http://blogs.wsj.com/numbers/behind-the-...g-in-2153/
EXCERPT: [...] Last year, the average commercial turkey weighed 30.39 pounds, an increase of 81% from 1960, when it weighed only 16.83 pounds, and in recent years, that extra weight has been spread among fewer birds. In 1996, the commercial poultry industry produced more than 293 million turkeys with an average weight of 23.65 pounds. Last year, fewer than 237 million turkeys came to market, but their average weight was 30.39 pounds.
[...] “For the last 25 or 30 years or longer, turkeys are made by artificial insemination,” said Michael Lilburn, a poultry expert at Ohio State University. “What you’re selecting for is body weight. You pick the big birds. You selected the fastest-growing....”
EXCERPT: [...] Last year, the average commercial turkey weighed 30.39 pounds, an increase of 81% from 1960, when it weighed only 16.83 pounds, and in recent years, that extra weight has been spread among fewer birds. In 1996, the commercial poultry industry produced more than 293 million turkeys with an average weight of 23.65 pounds. Last year, fewer than 237 million turkeys came to market, but their average weight was 30.39 pounds.
[...] “For the last 25 or 30 years or longer, turkeys are made by artificial insemination,” said Michael Lilburn, a poultry expert at Ohio State University. “What you’re selecting for is body weight. You pick the big birds. You selected the fastest-growing....”