Turkey Breeds
What brought the various turkey breeds to the table?
How does the turkey fit into the taxonomic classification?
What follows is a brief history, description and classification of
the various breeds of turkey. We look at the wild ones, the Standard
and Heritage turkeys and commercial varieties of the bird.
We wish to thank Diane Jacky for her permission to
include her illustrations depicting many of the breeds. If you would
like to browse her unique poultry gifts click
here.
Turkeys have the following Taxonomic Classification:
* Kingdom: Animalia
* Phylum: Chordata
* Class: Aves
* Order: Galliformes
* Family: Meleagrididae
* Genus: Meleagris
* Species: Meleagris gallopavo and Agriocharis oscellata |
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There are two species of turkey: Agriocharis oscellata
from southeast Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize; and, Meleagris
gallopavo the North American Wild Turkey and the domestic turkey.
The Meleagris gallopavo is the important commercial
bird.
Wild Turkeys:
There are six subspecies sometimes referred to as turkey breeds of
the Meleagris gallopavo (M.g.)
M. g. sylvestris- Eastern Wild
Turkey
M. g. gallopavo- South Mexican
turkey
M. g. osceola- Florida turkey
M. g. intermedia- Rio Grande
turkey (Illustration by Diane Jacky)
M. g. merriami- Merriam's turkey
M. g. mexicana - Gould's turkey
Standard Turkey Criteria
The American Poultry Association (APA) promotes pure breeding and protects
the standard-bred poultry industry. They publish the Standard of
Perfection, and they are the group that can admit a variety to
"Standard."
These "Standards" are often referred to as turkey "breeds."
Many of these breeds have been listed by the APA since the end of the
nineteenth century.
Heritage Turkey Criteria
A Heritage turkey must:
- have resulted from natural mating of both its parents and grandparent.
- have a long productive outdoor life span
.
- have a slow to moderate growth rate reaching market weight in about
28 weeks.
The following breeds are Standard and Heritage turkeys which were
also on Slow Food's "Ark of Taste:"
Narragansett Turkey - A turkey
breed named for its area of origin on Narragansett Bay Rhode Island
- admitted to standard in 1874. Hen is 14 lbs. tom 23 lbs.under one year of age. (Illustration by Diane Jacky)
American Bronze - Also called
Bronze and "unimproved Bronze" was bred from stock imported
to America by colonialists and Eastern Wild Turkeys - admitted to standard
in 1874.
The "unimproved" in the name indicates that this type of
bird was the foundation stock along with Jesse Throssel's Sheffield
Bronze turkeys, which became the Broad Breasted Bronze - see Turkey
History. Hen is 16 lbs. tom 25 lbs.under one year of age.
Bourbon Red Turkey - Developed
in Bourbon county Kentucky in the late 1800s from Buff, Bronze, and
White Holland - admitted to standard in 1909. Hen is 14 lbs. tom 23 lbs.under one year of age. (Illustration by Diane
Jacky)
The following breeds are Standard and Heritage:
White Holland - Bred in Europe
from North American Wild Turkey stock and brought to America - admitted
to Standard in 1874. Hen is 16 lbs. tom 25 lbs.under one year of age.
Black - Bred in Europe from
North American Wild Turkey stock and brought to America - admitted to
Standard in 1874. This turkey breed is also called Spanish Black and
Norfolk Black. Hen is 14 lbs. tom 23 lbs.under one year of age.(Illustration by Diane Jacky)
Slate - Named for its color which resulted from a
genetic mutation - admitted to standard in 1874. Also called Blue Slate.
Hen is 14 lbs. tom 23 lbs.under one year of age.(Illustration by Diane Jacky)
Beltsville Small White - Developed
by the USDA in Beltsville MD and distributed worldwide from 1941 to
1962 - admitted to standard in 1951. Hen is 10 lbs. tom 17 lbs.under one year of age.
Royal Palm - One of the smallest
breeds and very attractive (white with black edging on its feathers)
- admitted to Standard in 1977. Hen is 10 lbs. tom 16 lbs.under one year of age. (Illustration by Diane Jacky)
The following breed is non-Standard but is Heritage and is
on the "Ark of Taste:"
Jersey Buff - Named for its
color and area of origin (New Jersey) - accepted to Standard in 1874,
but dropped in 1915 because there were so few birds. They are now almost
extinct. Hen is 12 lbs. tom 21 lbs.under one year of age.
The following breed is non-Standard but is Heritage:
White Midget - Developed in
the 1960's at the University of Massachusetts to meet expected demand
for smaller turkeys. This bird was developed by crossing a Broad Breasted
White with a Royal Palm. Hen is 8.2 lbs. tom 13.8 lbs.at 20 weeks..
The following breeds are non-Standard and are not Heritage:
Broad-Breasted Bronze - Introduced
from England to Canada in the 1900s, then to the western U.S. and crossed
with U.S. stock. This was the commercial turkey of choice before the
Broad Breasted White. Although this bird is not a Heritage Turkey, it
is studied by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC). (Illustration
by Diane Jacky)
Broad Breasted White - The
only commercially important turkey today. Bred from the White Holland
and Broad Breasted Bronze. Commercially today in North America there are only 2 strains of this bird owned by just two companies: Nicholas Turkey Breeding Farms of Lewisburg, West Virginia; and Hybrid Turkeys of Ontario, Canada. This bird takes just 12 to 18 weeks to reach 14 to 20 lbs. (Illustration by Diane Jacky)
The Following Turkeys are additional varieties designated Old and Rare by the SPPA (Society for the Preservation of Poultry Antiquities)
Auburn (Light Brown Turkey)
Silver Auburn
Black Wing Bronze (Crimson Dawn)
Blue Bronze
Calico
Chocolate
Lavender
Lilac
Mottled
Silver Narragansett
Grizzled Nebraska
Spotted Nebraska
Regal Red
Blue Palm
Red Palm
Sweet Grass
The following are designated Rare by the SPPA
Apricot
Silver Auburn
Chestnut Blue
Harvest Gold
Nittany
Oregon Gray
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