

CHAPTER VI 



Marketing 



Time of Marketing. The two principal times of year 

 when turkeys are in great demand are the Thanksgiving 

 and Christmas holiday seasons. It is at this time that the 

 great majority of turkeys is shipped to market as the de- 

 mand for this class of poultry is especially heavy. Tur- 

 keys in lesser quantities are shipped to market at other 

 seasons, but compared with the Thanksgiving and Christ- 

 mas trade this casual shipment is of very minor volume 

 and goes principally to supply hotel and restaurant trade. 

 Usually there is more or less of a surplus of turkeys for 

 the Thanksgiving and Christmas markets accumulating 

 between these two dates, which is put into cold storage 

 and is later withdrawn as the demand occasions, largely 

 to supply hotel and restaurant trade. 



Size of Young Turkeys. Where some standard vari- 

 ety is kept and where the stock is strong and vigorous 

 and the youngsters have been given an opportunity to 

 make good growth, there should be no difficulty in getting 

 cockerels to weigh 15 to 20 pounds and pullets 12 to 14 

 pounds for the Thanksgiving market, or in other words 

 at an age of five to six months. Many of the ordinary 

 mongrel flocks will of course fail to reach these weights, 



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