Apparently the pride of the Turks Poultry (Foxton) fleet viewed sporting its personalised CRNFED plate signifying “Turks corn-fed chicken”, snapped during a drop off at New World Levin on Tuesday, 9 August 2016.
Plates History:
CRNFED – 14 May 2015
JBC438 – 7 April 2015
Turk’s barn-raised chickens are extraordinary.
In line with the finest European traditions, Turk’s chickens are corn-fed. They have tapped this centuries old secret to produce healthy chickens with delicious flavour….You first see that from their golden skin, reflecting all the goodness of sun-ripened corn.
NEW FREE RANGE SHEDS PRODUCE 30,000 CHICKENS A WEEK NEAR FOXTON
19 January 2016
By JILL GALLOWAY
Ron Turk is the managing director of Turks Poultry based in Foxton, with chicken sheds in Himatangi.
Ron Turk would like to bust a few chicken myths.
Myth buster number one: There are no hormones in New Zealand chicken and there hasn’t been for more than 40 years, he says.
He doesn’t know if hormones are used in other counties.
The second myth that New Zealand meat chickens are raised in cages is also untrue. They have never been raised in cages.
Day old chicks arrive and grow for up to 42 days before they are processed
Contrary to popular belief, chickens don’t like bright sunshine, strong winds or conditions which are too cold.
Turk should know what he’s talking about. He is part owner with the Pedison and Stella families of seven new free-range sheds producing 30,000 chickens a week. The name of the enterprise is Le Poulet Fabuleux, which translated means "fabulous chicken".
There are 30,000 chickens in each shed.
Day old chicks arrive and grow for up to 42 days before they are processed. Between the six growing weeks a week is reserved for cleaning the shed. The rotation between seven sheds meand each week a shed of 30,000 chickens is sent to the market. During that time food and water is available on demand.
The chickens are taken to a processing plant in Foxton. About 90 per cent of them are sold fresh with the remainder frozen and they are sold to supermarket and other stores, restaurants or exported to Asia.
The chickens have the option to go outside too.
The shed looks like new after been cleaned. The new chicks are put in one half of the shed which has been heated to 32 degrees which is the temperature under a mother hen.
"We reduce it half a degree a day. We give them the whole shed at day seven."
He says Caldow Builders began building the first shed 14 months ago with another shed built every nine weeks until the last one was completed just before Christmas.
Some chicken runs have yet to be completed. The sheds are 140 metres long and 16m wide (2240sq metres).
Each shed has a concrete floor and a steel frame and its walls and roof are made of insulation panels. The shed has large shutters to release heat and large pop holes for the birds to roam outside in the grass runs once they are well feathered at about 19 days old.
"The chickens go outside early in the morning, they like cloudy days. They don’t like bright sunshine and will go inside, they are scared of being a meal for a hawk so we put netting over their run which also cuts the brightness of the sun. We are still trying ways to encourage more birds further out from the shed."
Turk is a man who is happy to show people the farm. There is no secret squirrel stuff at the new sheds.
He wants people to know how it all works.
"If you are not proud of what you do, then you shouldn’t do it".
Computers in each shed control the lights, feeding and temperature and shows visitors on site all the information they need to know to grow good healthy chickens, Turk says.
"The breed of chicken is cobb and there are males and females. Genetic selection to produce birds with more breast meat led to some leg problems which was quickly addressed that now we have very little leg issues."
Turk says they like the growing farms to be close to the processing plant so the chickens don’t have to travel far. The furthest farm is 35 minutes away, and Turk says he wouldn’t want the distance any further.
Biosecurity and chicken health are a high priority at the operation, as is animal welfare.
Entering any shed requires a sanitised foot bath and then there is a line which can only be crossed by people wearing overalls, clean gumboots and a hairnet and who have sterilised their hands.
"Our farms operate well above the industry standards," says Turk.
He has only good things to say about Horizons Regional Council and Horowhenua District Council which have both been helpful and supportive. The Ministry of Primary Industries audits all New Zealand chicken farms.
The chicken operation is the major employer in the Horowhenua town.
"This new farm has added an extra 30 jobs at Turks Poultry in Foxton," says Turk.
Turk considers himself a logical type of guy and initially thought all people would be much the same. After undergoing some training including personality profiling he has a better appreciation of the differences between people.
Four years and a lot of training later, he says the company is a different and better place.
Turk is strong on governance with a board of directors made up of family and two independent directors, one who is the chairman.
"Training is high in the list of priorities on all levels of the company. This helps team members not only at work but also in their personal life."
He is proud of the business-focussed Foxton operation and providing jobs for people in the area.
A bit more about Ron Turk.
Ron Turk is the managing director of Turk’s Poultry Farm Ltd.
Turks has 210 people employed. There are IT people, compliance (quality) people, truck drivers, engineers, and many others.
They process 25000 birds a day, and add value with smoked chicken, chicken sausages and lots more.
About 500 tonnes of chicken feed is made and consumed a week. Part of that mix uses 14,000 tonne of local maize a year.
Ron Turk says chickens grow fast with good weight gain and few leg problems. New Zealand has the best health status for chicken growing in the world, he says. Day old chicks arrive and grow for up to 42 days before they are processed
The chickens are sold mainly in the North Island. It is also exporting to Japan and other countries. – Stuff
TURK’S POULTRY OPERATIONAL HISTORY
Turk’s Poultry Farm Ltd is a family owned and operated poultry production and processing unit that is vertically integrated from rearing to sales and dispatch of poultry products. The business currently employs 150 staff at 5 locations from Auckland to Foxton and has been operating in the Kapiti-Horowhenua district since 1966 as an Egg producer and since 1996 as a broiler chicken production unit.
HistoryTurks Poultry was founded by Mr John Turk (Snr) with his original business plan. With the support of his wife, family and dedicated staff, hard work and commitment to its ideals it has grown into the business and staff structure that it is today. Turks Poultry Farm Ltd now deals in products and services that include Eggs, Poultry Products, Small Goods, and an Engineering Firm.
This diverse and challenging range of products and services is still in the hands of the family and as such, is one of the few 100% New Zealand owned and operated poultry operations.
Turk’s market is predominately in the North Island with the main site in Foxton and a depot in Auckland.
Turk’s Poultry has an excellent working relationship with a diverse group of suppliers who are involved in the business from raising the chickens and grain through contract growing, to supply of packaging and parts and machinery.
