EGG Cam - From Poult to Turkey!

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Turkeys are found in the wild in North America (see photo above right). These large birds are also raised on farms. Many domesticated turkeys (those raised for their meat on farms) have white plumage (feathers). The head and neck of a turkey is "bare" - turkeys have a wattle (see photo below). The female turkey is called a "hen". The male turkey is called a "tom" or "gobbler". The baby turkey is called a "poult".

A Male Turkey Turkey eggs hatch in 28 days. In the wild, the first weeks are important to a poult’s survival. The poult's must be able to leave the nest 12 to 24 hours after hatching. Poults are vulnerable to predation, and chilling by dew or rainfall can lower body temperature and weaken or kill them. Hens take care of the poults on the ground until they are able to fly to nearby trees. Poults are able to fly within two weeks of hatching.

On the farm, turkeys are fed a diet of mainly corn and soybean meal along with a supplement of vitamins and minerals. They grow to full maturity in bout 4 to 5 months, depending on the desired market weight. In the wild, young turkey's eat a lot of insects, including grasshoppers, spiders and beetles.

Turkeys are very curious! Young turkeys have been known to drown in a half-filled pail of water-not just one bird, a bucket full of birds, one after the other!
They are very friendly! They can become pets. This has been known to destroy their commercial value as Thanksgiving dinner.
Turkeys are not stupid, but they are different. It is important to have plenty of waterers and feeders available for them when they are a day old and first trying to find feed and water. They have been known to starve to death by eating nothing, or they eat litter instead of feed and then starve to death-with feed near by!
Disease control in a small flock of turkeys on a farm is not difficult, but CARE, SANITATION, and ISOLATION are the keys to a successful disease control program. Turkey can't be raised with chickens because there are some diseases that can kill turkeys but don't seem to bother the chickens.

Here are some "notes" from the National Turkey Federation:

In 2002, U.S. consumption of turkey is expected to be more than 17 pounds per person, the #4 protein choice for U.S. consumers.
Turkey production has more than tripled since 1970 — the total value of turkey processors’ production in 1999 reached more than $7.8 billion.
In 2002, U.S. growers raised 272 million turkeys.
Only tom turkeys gobble. Hen turkeys make a clicking noise.
Domesticated turkeys cannot fly. Wild turkeys can fly for short distances up to 55 miles per hour and can run 20 miles per hour.
June is National Turkey Lovers' Month!
Benjamin Franklin, who proposed the turkey as the official United States' bird, was dismayed when the bald eagle was chosen over the turkey. Franklin wrote to his daughter, referring to the eagle's "bad moral character," saying, "I wish the bald eagle had not been chosen as the representative of our country! The turkey is a much more respectable bird, and withal a true original native of America."

Sources:

Nebraska Game & Parks Commission: Wild Turkeys in Nebraska

Nebraska Game & Parks Commission: Hear what a Wild Turkey Sounds Like

National Turkey Federation: Learn more about the commercial turkey industry

Want to Raise a Few Turkeys? University of Michigan

EGG Cam Resources: - Resources on incubating and raising chickens, ducks and more.

EGG Cam Photos & Movie Clips

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