Commercial Turkeys: Presently and in 1960

choi

Jo Craven McGinty, Talking Turkey: Why Your Bird Weighs More. Wall Street Journal, Nov 21, 2015.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/talk ... ghs-more-1448015402

Quote:

"In 1960, the average commercial turkey—the kind many of us will serve for Thanksgiving—weighed 16.83 pounds. Today, the average turkey is 81% larger, weighing in at more than 30 pounds.  To put that into perspective * * * (According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, today’s average man weighs 195.5 pounds, an increase of 18%.)

"Commercially raised broad-breasted white turkeys, the most common supermarket variety, range from 14 pounds [a young hen] to 70 pounds [a breeding tom]

"A breeder tom is the largest of lot. It weighs 50 to 70 pounds, and its desirable characteristics—namely, its enormous breast and the speed with which it grows ['They’re more or less selected for breast meat and growth rate'] —are passed on genetically through selective breeding.  Because the breeder tom’s girth precludes it from mating naturally, commercial turkeys are bred through artificial insemination.

"At 14 to 20 pounds, young hens, which are raised 12 to 14 weeks, are the smallest of the commercially raised turkeys. Dressed turkeys weigh about 80% of their live weight, and these birds are sold as 11- to 16-pound whole birds.  Most Thanksgiving turkeys are heavy ['don't lay eggs. They are raised 15 to 16 weeks, weigh 22 to 24 pounds'] or young hens.

Note:
(a) "poults, or turkey chicks"

poult (n): "a young fowl; especially : a young turkey"
www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/poult

(b) "[d]ressed turkeys"
(i) dress (vt): "to prepare for use or service; specifically : to prepare for cooking or for the table <dress a salad>"
www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dress
(ii) In other words, a dressed turkey is without feather, head/ neck, feet, and innards 內臟.