Hundreds of frozen turkeys from last year. Butterball says its turkeys didn't fatten up as expected this year meaning its larger birds will be limited. Source: AP
ONE American company has been left confounded as to why some of its turkeys wouldn't plump up in time for thanksgiving this year.
CEO Rod Brenneman of Butterball says that it's the first time it happened and that the company is investigating what went wrong. Butterball had announced last week that it will have a limited supply of large, fresh turkeys that are 16 pounds or heavier for the holidays.
``It's a really good question. We don't have an answer yet,'' Brenneman said when asked about the cause. But he noted that turkeys are ``biological creatures'' subject to a variety of factors.
``For whatever reason, they just didn't gain quite as well this year,'' he said.
Like many other turkey producers, Butterball feeds its birds antibiotics to prevent and treat illnesses, which can occur from living in cramped quarters. The use of antibiotics, which also promote growth in livestock, has been the subject of concern that it could lead to antibiotic-resistant germs.
Butterball, a privately held company based in Garner, North Carolina, declined to say whether it made any changes to its feed this year. But the problem seems to have come up rather recently.
For much of the year, Butterball produces turkeys that are frozen and stored until they're ready to be sold for the holidays. But then in October and November, it shifts into production for fresh turkeys. And that's when the company ran into problems with the turkeys not gaining enough weight, Mr Brenneman said.
SOURCE:news.com.au
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