Domesticated turkeys descend from wild turkeys, who live in America. They live in harems, and spend their time, roosting in trees, roaming in woodlands, eating vegetation and insects, building nests, caring for their young, taking dust baths and preening their feathers They can fly up to 55 miles per hour, when threatened. Turkeys have large dark almond shaped eyes and fine-boned faces. They are intelligent, sensitive, highly sociable, and affectionate birds who create lasting bonds with each other. When isolated they can become distressed.
Turkeys strut about slowly, with their necks arched backward, their breasts thrust forward, emitting their characteristic ‘gobbling call.’ Individual turkeys have unique voices. This is how they recognise each other. They are known to exhibit 20 distinct vocalisations, which includes a distinctive gobble produced by males, that can be heard a mile away. Like peacocks, male turkeys puff up their bodies and spread their feathers to attract a mate. They have amazing mating rituals, and elaborate dances. Turkeys have 5,000-6,000 feathers.
The area of bare skin on a turkey’s throat and head vary in colour depending on its mood. When excited, a male turkey’s head turns blue, when ready to fight, it turns red. The long fleshy part over a male’s beak is called a snood. Benjamin Franklin wanted to make the wild turkey, not the Bald Eagle, the national bird of the USA. The turkey is believed to have been sacred in ancient Mexican cultures. The Mayans, Aztecs and Toltecs referred to the turkey as the ‘Great Xolotl’ viewing them as ‘jewelled birds.’
The three main types of turkey productions are the broiler shed, pole-barn or free-range systems. Day old turkey chicks called poults, are transferred from the hatcheries to rearing sheds. Up to 25,000 birds may be housed in a building, crowded like broiler chickens on a litter floor. Some have slatted walls to allow ventilation, but many have solid walls and no windows. Apart from feeders and drinkers the sheds are often barren. Only the constant hum of ventilators. Lighting is usually low to encourage the birds to eat. This indoor intensive system makes up 90% of turkey accommodation in UK.
Overcrowding leads to feather pecking and increases injuries such as broken wings, caused by hitting the pen walls or other turkeys during aggressive encounters. This is controlled by beak-trimming and de-snooding. They peck each others’ eyes and toes and head pecking becomes more frequent, as they sexually mature. When this occurs, with few opportunities to escape, the outcome is often rapid and fatal. They are normally reared in single-sex flocks, because females will be repeatedly mated, and it is likely she will be injured and trampled on.
Instead of the varied diet a turkey would eat, they are given high protein pellets day in and day out. Selective breeding of unnaturally large turkeys, with huge breasts, causes hip problems, chronic pain, heart disease and the inability to mate naturally. Farmers invariably use invasive artificial insemination. The birds are bow-legged, their frames can’t support them, and they can find it difficult to stand up straight. Some weigh up to 50lbs. Ammonia causes ulcerated feet and painful burns to their legs and breasts. Around 5-15% die in sheds each year, due to being unable to reach the food and water, disease or growing too quickly.
The pole-barn system consists of large sheds, with natural lighting and ventilation, but they are still quite barren and very overcrowded. Free range or organic farms are similar to indoor or pole barn systems, but have access to outside. They may be subject to the same mutilations, but organic birds don’t get antibiotics. Their natural life span is 10-15 years. Hens are slaughtered around 9-11 weeks and stags 19-21 weeks, or a bit later. Worn out from constant breeding, they are made into processed meats, sausages or turkey ham. They are eaten all year round, but when Christmas approaches millions will be consumed, and rarely will anyone give a thought as to why they are so fat and so cheap.
Christians Caring For Gods Creatures 