Common Ground ordered 350 Broad Breasted Bronze turkeys this past March. Stan purchased the turkeys as day-old hatchlings and they have lived on the farm ever since. As chicks, they live together in a open indoor enclosure (not in cages) under heat lamps for several weeks. Once they are feathered, they are moved outside to certified organic pasture. They are regularly moved to new areas of pasture, defined by temporary fences. Although they are too heavy to fly, they can hop the fence, and according to Stan, they break out on a regular basis to wander around the farm. They are very social and always wander in groups; and they like people, so they will usually follow the farmer back to their pasture. From late spring to early fall they eat grass, other vegetation and insects, and are also fed a blend of organic grains and whole soy which Stan grows on his land to feed his livestock. Triple S Farms also raises beef cattle, several breeds of pigs, and chickens both for meat and eggs. (And some ducks, and one eccentric guinea fowl.)

 Turkeys are native to North America and were first domesticated by early Mesoamericans. Domestic turkeys were brought to Europe in the 1500s and developed into a variety of breeds. Modern domestic turkeys, including several "bronze" breeds, were later developed for commercial use in the late 1700s by crossing the turkeys bred in Europe with wild turkeys from the US.  The resulting birds were heavier and more robust than European turkeys, but tamer than wild ones. It was not until the 1940s that intensive turkey farming and advances in refrigeration made turkeys both affordable and widely available. The Broad Breasted Bronze, developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, is larger than the original "standard" Bronze. It was the preferred breed for commercial use until the development of the Broad Breasted White, which is now the dominant breed in the US.