mess around. She gets to the point, slightly euphemistically, but she gets there all the same. In chapter 19, Kingslover begins describing the process of breeding turkey's at a large-scale operation. While not getting into all the details, she describes how the birds have been genetically modified to grow so large (a result of our need for more turkey) that they cannot breed themselves. In fact, most turkeys nowadays never breed naturally, but rather, through artificial insemination. It's a highly mechanized process that seems rather gross, but as no one points out, it is simply a reaction to the consumers (that's us) needs. The fundamental issue behind these turkey breeding techniques remains that we, the consumers, demand a unhealthily high amount of meat and the company's simply deliver. This, however, is still an issue to be looked at in terms of the welfare of all animals.
To learn more about the technical turkey breeding process, please read the following link
http://newstandardnews.net/content/index.cfm/items/4123
And if you're feeling really up to it, please read this article from the non-profit organization United Poultry Concerns that exposes the nitty-gritty aspects of this practice firsthand.
Reader discretion is advised because as this article is a first person testimonial, it does get a little...detailed.
http://www.upc-online.org/fall94/breeding.html
Jamison Porter
Jamison, that's just really...unnecessary, don't you think? Why are we at this level? Disgusting!
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