All the turkey raised for Applegate is third-party certified for animal welfare standards by GAP (Step 1 or higher) or Certified Humane®.
- Breathing room. We provide more space for our turkeys than in other systems. This promotes improved air quality, which is monitored regularly. Organic turkeys have access to the outdoors.
- Day and night. Lighting programs are designed to provide enough hours of darkness to give the turkeys a restful environment and follow the normal daylight/darkness cycles, leading to natural growth rates.
- Keeping busy. Farmers who raise turkeys for Applegate provide environmental enrichments such as toys in the form of hanging ropes, mirrors, and plastic tubing that allow the turkeys to engage in normal behavior like pecking, scratching and playing.
- Watch the toes and beaks. In other systems, turkeys often have toenails trimmed or “conditioned,” to prevent the birds from harming each other. By providing more space, Applegate farmers lessen the chances of the birds scratching each other – eliminating the need for any toe-nail alterations. Applegate only permits conservative beak conditioning to protect the birds from negative pecking behavior, which can occur at times. However, most negative pecking is prevented by providing ample space, diets that meet nutritional needs, fresh air and environmental enrichments.
Meet some of the farmers who supply Applegate.
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