The turkey was imported into the Netherlands from the United States and Canada. The turkey is a striking appearance with its red wattles and appendages on its head. The tail feathers of the males that can be spread into a fan and stand up together with all the feathers of their body. The noisy calling (bells) of the male and the sound of the female with a much softer and sharper tone. Turkeys are kept as a hobby or turkeys are used in turkey farming as part of the agricultural world.
- The turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)
- Domesticated
- Description turkey
- Omnivore
- Habitat
- Breeding season and chicks
- Turkeys farming
- As a hobby
The turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)
The turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) is a bird in the family of the Phasianidae (pheasants) where, in addition to the pheasant, the quail, peacock, partridge and chicken belong. The male turkey is called rooster, the female turkey is hen and the young are the chicks. Originally, the turkey is native to North and Central America, where the forest turkey still occurs in wooded areas in the wild and the mountain turkey in mountainous regions. The wild turkey was probably taken to Europe by Spanish soldiers around the 16th century.
Domesticated
The turkey in the Netherlands is a domesticated bird. This means that the turkey, which is descended from the wild turkey, exhibits characteristics that are adapted to benefits that the breeders benefit from. A better and more perfect breed in terms of build, size, resistance, color and, among other things, feed. In other words; the turkey is adapted to the needs of man.
Description turkey
The turkey is related to the gallinaceous family and especially the male has striking red and wrinkled wattles hanging down his beak, a blue colored spot around the eyes and a “beard”. of thin feathers that protrude into the center of the turkey’s chest and average 22.5 centimeters in length. Some females also have a beard, but with much less hair. On the head of the rooster there is a fold of skin that can stand upright (meat brush) and resembles a thrust weapon and on the leg of the male is a trace like a stabbing weapon. Turkeys mainly communicate through sounds. You can easily recognize the female because it is a lot smaller in size and has less color.
A track
A turkey is born with a bud on the legs (a spur) which in a male turkey grows up to five centimeters long. In a female turkey, this is no further explanation. The wing span can be from 5 feet to 6 feet and the turkey lives to about ten to twelve years. The male can spread the tail like a wheel, raise his feathers to impress the female turkeys. The turkey has excellent vision and hearing.
Beard and spurToes
Many gallinaceous birds have a track like the male turkey. On the back of the legs of the male the bud grows into a pointed trail at some height of the long toes. Galliform birds have three long toes in the front and one shorter in the back. The legs are covered with a horny coat as well as the spur. The trail is a weapon for the turkey to protect against enemies.
Feathers
A layer of air is trapped between the feathers of the turkey. The air layer is warm due to the body heat and due to the feathers little body heat is lost. Due to the presence of natural fat, the plumage is an ideal insulation against rain.
Omnivore
Turkeys are omnivores and will eat anything. From seeds, herbs, roots, berries, flowers, leaves and fruits to insects, small mice, worms and small salamanders. There is special turkey food and just like chickens, turkeys need stomach gravel.
Stomach gravel that helps to crush seeds in the stomach. The domestic turkey needs a lot of water.
Habitat
The native turkey lives in forests and mountainous regions. The domestic turkey also needs variety to survive. A spacious and loose terrain with water, sand (turkeys like to take a sand bath), trees, shrubs and a night pen. Turkeys like to be outdoors and are group animals with a ranking where the males live separately from the females. To sleep, the turkey likes to sleep in a tree, just like the pheasant. The males mate with several females and they need a good night shelter, with perches to sleep on when there are no trees.
Breeding season and chicks
The breeding season is from January to February. The male turkey adorns the female turkeys with impressive courtship behavior. Dancing, the feathers of the body upright, the tail feathers fanning out, the wattles around the beak even redder, the blue spot around the eye even more bluish and with a typical chirping sound. The females then build a nest; preferably on the ground. A shallow hole in the bushes or in tall grass. On average, eight to fifteen eggs are laid, which are incubated in 25 to 31 days. The chicks can feed and walk for 24 hours after hatching. The males keep away from the young and after 10 to 12 months the young turkeys are sexually mature.
Turkeys farming
In the Netherlands, keeping turkeys is part of the agricultural world. After 1965, turkey farming got off to a good start and can be divided into the keeping of meat turkeys and breeding turkeys. The turkey has more than twenty breeds and a number of subspecies and mainly differ from each other in color. Turkey breeds such as:
- Ronquieres;
- Narragansett;
- Red Bourbon;
- Norfolk Black Turkey;
- White Beltsville turkey;
- German blue;
- Ronquières;
- Sologne.
Male turkey at court time.Free-range turkey
In our country, mainly the British United Turkey (BUT Big 6) are kept, the most popular turkey as meat turkey. These are fast growing animals where the hens are slaughtered at 16 weeks of age and the roosters at 20 weeks of age. The Kelly Turkey is often kept as a free-range turkey. Often these turkeys are used as Christmas turkey. The bird is the traditional dish during Thanksgiving in the United States, but also in the Netherlands we see the turkey more and more on the menu.
As a hobby
Turkeys are group animals but the males usually live separately from the females. For chicks, a couple of a rooster with several hens is very suitable because the rooster fertilizes several hens. Often this life composition with chickens, ducks or geese goes well. This often does not go well with peacocks. The hens lay a lot of unfertilized eggs, just like chickens, and they also taste almost the same. When used in a recipe with eggs, they are also suitable, but a lot larger. Adjust the recipe accordingly.
