Live thanksgiving birds “taste better”

“People say that once you eat a live turkey, you can never go back again,” said one market customer.

“I thought the smell would be worse, but it ain’t that bad,” said another.

Thousands of turkeys, chickens and other fowl are killed every day at hundreds of live poultry markets around the country, with roughly 90 such places in the New York City area alone.

Most of the nation’s live poultry markets are concentrated in large urban areas with big immigrant populations, such as Miami, Los Angeles and New York.

Once the turkeys are chosen by customers, the butcher binds the birds’ feet and hangs them upside down from a scale.

The bird is slaughtered, plucked and processed, and customers walk out with their fresh thanksgiving turkey in a plastic bag.

Many markets operate year-round, also offering live items like hens, ducks, pheasants, pigeons and rabbits. Some markets operate under strict Muslim halal laws, which require that the animal’s main artery be cleanly severed, with minimal suffering and all blood drained.

Customers pay a premium price for the super-fresh turkey – up to US$1.89 per pound, compared with around US$1 per pound for a supermarket brand.