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The turkeys spend their days in the meadow; at night they are housed in so-called igloos to protect them from the cold and from foxes
The turkey enclosure can be made larger or smaller depending on conditions, for example if the ground becomes muddy
In the moing the animals are fed (no hormones or antibiotics) and their stalls are cleaned
Bühlhof began as a dairy farm in 1942. Turkeys were added in 1984
An aviary for wild bees and a goat's skull on the side of a stall
Christian Muheim takes an order for a turkey
The turkeys weigh between four and 18 kilograms
Before the turkey is decapitated, it is stunned by a blow to the head. Muheim says he apologises to every animal he kills
In the meantime, Luzia Muheim picks raspberries. In summer, berries replace turkeys as the core business
A hot bath makes it easier to remove the feathers
A rapidly rotating plucking machine removes the turkey's feathers
Remaining feathers are plucked by hand, the feet are broken off and the innards are removed. Heart, liver, stomach and neck are delivered on request
The bird is cleaned with a hose inside and out
The feathers are then disposed of and the floor cleaned
The meat spends a few hours in a cold room before being cleaned again and then packaged
After that, the other animals stretch their legs around the farm
Galerie über eine Truthahnschlachtung
Overlooking Lake Lucee, at the foot of Mount Rigi, is the municipality of Greppen. Bühlhofexteal link is home to Christian and Luzia Muheim, as well as their three children, 12 milk cows, three Stiefelgeiss goats, a cat and around 200 turkeys. And no partridges or pear trees in sight.
The animals come to the family farm at six weeks old. Almost 400 turkeys are fattened and slaughtered every year – the females at 100 days, the males at 130 days. One large buyer is the catering section of the Lake Lucee Navigation Company, but most of the family’s income is from direct sales. Turkeys weighing up to ten kilograms (22lb) can be ordered from October to December – and demand is increasing.
Meat industry umbrella group Proviande says per capita consumption of poultry has risen over the past decade from 10kg to 12kg a year. More is being imported, but more is also being produced domestically.
Andi Schmal, head of Switzerland’s largest turkey producer Frifag, confirms this. Over the past ten years, he says, sales of Thanksgiving or Christmas turkeys have increased more than tenfold: almost 10,000 birds are slaughtered for the two occasions.