Turkey meat is bouncy, juicy, low in fat and high in protein, loved in Christmas roast turkey and Chiayi turkey rice alike

Whether it is the roast turkey dishes that suit the Christmas season, or the Chiayi turkey rice that people love, turkey is bouncy and chewy, juicy and delicious. Beyond its unique flavor, it also offers the nutritional value of "three highs, four lows and one no," making it a high-quality protein source with strong potential for the healthy food market. However, most roast turkeys sold on the market use imported turkey. How can domestic turkey be identified? Does Chiayi turkey rice use domestically produced turkey meat? And where can fresh turkey usually be bought?

In recent years, in order to open up sales channels, domestic turkey producers have cooperated to develop diversified turkey processed products, from fresh cut turkey meat to sausages, meatballs, turkey floss, smoked shredded turkey and more, hoping to open up the retail and cut-meat markets and see turkey meat appear on ordinary family dining tables.

Turkey has many benefits: "three highs, four lows and one no," a high-quality protein source

In the early years, raising turkeys was a common rural sideline. Later, as industry and commerce rose and people moved to cities, and with the opening of frozen turkey meat imports starting in the 73rd year of the Republic of China, domestic turkey production shrank from a peak of more than 500,000 birds per year to around 200,000.

In recent years, turkey production has shown an upward trend, and "turkey rice" has become one of the representative inexpensive snacks, bringing consumers a closer understanding of turkey cuisine. Chen Ping-yen, chairman of the Taiwan Turkey Industry Promotion Association, pointed out that turkey meat has the characteristics of "three highs, four lows and one no": high minerals, high protein and high calcium; the four lows are low fat, low cholesterol, low calories and low sodium; and the "one no" is that it is rich in unsaturated fatty acids. It is nutritionally rich and an excellent protein source, meeting modern people's demands for health and wellness. Although turkey belongs to a "micro-industry" within animal husbandry, with an output value of about 500 million, it still has considerable development potential in the future.

The turkey raising period is as long as 5 to 6 months, longer than the growing weeks of ordinary meat chickens. Hens are raised for at least 4 months and toms for 4.5 months. "That is why turkey meat tastes firmer, with better texture and flavor, juicy and not dry." said Chien Chang-chin, who has more than 30 years of raising experience and is currently chairman of the Republic of China Turkey Raising Association.

Turkey production areas: Tainan, Yunlin and Chiayi; most are hatched from North American turkey eggs

When people think of chicken rice, they think of "Chiayi," but the largest number of turkeys in Taiwan is raised in Tainan, accounting for about 37% of the national flock, followed by Yunlin County (34%) and Chiayi County (28%%), with the three counties and cities together reaching more than 99% of the national total. "White-feathered" turkeys are the mainstream for raising, because "black-feathered turkeys" grow more slowly and have less economic value than "white-feathered turkeys."

At present, Taiwan cannot artificially breed turkeys on a large scale. More than 80% of turkeys are hatched from fertilized eggs imported from the United States and Canada, namely "turkey eggs." Mainly two suppliers import North American turkey eggs, hatch them into poults (referring to turkeys within 1 month of age) and then sell them to other poultry farmers to raise.

Chien Chang-chin himself operates a "poult farm." He pointed out that a turkey hen lays only 50-80 eggs per year, and Taiwan's hot climate makes turkey egg production even lower. The environment is not suitable for developing a breeding turkey industry, so large farms mostly use North American imported turkey eggs for hatching. Many turkey farmers also report that turkeys hatched from North American imported turkey eggs have a better feed conversion rate, while breeding and brooding on their own comes with problems of low egg production and lower economic value. They hope official research institutions will soon breed turkey varieties suitable for raising in Taiwan's climate and develop management methods suited to the local environment, so as to improve turkey production efficiency.

On the other hand, turkeys have relatively poor disease resistance, so biosecurity management must be strengthened during raising. Chien Chang-chin pointed out that turkeys have weaker resistance when they are "becoming adults" (referring to growing from medium chickens to large chickens, about more than 3 months of growth), are very delicate, and require especially careful care. Turkey farmer Chen Yu-jen also observed that avian influenza used to prevail mostly in autumn and winter, but now cases have appeared one after another in summer as well, so poultry farmers must strengthen epidemic prevention and disease elimination work throughout the year.