Turkey Facts

Wild turkeys spend the night in trees. They especially like oak trees.

Turkeys have heart attacks. The United States Air Force was doing test runs and breaking the sound barrier. Nearby turkeys dropped dead with heart attacks.

Commercially raised turkeys cannot fly.

Turkeys are related to pheasants.

A domesticated male turkey can reach a weight of 30 pounds within 18 weeks after hatching.

2.74 billion pounds of turkey were processed in the United States in 1994.

Turkeys do not see well at night.

A large group of turkeys is called a flock.

Turkeys can see in color.

Turkeys don’t really have ears like ours, but they have very good hearing.

The ballroom dance the "turkey trot" was named for the short, jerky steps that turkeys take.

A 16 week old turkey is called a fryer. A five to seven month old turkey is called a young roaster and a yearling is a year old. Any turkey 15 months or older is called mature.

Illinois produced 2.9 million turkeys in 2003 and ranked 15th in turkey production in the United States.

Minnesota, North Carolina, Arkansas, Virginia, Missouri and Virginia are the leading producers of turkey in 2003. These states produced 75% of all the turkeys raised in 2003.

Gobbling turkeys can be heard a mile away on a quiet day.