Tom Britt, the Gasport resident who raises more than 1,200 turkeys for Thanksgiving was featured in Sunday's Buffalo News. After you are done dining on avian fare today, take the time to read his informative and entertaining interview on the Buffalo News' website at http://www.buffalonews.com/185/story/869333.html
Here are some snippets from the article...
These days are busy ones for turkey farmer Thomas Britt, whose 34-acre Gasport farm is home to 1,200 turkeys. Britt, 45, works hard to make a living for his family — both on his farm and as a machine repairman at General Motors in Lockport. Growing up on a cattle farm, Britt appreciates the outdoors and believes strongly in the American agrarian tradition he lives to preserve.
PeopleTalk: What's the average life span of a turkey?
Thomas Britt: On this farm, 20 weeks. A friend of mine has had one for five years. It's a pet. Turkeys aren't mean, but they're not overly friendly. They don't run away from you when you walk in the pen.
PT: Describe your turkeys.
TB: They're Nicholas broad-breasted white turkeys, and range 20 weeks of age, 16 weeks and 12 weeks. They're 100 percent grain-fed with no hormones or antibiotics.
PT: Is raising turkeys hard work?
TB: Every day, it's a couple hours. You have to bed them down, take care of them, walk through and make sure everybody's OK. When the poults are young, you have them under big gas brooders for three weeks. It needs to be 95 degrees. That's why a lot of your poultry is raised down south.
