It’s Almost Turkey Time!
By Marilyn Shy, Kalkaska Conservation District
The days are getting shorter, and snow is covering the ground. The month of November is upon us. What better time than now to talk turkey!
Wild turkeys are a fairly common sight in my neck of the woods. There is one flock of about 10-12 birds that have been wandering around the neighborhood. At this time of the year, the younger birds are just about as big as their parents. They are highly social and tend to stick together as they forage for food.
As I watch these large and wary birds, I can’t help thinking about their domestic counterparts, one of which will grace my Thanksgiving table soon.
So how do domestic turkeys differ from their wild cousins?
One obvious difference is their color. Wild turkeys are dark brown to almost black, while most domestic turkeys have been bred to be all white. Why is this? The dark color of wild turkeys is important as it serves as camouflage and aid in them hiding from prey. Domestic turkeys are often bred to be white to avoid the darker skin coloration associated with non-white feathers and keep our white meat white.
Domestic turkeys were first raised by Native Americans in Mexico and Central America about 2,000 years ago. The Anasazi people of the southwestern United States also domesticated turkeys. They raised them not only for their meat, but for their feathers, which were used in ceremonial dress, and their bones, which were used as tools.
Spanish explorers took some of the domestic turkeys back to Europe around 1519. They spread rapidly among European farmers and became very popular.
The turkeys returned to the New World with the English colonists in Virginia and Massachusetts in the early 1600s. Imagine the surprise of the colonists to learn that the Indians were already raising them!
Besides coloration, there are other large differences between wild and domestic turkeys. The wild turkey can fly more than a mile at a time up to speeds of 55 miles per hour. The domestic turkey has been bred to have outsized meaty breasts, giving up its ability to fly along the way.
The wild turkey can run faster than a galloping horse. The domestic turkey has been bred through hundreds of generations to have shorter legs and is much slower on its feet.
The wild turkey must survive and thrive in a world of predators. The domestic turkey has lost its ability to survive in the wild, and is easy prey for predators.
Wild turkeys are much quieter than the constantly clucking domestic turkey. A wild turkey as noisy as a domestic turkey would not survive for very long.
Domestic turkeys exhibit no fear of humans. Much more wary and stealthy, wild turkeys are considered one of the most difficult game animals to hunt successfully.
Wild turkeys are smaller and have darker meat, richer, more intense flavor, and firmer texture than the domestic turkey. Wild turkeys have a lot less breast meat because their breasts have evolved for flying. They are much more muscular, and leaner, than domestic birds.
For generations, wild turkeys have adapted to survive in the wild. They can find food and the safest roosting locations, build nests, and most importantly, avoid predation. Wild turkeys are sleek, alert, and built for survival.
While their domestic cousins are designed for us to eat!