Summary

THE ONE BILLIONTH TURKEY EGG HAS BEEN LAID AT THE ONE OF THE NATION'S LARGEST TURKEY FARMS.

Source CONUS Archive
Record ID 174351
Story Slug Billionth Turkey Egg
Location Willmar, MN
Format PKG W-TAG
Date 11/24/1999
Archive Time 47:13
TRT 3:01
Supers Willmar, Minnesota Torrey Norling, Willmar Poultry Company Jan Johnson, Hatchery Manager Jan Hood, Supervisor Jason Davis, Reporting
Video Description INTERIOR OF TURKEY FARM, CU TURKEYS, MS TURKEYS, REPORTER AND MAN WALKING, SOT, EGGS IN CARTS, PEOPLE LOADING EGGS, CU AND WS OF EGGS BEING LOADED, GRAPH OF BILLION EGG, CU E1B EGG, CU CHICK WORKING SELF OUT OF EGG, DAVIS BRIDGE, SOT HD 80-85 PERCENT, CART OF CHICKS IN CART, CU CHICKS, CU CHICKS COMING OUT OF EGGS, MS OF CHICKS, PEOPLE HANDLING EGGS, SOT CUTE WHEN HERE BUT WANT TO SEE THEM ON TABLE LATER, MAN CARRYING CART OF EGGS, CU CHICKS, DISSOLVE FROM CHICKS TO TURKEYS, SOT GO FOR TWO, CU COOKED TURKEY, WOMAN TAKING TURKEY OUT OF OVEN AND PUTTING ON COUNTER.
Description THE ONE BILLIONTH TURKEY EGG HAS BEEN LAID AT THE ONE OF THE NATION'S LARGEST TURKEY FARMS.
Script LEAD: AH THE SATISFACTION OF A GOOD TURKEY DINNER. SO JUST WHERE DO YOU THINK THAT TURKEY YOU GOBBLED DOWN CAME FROM? THERE'S A HIGH PROBABLITY IT WAS HATCHED IN MINNESOTA. AS JASON DAVIS SHOWS US, MILLIONS OF TURKEY'S GET THEIR START IN A HUGE HATCHERY IN MINNESOTA. TAKE PKG: IT ALL BEGINS HERE. A BARN CARPETED WITH ABOUT FOUR THOUSAND HEN TURKEYS ALL WORKING ON PRODUCING ABOUT FIVE EGGS EACH A WEEK. THE TURKEYS AER USED TO STAFF WHO WEAR BLUE OVERALLS BUT THE NOISE LEVEL GOES UP WHEN THEY SEE VISITORS LIKE US DRESSED IN SANTIZED WHITE. I'VE NEVER FELT SO POPULAR. SOT "They are looking at us saying are you guys tom turkeys? They've never seen a tom turkey. They are probably curious and making a lot noise saying hey, over here." ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION TAKES CARE OF MAKING THE EGGS FERTILE AND THAT'S IMPORTANT BECAUSE THEY ARE THE PRODUCT. WITHIN HOURS OF BEING LAID THEY ARE SHIPPED TO THE NEARLY HATCHERY, WHICH IS THE BIGGEST IN THE WORLD. SIX HUNDRED THOUSAND EGGS A WEEK COME TO THIS ONE PLANT ALONE. WILLMAR POULTRY SETS NEARLY FIFTY MILLION EGGS A YEAR. AND JUST FEW DAYS AGO THEY HIT A MAJOR MILESTONE.... AND HERE IT IS... E-ONE-B OR EGG ONE BILLION. AND WITHIN A WEEK OR TWO IT WILL PROBABLY DO THIS. NATS STAND UP: "The one billionth egg is just that, an egg. And not all eggs hatch. They don't expect the one billionth turkey here for another seven years." SOT "WE hatch anywhere from eighty to eighty five per cent." NEVERTHELESS MORE THAN ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND MIRACLES TAKE PLACE HERE EVERY DAY. SOMEHOW THE YOLK AND WHITE PRODUCED BY THOSE FRUSTRATED HENS TURNS INTO A PERFECT LITTLE POULTRY. CHICKS ARE FROM CHICKENS. THE INSTINCT TO ESCAPE THE SHELL IS SO STRONG THEY EXHAUST THEMSELVES. IT'S NOT EASY TO BE BORN WHEN YOU ARE BEING STOMPED ALL OVER BY YOUR PEERS. BUT MOST OF THEM MAKE IT AND A TRAY OF SPECKLED EGGS BECOMES A FLUFFY MASS OF LIFE EAGER, ALERT AND CURIOUS. THE FIRST HUMAN THEY MEET IS PROBABLY SUPERVISOR JAN HOOD WHO IS AN EXPERT AT TELLING TOMS FROM HENS. JAN HAS BEEN HANDLING POULTS FOR NEARLY TWENTY YEARS AND STILL LIKES THEM UP TO A POINT. SOT "They are cute while they are here. But I don't want to see them until they are on my table after today." THIS THANKSGIVING THE TURKEY INDUSTRY ISN'T COMPLAINING. THE MARKET IS UP AND FEED IS NATS) THAT'S RIGHT... CHEAP. TORRY NORLING'S GRANDFATHER STARTED THIS WILLMAR POULTRY COMPANY NOW FIFTY YEARS LATER THE INDUSTRY ANNUALLY PRODUCES ONE TURKEY FOR EVERY MAN, WOMAN AND CHILD IN THE UNITED STATES. SOT "So, if you could persuade people to eat two turkeys a year you could double your business? That's right. Go for two!" WELL TODAY AT LEAST, FOR MOST FAMILIES, ONE IS ENOUGH. HAPPY THANKSGIVING. JASON DAVIS, ON THE ROAD IN WILLMAR, MINNESOTA. TAG: IT TAKES ABOUT TWENTY EIGHT DAYS FOR A TURKEY EGG TO HATCH AND IT TAKES FROM THREE TO FIVE MONTHS TO GROW IT TO MARKET SIZE. DAYFEED
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