Photo by Associated Press Bourbon Red and Midget White turkeys walk in an enclosure in front of the Plantation house at the Ayrshire Farm in Upperville, Va. These birds have longer legs and narrower breasts than the beachball-shaped turkey that will end up on most Thanksgiving Day tables. What they lack in heft, however, these heritage birds make up in flavor.

Did you know that the standard turkeys available in most supermarkets are bred to be so top-heavy, they waddle rather than walking? The broad-breasted fowl most of us will eat at Thanksgiving dinner are designed to grow excessively large breast meat, to feed the American fascination with lean white meat. Their generous breasts mean that they cannot mate naturally. Most people know that standard supermarket turkeys are not normally allowed to run free, and they're fed a diet of antibiotics and hormones to keep them healthy and plump.

Contrast that with the flocks of turkeys living at Ayrshire Farm in Middleburg, Va.

These birds run around on legs so long and muscular, they looked otherworldly. Male turkeys displayed their tail feathers, gobbled excitedly, and strutted through the grass. Besides being given the space to behave as turkeys naturally do, these turkeys were given a long, productive lifespan. They grow naturally, often taking over twice the amount of time to reach slaughter weight than a standard turkey.

These were tall, lean birds, in a rainbow of colors from unusual and historic breeds. The Midget Whites were not really midgets, but they were smaller than the other breeds. There were Bourbon Red turkeys, a breed created in Kentucky and recognizable by a russet color. Slate turkeys had a light gray color punctuated by a coral-colored wattle.

During a tour of the farm, I learned that wild turkeys sometimes fly in and join the flock at Ayrshire -- clearly a sign that the feral birds know a good thing when they see it. I asked what they do about the wild turkeys. Dan Schrider explained, "We just let them hang out, eat the food, enjoy it here."

The farm does not process the wild turkeys that fly in, but it does process its own turkeys in a sparkling facility on-site. The turkeys are certified humane and organic, and they are kept in a controlled environment from the moment they are plucked from the field to the moment they are ready to be cooked and eaten. All of the turkeys we sampled were raised at Ayrshire Farm on the same feed, processed at Ayrshire Farm, and prepared in the same fashion with the same ingredients by chefs at Ayrshire Farm. The result was probably as close to a vertical tasting as possible.

I have tasted heritage, organic and free-range turkeys. But, I had never tasted these sorts of turkeys. I have eaten many supermarket turkeys over the course of my life. The turkeys at Ayrshire Farm were unlike anything I have tasted before.

My favorite was the Black Spanish turkey, which was rich with flavor and had a terrific, complex aroma. I also loved the Midget White, a turkey bred to be smaller than the standard broad-breasted white turkey — its meat was sweet and aromatic. All of the nine breeds I sampled were worthy of serving on Thanksgiving, but the meat is much richer and more flavorful than that of a standard bird. I think the meat is more satisfying — a more turkeylike turkey — and therefore you might want to eat less of it.

The chefs at Ayrshire also prepared sample specimens of each variety of turkey from the tasting, so we could see what the whole birds looked like after roasting and before carving. These birds looked very different from my image of a whole roasted turkey. The legs are much longer and more muscular. The breasts are slimmer and also more muscular, and the breasts are not nearly as meaty as those I picture when thinking of turkey.

The methods used in raising these sorts of turkeys are expensive and time-consuming, and the price of an Ayrshire Farms turkey reflects this. You can also find birds that are organic, or free-range, or locally raised, or possibly all of the above through our local farmers markets, My Organic Market and Common Market in Frederick . (Ayrshire Farms ships their turkeys for a fee, or you can pick it up at their Home Farm store in Middleburg if you happen to be in Loudoun County, Va.)

Is it worth the extra money? It is if you place your priorities on old-fashioned flavor and you don't require an excess of white breast meat on your holiday table.

Ayrshire Farm is located in Upperville, Va. They can be found online at www.ayrshirefarm.com or reached at 540-592-7018.

The Home Farm Store, which sells Ayrshire Farm meats, is in Middleburg, Va., and can be found at www.homefarmstore.com.