Facts about Turkeys
There are 59 species of eagles. Wild turkeys can run at speeds of up to 25 miles per hour. Benjamin Franklin wanted the national bird to be a turkey. 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. 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. Gobbling starts before sunrise and can continue through most of the morning. Turkeys fly to the ground at first light and feed until mid-morning. Feeding resumes in mid-afternoon. Turkeys spend the night in trees. They fly to their roosts around sunset. Minnesota led the United States in turkey production in 2001. Forty-three million turkeys were produced. Turkey eggs hatch in 28 days. Wattle is the fleshy growth under a turkey’s throat. Turkeys have a long, red, fleshy area called a snood that grows from the forehead over the bill. The caruncle is a red-pink fleshy growth on the head and upper neck of the turkey. Israelis eat more turkeys than any other nation, The average is 28 pounds per person. The costume that "Big Bird" wears on Sesame Street is rumored to be made of turkey feathers. Turkey skins are tanned and used to make cowboy boots and belts. In the year 2001, about 272 million turkeys were raised. We estimate that 46 million of those turkeys were eaten at Thanksgiving, 22 million at Christmas, and 19 million at Easter. Ninety-five percent of Americans surveyed by the National Turkey Federation eat turkey at Thanksgiving. The average weight of turkeys purchased for Thanksgiving is 15 pounds, meaning that approximately 690 million pounds of turkey were consumed in the United States during Thanksgiving in 2001. If spring turkey hunters had their own state, they'd represent the nation's 35th largest state. A spring turkey hunter spends an average of $784.38 on spring turkey hunting each year. Spring turkey hunter's dollars provide jobs for 41,323 people who generate almost $200 million in federal income taxes. The total number of jobs supported by spring turkey hunting in the United States is enough to completely eliminate unemployment in the states of Nebraska, New Hampshire or Idaho. The jobs supported by spring turkey hunting are nearly 50 percent larger than the number of employees of U.S. Airways, a Fortune 500 company. The federal income tax revenues generated from spring turkey hunting activities in the United States would pay the salaries and allowances for more than 5,600 U.S. soldiers. Turkey breeding has caused Turkeys' breasts to grow so large that the Turkeys fall over. A 15lb. Turkey consists of 70% white meat and 30% dark meat. Most turkey feathers are composted. Turkeys have been bred to have white feathers. White feathers have no spots under the skin when plucked. Turkeys will have 3,500 feathers at maturity. For their first meal on the moon, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin ate roast turkey in foil packets. Turkey is low in fat and high in protein. According to the 2002 census, there were 8,436 turkey farms in the United States. 50 percent of U.S. consumers eat turkey at least once per week. 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. The five most popular ways to serve leftover turkey is as a sandwich, in stew, chili or soup, casseroles and as a burger. Since 1947, the National Turkey Federation has presented a live turkey and two dressed turkeys to the President. The President does not eat the live turkey. He "pardons" it and allows it to live out its days on a historical farm. June is National Turkey Lover’s Month. Turkey breeding has caused turkey breasts to grow so large that the turkeys fall over. 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. Wild turkeys were almost wiped out in the early 1900's. Today there are wild turkeys in every state except Alaska. Wild turkeys spend the night in trees. Oak trees are their favourite for this purpose. 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. Commercially raised turkeys cannot fly. Turkeys are related to pheasants. A domesticated male turkey can reach a weight of 30 pounds within 18 weeks after hatching. 2.74 billion pounds of turkey were processed in the United States in 1994. Turkeys do not see well at night. A large group of turkeys is called a flock. Male turkeys are called gobblers or toms, females are called hens. Turkeys can see in color. Males have what is known as a beard, a bristly mass of feathers found on the breast. Immature males, called jakes do not normally have an obvious beard. Bearded birds aren't always males. Sometimes you'll find a female with a beard. Turkeys don’t really have ears like ours, but they have very good hearing. The ballroom dance the "turkey trot" was named for the short, jerky steps that turkeys take. 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. Illinois produced 2.9 million turkeys in 2003 and ranked 15th in turkey production in the United States. 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. Gobbling turkeys can be heard a mile away on a quiet day. The turkey was once nominated to be the official bird of the United States. The thing that hangs from the top of the beak of a turkey is called the snood. |
SEARCH
Sponsors
|