Portia Williams | Daily Times

Steph Pauley Co-Owner of Pauley’s Rowdy Acres surrounded by Breasted turkeys raised by she and her husband Jim on their turkey farm

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Portia Williams

PDT Staff Writer

Pauley’s Rowdy Acres, in Franklin Furnace, has been raising turkeys to sell for the Thanksgiving holiday for 12 years,and owner by Jim and Steph Pauley said they have enjoyed it ever since.

“We raise the Heritage Breed turkeys, and we sell them to the public for Thanksgiving every year. We really because we really believe in sustainability, and the whole genetic diversity in these animals,” Steph Pauley said.

Heritage Breed turkeys consist of Bourbon Red, Narragansetts, Royal Palms, White Hollands, Black Spanish, Standard Bronze, Lavender, Lilac, Midget Whites, Jersey Bluff, and Beltsville Small Whites. Pauley said that the Broad Breasted Whites became increasingly popular in the 1960’s.

“In the 1960’s, factory farms began to dominate food production. This created a greater demand of high breast meat production in a short period of time. Thus, the Broad Breasted Whites became popular,” Pauley said.

According to Pauley, Broad Breasted whites were selectively bred and genetically modified in the 1950’s due to a demand for more breast (white) meat at a lower cost. They take half the time to raise and therefore prices average about $1.39 per pound compared to the heritage breeds average price of $7 per pound.

“Basically, they are older breeds before we industrialized, before industrial agriculture came in, and genetically modified the turkeys to augment the size of the turkey, causing it to grow in less time,” she said.

Pauley said the process caused the Heritage Breed turkeys to become endangered, and99 percent of the turkeys that are raised in the U.S are Broad Breasted whites.

“We are starting just now, just in the last five years, beginning to see more farmers to raise these turkeys, and we have created a lot of awareness of these turkeys and how good they are in comparison to the Broad Breasted whites,” Pauley said.

The Heritage Breed is more costly, and takes longer to breed, but Pauley said she believes the Heritage Breeds are the better choice. Pauley also said the Heritage breeds provide a much better taste, and have a dark meat that is juicy and much more flavorful.

“The Heritage breeds are what our forefathers ate. They can fly, they can naturally reproduce, and withstand disease much better to the Broad Breasted whites,” she said.

The process to place orders for the Heritage Breed can be done through e-mail, or accessing the company website. For more information regarding Pauley’s Rowdy Acres, and the Hertigage Breed turkeys, visit online at www.pauleysrowdyacres.com.

Portia Williams may be reached at 740-353-3101, ext. 286 or portiawilliams@heartlandpublications.com.