Turkey Chicks, Live turkey and Turkey eggs for sale.

Turkeys are native to North America. They are a type of poultry that belong to the order Galliformes, along with chickens. There are two species of wild turkey: the North American Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) and the Central American Ocellated Turkey (M. ocellata). Global turkey meat production is about 5.7 m tonnes/year. Of this, plus de 60% is produced in North America, which is the turkey’s native home. The undomesticated turkey (Melagris ocellata) can still be found there in remote areas. Although domesticated over 500 years ago, it was only in the 20th century that turkeys were exploited for their meat. Prior to this, turkeys were selected for their plumage and exhibited in poultry shows. Turkeys were taken to Europe by the Spanish, who had found them as a favourite domesticated animal among the Aztecs. The Aztecs used turkeys as a source of protein (meat and eggs) and used the feathers for decoration.

Modern Turkeys

As with many galliform species, the female (hen) is smaller than the male (tom or stag), and generally less colourful. Turkeys have wingspans of 1.5–1.8 meters (almost 6 pieds) and male turkeys have a distinctive fleshy appendage that hangs from the beak, called a snood. The usual lifespan for a turkey is 10 années, and pure breed turkeys take approximately 4-5 months to grow to full size. The hen turkeys take 16 weeks to mature completely, and average 3.6 kg (8 lb) à 7.2 kg (16 Kg) in weight. The tom turkey takes approximately 19 weeks to mature and weighs between 7.2 kg (16 Kg) et 10.8 kg (24 Kg). Larger tom turkeys may weigh up to 18.1 kg (40 Kg), but take a few more weeks to mature. A breeder tom turkey can generate up to 1,500 poults in a hen’s six-month laying cycle.

Commercial turkey breeding hens produce only about 45 live poults (chicks) each year. Turkey eggs take 28 days to hatch.

While some pure breeds of turkey are maintained by poultry fanciers, the turkeys raised commercially for meat are specially bred hybrids (a cross between two or more different breeds). Commercial turkey breeding has resulted in hybrid strains that grow much faster and convert feed to bodyweight much more efficiently than pure breeds. Under ideal conditions with a well-balanced ration, a modern white hybrid turkey can reach 6 kg in weight by 10 weeks of age, with a feed conversion ratio (the ratio of the amount of feed eaten to body weight gain) of about 2:1. Commercial turkeys are bred specifically to have more meat in the breast and thighs. White feathered turkeys are generally preferred, since they do not have unsightly pigment spots on the skin when plucked.