Today's
Turkey - A modern miracle
Newswise — Turkey will be the centerpiece for many Thanksgiving
dinners later this month. But increasingly, turkey is not just for
Thanksgiving anymore. 2005 statistics from the National Turkey
Federation show that per-capita consumption was 16.7 pounds per
person in the U.S. - up 106 percent since 1970. Turkey is available
in a wide variety of products these days. But few Americans give any
thought about where their turkey really comes from.
In fact, today's turkey is something of a miracle that has
been developed and bred to meet the tastes of modern-day
Americans. It's an interesting story that Maryland faculty
expert Dr. Nickolas Zimmermann knows from start to finish.
An associate professor of animal and avian sciences, Zimmermann can
tell you everything you need to know about turkeys. You can gobble
up his comments below, or call him for your own! Contact information
can be found in the "Give Thanks for Today's Thanksgiving Turkeys"
Hot Topic at
http://www.newsdesk.umd.edu/experts/hottopic.cfm?hotlist_id=59.
Q: Is the turkey we put on the table today at Thanksgiving
considerably different than the one the Pilgrims found out in the
wild?
Turkeys in the days of the Pilgrims were similar to the wild turkeys
that are now abundant in most states of the nation. They have dark
plumage and can fly. Modern turkeys have been bred to have large
breast muscles, desired by consumers. Modern turkeys also have been
bred to have white feathers, so that pigment from dark feathers does
not blemish the skin. The selection process has been so successful
that modern turkeys are too heavy to fly under most circumstances.
That has also reduced their reproductive efficiency.
Q: Are wild turkeys smarter than today's farm-grown turkey?
Wild turkeys grow up in woodlands where only the alert survive. At
any moment a fox or a hawk could threaten their life and they must
constantly look for food. In comparison, modern turkeys are couch
potatoes; food and water are always close and they are safe from
predators.
Q: Is artificial insemination the only way farmers can really
produce the "modern" turkey of today?
Not entirely. Modern large-breasted turkeys are able to mate in the
traditional way. But this is a clumsy act for a large-breasted
turkey, and insemination is hit or miss; mostly miss. This results
in a high proportion of eggs not being fertile, thus fewer poults
are hatched. Artificial insemination ensures that sperm are present
to fertilize the hen's egg and increase the number of poults hatched