Turkey Facts


  1. Wild turkeys can run at speeds of up to 25 miles per hour.
  2. Benjamin Franklin wanted the national bird to be a turkey.
  3. A spooked turkey can run at speeds up to 20 miles per hour. They can also burst into flight approaching speeds between 50-55 mph in a matter of seconds.
  4. So close, yet so far
  5. A wild turkey has excellent vision and hearing. Their field of vision is about 270 degrees. This is the main reason they continue to elude some hunters.
  6. Gobbling starts before sunrise and can continue through most of the morning.
  7. Turkeys fly to the ground at first light and feed until mid-morning. Feeding resumes in mid-afternoon.
  8. Turkeys spend the night in trees. They fly to their roosts around sunset.
  9. Minnesota led the United States in turkey production in 2001. Forty-three million turkeys were produced.
  10. Turkey eggs hatch in 28 days.
  11. The fleshy growth under a turkey’s throat is called a wattle.
  12. Turkeys have a long, red, fleshy area called a snood that grows from the forehead over the bill.
  13. The caruncle is a red-pink fleshy growth on the head and upper neck of the turkey.
  14. Israelis eat the most turkeys.....28 pounds per person.
  15. The costume that "Big Bird" wears on Sesame Street is rumored to be made of turkey feathers.
  16. Turkey skins are tanned and used to make cowboy boots and belts.
  17. Most turkey feathers are composted.
  18. Turkeys have been bred to have white feathers. White feathers have no spots under the skin when plucked.
  19. Turkeys will have 3,500 feathers at maturity.
  20. For their first meal on the moon, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin ate roast turkey in foil packets.
  21. White meat has fewer calories and less fat than dark meat.
  22. Turkey is low in fat and high in protein.
  23. According to the 2002 census, there were 8,436 turkey farms in the United States.
  24. 50 percent of U.S. consumers eat turkey at least once per week.
  25. Eating turkey does not cause you to feel sleepy after your Thanksgiving dinner. Carbohydrates in your Thanksgiving dinner are the likely cause of your sleepiness.
  26. The five most popular ways to serve leftover turkey is as a sandwich, in stew, chili or soup, casseroles and as a burger.
  27. Turkeys have a long, red, fleshy area called a snood that grows from the forehead over the bill.
  28. June is National Turkey Lover’s Month.
  29. Turkey breeding has caused turkey breasts to grow so large that the turkeys fall over.
  30. In England, 200 years ago, turkeys were walked to market in herds. They wore booties to protect their feet. Turkeys were also walked to market in the United States.
  31. Wild turkeys were almost wiped out in the early 1900's. Today there are wild turkeys in every state except Alaska.
  32. Wild turkeys spend the night in trees. They especially like oak trees.
  33. Turkeys have heart attacks. The United States Air Force was doing test runs and breaking the sound barrier. Nearby turkeys dropped dead with heart attacks.
  34. Commercially raised turkeys cannot fly.
  35. Turkeys are related to pheasants.
  36. A domesticated male turkey can reach a weight of 30 pounds within 18 weeks after hatching.
  37. 2.74 billion pounds of turkey were processed in the United States in 1994.
  38. Turkeys do not see well at night.
  39. A large group of turkeys is called a flock.
  40. Turkeys can see in color.
  41. Turkeys don’t really have ears like ours, but they have very good hearing.
  42. The ballroom dance the "turkey trot" was named for the short, jerky steps that turkeys take.
  43. A 16 week old turkey is called a fryer. A five to seven month old turkey is called a young roaster and a yearling is a year old. Any turkey 15 months or older is called mature.
  44. Illinois produced 2.9 million turkeys in 2003 and ranked 15th in turkey production in the United States.
  45. Minnesota, North Carolina, Arkansas, Virginia, Missouri and Virginia are the leading producers of turkey in 2003. These states produced 75% of all the turkeys raised in 2003.
  46. Gobbling turkeys can be heard a mile away on a quiet day.
  47. Male turkeys gobble. Hens do not. They make a clicking noise.
  48. Nineteen million turkeys are eaten each Easter.
  49. Twenty-two million turkeys are eaten each Christmas.
  50. Forty-five million turkeys are eaten each Thanksgiving.
  51. United States turkey growers raised 270 million turkeys in 2003.
  52. It takes 75-80 pounds of feed to raise a 30 pound tom turkey.
  53. Turkey eggs are tan with brown specks and are larger than chicken eggs.
  54. Most of the turkeys raised for commercial production are White Hollands.
  55. Baby turkeys are called poults and are tan and brown.
  56. Turkey feathers were used by Native Americans to stabilize arrows.
  57. Turkeys lived almost ten million years ago.
  58. Turkeys can see movement almost a hundred yards away.
  59. Six hundred seventy-five million pounds of turkey are eaten each Thanksgiving in the United States.
  60. Turkeys’ heads change colors when they become excited.
  61. Tom turkeys have beards. This is black, hairlike feathers on their breast. Hens sometimes have beards, too.
  62. The turkey was once nominated to be the official bird of the United States.
  63. The thing that hangs from the top of the beak of a turkey is called the snood.

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