The domestic turkey (Meleagris gallopavo domesticus) is a large fowl, one of the two species in the genus Meleagris and the same species as the wild turkey. Although turkey domestication was thought to have occurred in central Mesoamerica at least 2,000 years ago, recent research suggests a possible second domestication event in the area that is now the southwestern United States between 200 BC and 500 AD.
However, all of the main domestic turkey varieties today descend from the turkey raised in central Mexico that was subsequently imported into Europe by the Spanish in the 16th century. Compared to wild turkeys, domestic turkeys are selectively bred to grow larger in size for their meat.
can domestic turkeys fly, what do domestic turkeys eat
Some describe the Standard Bronze as stately and imposing. It could have something to do with the fact that these are among the largest of the heritage turkey breeds. Before they’re even fully mature, these birds can measure an impressive 25 pounds. A cross between wild turkeys and domesticated turkeys from Europe, these are some of the most commonly raised commercial meat birds.
Turkeys have been domesticated for centuries
Turkey relics dating as far back as 25 A.D. suggest that Native Americans domesticated turkeys before Europeans ever set foot on the continent and that turkey-raising may well be one of the oldest forms of organized meat production in the Northern Hemisphere.
Spanish explorers took Mexican wild turkeys domesticated by the Aztecs home to Europe in about 1519 where they spread rapidly through Europe and were introduced in England between 1524 and 1541 and became highly sought after for gourmet dinners.
Where Did The Domestic Turkey Come From?
Domestic turkeys come from the Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo), a species that is native only to the Americas. In the 1500s, Spanish traders brought some that had been domesticated by indigenous Americans to Europe and Asia. The bird reportedly got its common name because it reached European tables through shipping routes that passed through Turkey. On a continent where fine dining still included eating storks, herons, and bustards, the meaty, succulent turkey was a sensation.
Domesticated turkeys come from the very impressive looking Wild Turkey, native to the Americas. Photo by James Mitchell via Birdshare.
The domestic turkey is a popular form of poultry, and it is raised throughout temperate parts of the world, partially because industrialized farming has made it very cheap for the amount of meat it produces. Female domestic turkeys are called hens, and the chicks are poults or turkeylings. In Canada and the United States, male turkeys are called toms ; in the United Kingdom and Ireland they are stags.
The great majority of domestic turkeys are bred to have white feathers because their pin feathers are less visible when the carcass is dressed, although brown or bronze-feathered varieties are also raised. The fleshy protuberance atop the beak is the snood, and the one attached to the underside of the beak is known as a wattle.
What’s the difference between domesticated and wild turkeys?
“The wild turkey in a sprint can outrun a galloping horse for a short distance,” said Charles Ruth, Big Game Program coordinator for the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR). “Although it is one of the largest game birds, weighing between 15 and 25 pounds, it can fly distances of more than a mile, sometimes at speeds of 55 miles per hour.”
Don’t ask a barnyard bird to try any of those feats! The domestic turkey lost its ability to fly through selective breeding that created heavier, broad-breasted birds, a feature much desired by chefs and commercial turkey producers. The shorter legs of the domestic turkey also mean it can’t run as well as its wild cousin.
Adult male turkeys are called toms, and females are called hens. Very young wild turkeys are called poults, juvenile males are jakes, and juvenile females are jennies. A group of turkeys is called a rafter or a flock.
Wild Turkeys and Domestic Turkeys Don’t Have Much In Common
One uniting factor among turkeys is their snood, the fleshy (and, I’ll say it, kind of disturbing) protuberance that hangs from the top of the male turkey’s beaks. Other than that, though, wild and domestic turkeys don’t have much in common.
Wild turkeys are…
Smaller and have darker, firmer meat that has a more intense flavor than their farmed cousins
Stay quiet to avoid predators
Can fly, but not very far.
Domestic turkeys are…
Bred to be white.
Won’t shut their gobs
Bred to have unnaturally large breasts
Can’t fly at all.
Pros of Raising Turkeys
They are cleaner to keep than chickens
Our turkey pen is always cleaner than our chicken pen, and I believe this has to do with the fact that turkeys don’t have that constant instinct to scratch. Our chickens dig through bedding throughout their waking hours and throw soiled bedding everywhere. When you feed turkeys, their food stays where you put it, the water stays bedding free and the droppings are not scattered like they are in our chicken pens.
Facts About Raising Turkeys
Heritage breeds
If you’re thinking about raising turkeys, I encourage you to research heritage breeds. Heritage breeds may not grow to the huge sizes that the white factory turkeys reach, but they are full of flavor. They reproduce on their own (more about this below) and your breeding pairs will live longer lives.
By raising heritage breeds you are also helping to keep these breeds alive. Many heritage breeds are in danger of extinction because backyard keepers aren’t raising turkeys like they were before farm factories were invented. Large-scale farms concentrate on only one or two breeds.
DIET
Turkeys are omnivores and have a diet consisting of seeds, nuts, berries, roots, insects, and salamanders.
Meleagris gallopavo
Domestic turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) fed T. gondii oocysts remained clinically normal except a few that developed pneumonia associated with Aspergillus-like fungi.
