Turkey fattening

Turkeys

At Bühlhof, we used to fatten pigs for our own needs. Then we switched to turkeys for their healthier meat. Soon, people were asking could they buy them, then demand rose, and before we knew it we were in the turkey fattening business.

When we get the animals, they are about six weeks old and we still can’t tell which turkeys are female or male (males have more meat): they are not separated. During the day, the turkeys are free to roam on a meadow. The coops where they spend the night always have full supplies of water and feed. As recommended by IP-Suisse, we feed them FORS 2126 Poulet Endmast, which is free of antibiotics, hormones and coccidiostatics (an active ingredient to kill intestinal parasites).

The animals are slaughtered here on the farm, under the supervision of the cantonal veterinary inspection office. In a dedicated space, we process the meat to joints, breaded turkey, ragout, turkey strips and minced turkey. Rural butcher Sepp Hofmann from Küssnacht takes some of the mince to make his sausages and meatloaf. We also sell turkey legs and entire birds that our customers either carve themselves or serve whole as stuffed turkeys.

We deliver most of our turkey meat to private households. However, we also supply local hospitality businesses like Tavolago: The Chinese hot pot they serve there generally contains meat from our turkeys.