Turkeys An Overview of the Turkey Industry in Georgia

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TurkeysAn Overview of the Turkey Industry in
Georgia
Georgia Agricultural Education Curriculum
Office Dr. Frank Flanders and Catrina
Kennedy September 2006
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• The wild turkey we usually see in photos or
  pictures is not the same as the domestic turkey
  that we serve at Thanksgiving.
• Domestic or tame turkeys weigh twice what a wild
  turkey does and are raised on farms for profit. 
• Most domestic turkeys are so heavy they are
  unable to fly.

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• Wild turkeys  (Meleagris gallopavo) live in woods
  in parts of North America and are the largest
  game birds found in this part of the world. 
• They spend their days foraging for food like
  acorns, seeds, small insects and wild berries. 
• They spend their nights in low branches of trees
  (yes, wild turkeys can fly!).

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• Commercially bred turkeys are usually white.
• Their colors have been purposely bred out because
  the pigment from the feathers would discolor the
  turkey's skin during dressing.
• They cannot fly because their breast are thicker
  and heavier.

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Georgias Commodity Value
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US Turkey Production
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Interesting Facts

• Ben Franklin proposed the turkey as the official
  United States bird.
• United States turkey growers raised 270 million
  turkeys in 2003.
• Twenty-two million turkeys are eaten each
  Christmas.
• 50 percent of U.S. consumers eat turkey at least
  once per week.

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Assessment

• What type of turkey do people commonly eat?
• True or False All turkeys can fly.
• What color are commercially bred turkeys?
• Where is Poultry rank in Georgia amongst other
  commodities?
• Who suggested making the turkey the official bird
  of the United States?

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Answers

• Commercial
• False, Commercial birds are too heavy
• White
• 1st
• Ben Franklin