Your Gigantic Thanksgiving Turkey Might Be In Danger

Well, this might be another reason to get a heritage turkey this year: The Los Angeles Times reports that Butterball has announced a shortage of "fresh large birds," less than two weeks before Thanksgiving.

According to the Times, Butterball turkeys have had trouble "gaining weight on some of its farms," for unexplained reasons. "We experienced a decline in weight gains on some of our farms causing a limited availability of large, fresh turkeys," a Butterball statement read. Frozen large turkeys, weighing 16 pounds, are still available in the meantime, as well as smaller fresh turkeys.

A shortage might not sound that drastic when it comes to turkeys, but Butterball reportedly churns out 41 million turkeys a year. According to the Times, one out of every four turkeys cooked up on Thanksgiving is from Butterball. Meanwhile, Butterball notes its turkey production will be back to normal by Christmas, but people are already moving onto roast beef by then.